Feeling Crafty? State Fair Opens Registration for Contests
If you’re the crafty, artsy type, listen up: It’s time to show off.
The 2022 State Fair of Texas Creative Arts Handbook is now available online and registration is open for the 2022 contests. A staple at the Fair every year, the Creative Arts department holds pre-Fair arts and crafts contests, awarding the best of the best creative projects from around the state.
With more than 1,000 categories, there is a contest for everyone – including youth participants. Categories range from photography to needlepoint to canning and more.
Contest departments include Fine Art; Ceramics and Hand-Painted China; 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.
Registration continues online through July 25. Contestants can submit their entries via mail by July 25 or hand-deliver items to the Creative Arts building in Fair Park on August 5, 6, and 7, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In the weeks following, entries will be judged, and contestants will be notified once the results are finalized. Entries that are awarded a ribbon will be on display during the 2022 State Fair of Texas.
New this year, the State Fair of Texas and Lucchese have teamed up to offer three new contests, all centered around the iconic boots of our 55-foot-tall cowboy, Big Tex. Folks can dust off a photo of the icon’s boots for inclusion in the Photography contest or create a work of art for the Fine Art contest (both adult and junior). Blue-ribbon winners in each category will receive a special swag bag from Lucchese, a Big Tex bobblehead, and four season passes to the 2022 State Fair of Texas.
For the third year, Creative Arts will utilize an online registration system. The registration portal allows for the creation of a family account, which allows adults in the household to create additional contestants on the account and register any youth contestants. Youth contestants will have their own designated entries for the 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 Creative Arts Handbook that can be mailed to the Fair, it is recommended to use the online registration portal to ensure contestants receive helpful reminders about the Creative Arts Contests and judging results.
For the complete details on the arts and crafts contests, download the 2022 Creative Arts Handbook at BigTex.com/CreativeArts. To keep up with all things Creative Arts, including the cooking contests announcement later this summer, sign up for the Creative Arts newsletter.
The State Fair opens Friday, September 30, and runs through Sunday, October 23.
