Whether you like to cook sweet or you like to cook savory, we have several contests prepared for you! Creative Arts offers daily opportunities for you to win a ribbon in the Competition Kitchen throughout its 24-day run. The mix of competitions can get a little confusing, so we’re here to make it easy for all.
Cooking Contests vs. Cook-offs
Next up, we have our traditional Cooking Contests. Listed below, you’ll find over 25 different cooking contests that anyone can enter by either pre-registering online or entering the day of in the Competition Kitchen. Contestants are required to bring their dish prepared and ready to go, along with a typed recipe for each entry. These categories range anywhere from a traditional Pie Contest to new contests like “Texas Pecans” or “Let’s Do Brunch.”
Also, in the calendar below you’ll find six other competitions offered listed as, Cook-Offs. These contests require pre-registration and a lottery drawn cooking spots. The deadline to enter is June 15 and cooks will be drawn on June 26. Since there are a limited number of spots, contestants will cook their dish onsite from start to finish which all takes place in the Competition Kitchen.
Additional Contests
In addition to the Cooking Contests that occur each day during the Fair, the Competition Kitchen also has three contests that surprisingly don’t require any cooking at all. To kick-off Fair fun and the creative spirit, we like to mix in Glue-a-Shoe, Pumpkin Decorating, and our Cowboy Costume contests. These three contests are completely different than any traditional cooking showdown. So grab your spurs, pumpkins, or an old shoe and get to work!
GLUE-A-SHOE ultimately is exactly what it sounds like! Participants are required to include some sort of shoe in their masterpiece. Whether it’s a boot, high-heel, sandal, tennis shoe or slip on – the possibilities for shoe puns is endless! Every entry must include a VISIBLE title.
PUMPKIN DECORATING. Real or artificial pumpkin, Texas or Halloween-themed, and carved, painted, or decorated – is all up to you! Pumpkins cannot weigh over 10 pounds and must include a VISIBLE title!
“LET’S COWBOY UP” COSTUME CONTEST. Relatively new to the Competition Kitchen, this contest is all about your best cowboy or cowgirl getup. So grab your spurs, get your hat, and get ready to strut your best Big Tex impersonation.
Here are a few more reminders
All cooking contests during the Fair are open to amateurs only. While we do love professional chefs and culinary experts, we save their expertise for the Celebrity Chef Kitchen. Whether your dish is a diehard family must have on the table or you’re whipping up a new blend of ingredients, we encourage all to enter! To get a better view of everything you need to know, download our Creative Arts handbook. Make 2020 the year you win a State Fair Creative Arts ribbon , it’ll be worth every bite!
For more information on Creative Arts Contests or blogs on how to enter,
visit our Creative Arts 101 page or sign-up for our Creative Texans Newsletter.