State Fair of Texas Announces 2026 Big Tex Choice Winners

The State Fair of Texas has crowned its tastiest winners for 2026, and this year’s Big Tex Choice Awards brought plenty of creative and definitely indulgent Fair food to the table.

After tasting and judging all 15 finalists, the panel selected four winners in the 22nd annual competition, presented by Karbach Brewing Company.

The 2026 Big Tex Choice Award Winners

Best Taste - Savory: Burger Chop Tater Tacos by Tom Grace

A chopped burger with onions, jalapeños and cheese is piled onto cheddar tater tots shaped into a taco shell. It’s finished with buffalo buttermilk ranch coleslaw, garlic parmesan buffalo sauce and even more tots.

Best Taste - Sweet: Fletcher’s Chocolate Corny Dog by Beck Fletcher

Milk chocolate fudge is dipped in Fletcher’s famous Corny Dog batter and deep-fried, then topped with yellow vanilla icing and served with raspberry compote.

Best Taste - Sipper: Tropical Coco Fresca by Fruteria Cano

This colorful drink combines pineapple-watermelon agua fresca with a chamoy and Tajín rim, topped with icy coconut snow that melts into the drink for a tropical treat.

Most Creative - Berry Me in Matcha by Stephen El Gidi

This Japanese-inspired dessert features New York-style cheesecake dipped in Belgian white chocolate and rolled in crushed matcha cookies. It’s finished with white chocolate, strawberry jam and a fresh strawberry slice.

Congrats To All The Finalists!

The competition featured 15 finalists, with other entries including Texas Two Step Tacos, Flamin' Crunch Pizza, Golden Crunch Melt, Nacho Wings, Holy Flan! Buñueloco, Texas Pecan Praline Cheesecake Cone, and several creative frozen drinks and desserts.

The 2026 State Fair of Texas runs September 25 through October 18 at Fair Park in Dallas.

Ready to start planning your trip and figuring out which winning food you want to try first? Get tickets and more information at BigTex.com

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Big Tex Food Finalists Announced for 2026 at State Fair of Texas

We're less than two months away from The State Fair of Texas kicking off in Dallas. A big part of the State Fair is the food. These are the new food nominations for 2026. Please note all food descriptions have been taken from State Fair of Texas website.

Gallery Credit: Stryker