The State Fair of Texas has named its finalists for the 22nd Annual Big Tex Choice Awards, presented by Karbach Brewing Company, and the field this year is the biggest it’s ever been. The contest has run since 2005, and past winners, everything from Fried Beer to Fried Peaches and Cream, have gone on to become some of the Fair’s most talked-about foods. A record 77 entries came in from 46 different concessionaires, all of them small business owners with at least two years of experience selling food at the Fair. Every recipe gets submitted with an original name and description, then goes through a blind judging process where a panel evaluates each dish with no idea which vendor made it.
From that original 77, fifteen finalists made the cut, and they’ll compete on Tuesday, August 18, in front of 35 judges, including hometown celebrities, TV personalities, and food experts, for four titles: Best Taste – Savory, Best Taste – Sweet, Best Taste – Sipper, and Most Creative. Judges score each entry on taste, value, creativity, and fairgoer appeal before the winners get crowned. Here’s what’s actually competing this year.
Burger Chop Tater Tacos, from Tom Grace, takes a seared and chopped burger patty, mixes it with sautéed onions and jalapeños, and melts mozzarella and American cheese over the top. The whole thing gets piled onto a taco shell made from cheddar cheese tater tots, then finished with buffalo buttermilk ranch coleslaw, garlic parmesan buffalo sauce, and, in case the tots inside weren’t enough, more tots on top.
Dickel’s Texas Two Step Tacos, from Dickel’s Smokehouse, is actually two different tacos in one entry. The first stuffs a fire-roasted jalapeño with pineapple pork sausage and melted mozzarella inside a blue corn tortilla. The second wraps sliced brisket around a roasted jalapeño with mozzarella on a yellow corn tortilla, finished with pickled onion and a choice of barbecue sauce or the house Lone Star Habanero Fuego.
Flamin’ Crunch Pizza, from Tom Grace, starts with hand-tossed dough topped with jalapeño cheddar queso and a mozzarella-cheddar blend, baked, then covered in crushed Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, a drizzle of jalapeño queso blanco and buffalo buttermilk ranch, and a final dusting of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos powder over the whole pie.
Golden Crunch Melt, from Tony and Terry Bednar, wraps a butter-oil-brushed, grilled tortilla around marinated chicken al pastor, fire-roasted peppers, caramelized onions, chipotle mayonnaise, a three-cheese blend, and crispy potato strings, finished with a smoky chipotle crema.
Nacho Wings, from Cody and Lauren Hays, tosses crispy chicken wings in taco seasoning and buries them in nacho cheese, cilantro, green onions, cotija, tomatoes, pickled red onions, and jalapeños, all served over a bed of fries and drizzled with ranch, combining three Fair-food staples, nachos, wings, and loaded fries, into one dish.
Berry Me in Matcha, from Stephen El Gidi, hand-dips a New York-style cheesecake in Belgian white chocolate, rolls it in crushed matcha cookies, and finishes it with white chocolate drizzle, strawberry jam, and a fresh strawberry slice.
Fernie’s Frozen Espresso-tini Bar, from Christi Erpillo and Johnna McKee, is an espresso martini turned into a popsicle, cold-brew espresso blended with Fernie’s Funnel Cake Cream Cocktail and coated in a chocolate shell that cracks on the first bite.
Fletcher’s Chocolate Corny Dog, from Beck Fletcher, dips a bar of milk chocolate fudge in Fletcher’s own Original Corny Dog batter and deep-fries it, finishing with a vanilla icing drizzle and a side of raspberry compote for dipping.
Holy Flan! Buñueloco, from the Garza family, fills a crispy buñuelo bowl with homemade arroz con leche and a scoop of cinnamon Blue Bell ice cream, then tops it with a deep-fried flan wrapped in puff pastry, whipped cream, and caramel sauce.
Texas Pecan Praline Cheesecake Cone, from Brad Weiss, dips a fresh waffle cone in white chocolate and rolls it in Texas pecan praline, crushed Biscoff cookies, and freeze-dried strawberries, then fills it with scoopable cookie butter cheesecake and tops it with sea salt, whipped cream, Biscoff crumble, cookie butter drizzle, and white chocolate sauce.
Corn Flake Shappé, from Milton and Gracie Whitley, blends toasted corn flakes with dulce de leche, Texas pecan notes, and warm spices into a drinkable dessert, topped with whipped cream, corn flake crunch, strawberry crumble, and powdered sugar.
Nevins Soft Serve Peach Bellini Float, from Tami and Josey Nevins Mayes, infuses peach bellini soft serve with sparkling wine and tops it with sparkling sugar and grated frozen peach, a boozy spin on a childhood classic.
Rousso’s Bacon Jam Caramel Apple Hard Cider, from Rousso’s Concessions in Deep Ellum, blends apple, caramel, churro, and cinnamon sugar flavors with a smoky bacon jam twist. The company behind it, run by Isaac Rousso, is also the same team currently reviving the historic Old Mill Inn at Fair Park, the paddlewheel-fronted building that’s Dallas’s second-oldest restaurant, into a full-service restaurant and bar.
Sunset Soft Serve Rita, from Dwania Morris, combines a strawberry-mango margarita with vanilla soft serve, a Tajín rim, chamoy drizzle, and a crunchy hot honey Tajín topping.
Tropical Coco Fresca, from Fruteria Cano, layers a pineapple-watermelon agua fresca with a chamoy lava Tajín rim and a scoop of icy coconut snow that melts into the drink as you go.
Beyond these fifteen, the Fair also named fourteen semifinalists, entries that didn’t advance to the judged final round but will still debut as new foods for fairgoers this year: All Shook Up, Butter-Dipped Toffee Crunch Nutty Bar, Deep Fried Thai Tea Tres Leches Cake, Dirty Dr Pepper Do-Si-Do Float, Fried Gobbler Roll, Layered Mango Strawberry Shortcake, Limonata Fresca Float, Loaded Lone Star Rings, Love Me Jam Sandwich, Matcha Parfait, Midnight Ruby Rush, Soft Serve Smoked Peach Bourbon Smash, The Niece, Triple Chocolate Flautas, and Twinkle Twinkle Brisket Star.
Winners get crowned Tuesday, August 18, at 2 p.m., in an event closed to the public but streamed on the Fair’s social channels. The 2026 State Fair of Texas, themed “Stars, Stripes, & Howdies,” runs September 25 through October 18 at Fair Park; season passes and tickets are available now at BigTex.com.
