One Month Left to Enter the 2025 State Fair of Texas Creative Arts Contests
By Bridget Browning | June 27, 2025 | With just one month remaining, the State Fair of Texas is calling on all artists, crafters, and culinary creators to submit their work for the annual Creative Arts Contests. Whether you’re a detailed arts and crafts lover with a love for quilting, canning, or photography or a passionate home cook who enjoys making savory sensations or sweet treats, the State Fair of Texas Creative Arts Contests are here for you to put your skills to the test and challenge yourself to win a coveted blue ribbon at the Most Texan Place on Earth®!
With more than 1,100 categories in 14 different pre-Fair contests, amateurs and professionals of all ages are presented with endless opportunities to have their innovative entries under the spotlight. The 2025 Arts & Crafts Contests include Fine Art; Ceramics; Designer Craftsman; Dolls; Canning; Hobby Collections; Holiday Corner; Needlepoint, Crewel, and Counted Cross-Stitch; Needlework and Sewing; Afghans, Rugs, Quilts, and Bedspreads; Photography; Scale Models; Glue-a-Shoe; and The Great Pumpkin Challenge. The registration deadline for the 2025 pre-Fair contests will close one month from today, Monday, July 28. Contestants can submit their entries via mail by July 28 or hand-deliver items to the Creative Arts building in Fair Park on August 1, 2, and 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. In the weeks following, entries will be judged, and contestants will be notified once the results are finalized. Entries awarded a ribbon will be displayed during the 2025 State Fair of Texas.
In addition to crafting, grab your kitchen utensils and put your culinary skills to the test in any of the 26 Creative Arts Cooking Contests. The 2025 Cooking Contests include Bread; Cooking With Cheese; Honey, the Magic Ingredient; Beekeepers Honey, Farm to Fork; Chocolate; Pizza Cook-Off; Youth Cooking Contest; Best of Show-Down (invitation only); Play with your Food; Dough-Re-Me Pastry; Soup or Salad; Ice Cream Freeze-Off; The Ultimate Grilled Cheese Challenge; Charcuterie Board; Texas Chuck Wagon; International Cuisine; Speedy Dishes; Fair Concoctions; Chicken or the Egg; Cobbler Cook-Off; Tex Mex; and Candy. The 2025 State Fair of Texas Cooking Contest Guide and the Cooking Contest Calendar are now available. While we recommend registering your delicious dishes in advance, contestants must register and turn in completed entries by 10:30 a.m. on the day of your chosen Cooking Contest(s).
“We’re always impressed by the incredible array of talent our community brings to the table each year,” said Kathy Bennett, Creative Arts Director. “With only 31 days left, we’re encouraging everyone — from seasoned creators to enthusiastic hobbyists — to submit their work and be part of our time-honored tradition and celebration of creativity.”
Creative Arts encourages all participants to use the online registration system for all contests. The registration portal allows the creation of a family account, which permits adults in the household to add additional contestants to the account and register youth contestants. Youth contestants will have their own designated entries for Creative Arts competitions, but all communications regarding those entries are sent to the primary adult on the account. Although there are paper registration forms in the Arts & Crafts and Cooking Contest Guides that can be mailed to the Fair, it is recommended to use the online registration portal to ensure contestants receive helpful reminders and judging results of their respective contests.
For complete details on all Creative Arts competitions, download the 2025 State Fair of Texas Arts & Crafts and Cooking Contest Guides now at BigTex.com/CreativeArts. In addition, sign up for the Creative Arts newsletter to keep up with all things Creative Arts. With various contests to choose from, the whole family can spend time together crafting and whipping up delectable treats. Be ready to register your creative entries by Monday, July 28, and start planning your trip to visit the Creative Arts building at the Most Texan Place on Earth during the 2025 State Fair of Texas, opening Friday, September 26, and running through Sunday, October 19.
