The State Fair of Texas officially revealed the winners of its annual Big Tex Choice Awards for best new food and drink items on Wednesday, August 18, and I was lucky enough to be one of the 30 or so celebrity judges (depending on your definition of "celebrity") picked to determine the winners.

The number of people judging the 15 finalists - five Savory, five Sweet, and five Sippers - was a dramatic increase from the panels of previous years, which typically was limited to less than 10.

Judges ranged from anchors for local TV stations to radio hosts to reporters for print publications to social media influencers, giving this year's panel a broad range of personalities and tastes.

To be clear, I am not a food critic or restaurant writer. But I've attended a lot of food events, and as part of my job as an entertainment writer and editor for CultureMap, I review movies. So I tried to bring my critic's sensibilities to the table for the Big Tex Choice Awards.

Situated around a U-shaped table arrangement in a large conference room in the Briscoe Carpenter Livestock Center at Fair Park, the judges were arranged in alphabetical order by first name, giving me the unexpected honor of being at the head of the table (and briefly feeling like "head judge.")

Sizing up the portions
Food at the State Fair is not known for its restraint, both in ingredients and size, so it was a slight relief when we were told that we would be receiving sample sizes of each food/drink item.

Turns out, however, that "sample size" for enormous quantities of food simply means "slightly less," as was evident with the first item (and eventual Savory winner), the Burger Chop Tater Tacos. They're essentially tacos with a fried cheddar-tater tot shell filled with chopped burger, sautéed onions and jalapeños, then topped with Buffalo buttermilk ranch coleslaw and garlic parmesan buffalo sauce.

This was the "sample size" of Burger Chop Tater Tacos at the 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards.Photo by Alex Bentley

Served one taco instead of the two fairgoers will receive, the dish (like most of the entries) was visually appealing and delicious, featuring a little kick from jalapeños and a Buffalo buttermilk ranch dressing, but not so spicy that it was off-putting.

Although it was tempting to eat the whole thing, I erred on the side of caution and stopped after a few bites, trying to pace myself for the onslaught yet to come.

How judging works
Judges were asked to rate each item on four criteria - Taste, Presentation, Creativity, and Value for the Price. While the first two were easy enough to determine, the other two felt considerably more subjective.

Judging for the Savory portion of the event proceeded at a relatively leisurely pace, allowing us to savor items like Dickel’s Texas Two Step Tacos (traditional but flavor-packed), Golden Crunch Melt (a tortilla chicken wrap with some nice zing), Nacho Wings (my favorite thanks to delicious toppings and perfectly-cooked wings), and Flamin’ Crunch Pizza (pizza with Flamin' Hot Cheetos on top that was edible but not really appealing).

Each item was introduced through Q&As with the people who created them, and several contestants got emotional, both at being selected as finalists and because their long tenures as State Fair food vendors have turned into family affairs.

There must have been a little too much time taken with the Savory items, though, because the Sweet items started coming out almost one on top of the other.

Meeting my Matcha
The first item was called Berry Me in Matcha, and it was my winner from the start, thanks in part to its cute, punny name and its fun presentation: a slice of cheesecake on a stick, paying homage to more classic Fair foods. It was also a flavor bomb, with a matcha coating and white chocolate-raspberry drizzle.

In a just world, Berry Me in Matcha cheesecake on a stick would have been the Sweet winner at the 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards.Photo by Alex Bentley

The dessert did win the Most Creative award, but the ultimate Sweet winner was Fletcher’s Chocolate Corny Dog, a fun but simple twist on everyone’s favorite Fair treat featuring a “mustard” drizzle and “ketchup” dip - really vanilla icing dyed yellow and raspberry compote.

Unlike some of the other entries, the Chocolate Corny Dog was easy to digest (both visually and otherwise) and didn't make you think too hard, which is likely why it prevailed over things like Fernie’s Frozen Espresso-tini Bar (a coffee and booze popsicle that didn't seem that creative), Holy Flan! Bunueleco (a concoction with too many elements and not enough flavor), and Texas Pecan Praline Cheesecake Cone (amazing to look at, very strange to actually eat thanks to way too much whipped cream on top).

Confusing concoctions
The Sippers category was a mixed bag. Items like the Corn Flake Shappé (a souped-up shake with dulce de leche and an abundance of corn flakes), Nevins Soft Serve Peach Bellini Float (ice cream and sparkling wine? Why not?), and Sunset Soft Serve Rita (ice cream and margarita? Why not?) felt more like desserts than drinks.

The Corn Flake Shappé at the 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards was way more dessert than Sipper.Photo by Alex Bentley

The Bacon Jam Caramel Apple Cider was the oddest entry, with little more than sugar, apple, and alcohol coming through taste-wise. The eventual winner, Tropical Coco Fresca, was the most sippable of the bunch and seemed to develop more flavor after it sat for a while.

As I've learned from attending food festivals, a little of each item goes a long way. I made the decision ahead of time to eat only a few bites or take a few sips of each entry, even though I was tempted to go further with a few of them.

I did, however, make sure to bring home the rest of my Berry Me in Matcha sample. It was simply too good not to share with my family.