DALLAS — It’s the time of year when the tastiest deep-fried, spicy, sweet and drowned-in-sauce foods come together to compete for the Big Tex Choice Awards. The finalists have been announced.

The State Fair of Texas announced Wednesday, which competitors are among the finalists under the three categories: “Best Taste - Savory,” “Best Taste - Sweet,” and “Most Creative.”

The 24 semi-finalists were narrowed down from a record-breaking 65 entries based on uniqueness, creativity, presentation and taste from the fair judges. After votes were cast, 10 finalists must now bring the flavor before a panel of celebrity judges.

Winners will be announced Thursday, Aug. 22 before the fair kicks off on Sept. 27. The presentation will be streamed live at 2 p.m. the State Fair of Texas’ social media platforms.

Savory finalists

  • Dominican Fritura Dog: A twist on a fair-favorite. Justin Martinez’s introduces is a double deep-fried salami dog with cheese. It comes split open and topped with garlic plantain chips, top-secret Dominican sauce, and cilantro.

  • The Drowning Taquitos: Drowning in savoriness, corn tortillas are stuffed with shredded chicken, then fried and placed in a cup. Each taquito is “drowned” with a tangy cream sauce, jalapeño and guacamole salsa from Tony and Teryy Bednar.

  • Hippie Chips: These are not your typical grab and go potato chips. These “potato chip nachos” from concessionaires Rose and Tom Deschenes come loaded with homemade ranch or blue cheese dressing, then topped with bacon bits and green onions and drizzled with sriracha for a kick.

  • Hot Chick-in-Pancake Poppers: The owners of Palmer’s Hot Chicken, Palmer & Amanda Fortune, in East Dallas offer a southern classic. Nashville hot chicken and pimento cheese rolled into a ball and dipped in pancake batter and deep fried. The Pancake Poppers are then drizzled with sriracha honey and powdered sugar.

  • Texas Fried Burnt End Bombs: Texas and barbecue are synonymous. Concessionaires Nick and Vera Bert take brisket wrapped with shredded potatoes, bacon and cheese, then deep-fry them.

Sweet finalists

  • Nevins Nutty Bar-laska: This family is no stranger to the fair. The Nevinses, created the Fried Charcuterie Board at the 2022 fair and they’re back with melt in your mouth sweetness.A classic nutty bar on a stick with toasted marshmallow, two Oreos, strawberry sauce, and freeze-dried strawberry pieces.

  • Rousso’s Cotton Candy Bacon on a Stick: Isaac Rousso brings Cotton Candy Bacon on a Stick: A tall slab of bacon, glazed with cotton candy sugar, torched to caramelize the center and served on a stick.

  • Strawberry Pop-Tarts Beignetffle: Concessionaire Justin Martinez makes a second entry as a finalist with a combo of beignets, Pop-Tarts and waffles…on a stick.

  • Texas Sugar Rush Pickles: Another southern delicacy with a twist. Heather Perkins’ Sugar Rush Pickles are cotton candy-flavored pickle slices that are coated in Lucky Charms, Froot Loops, and Cap’n Crunch, layered in cotton candy and topped with vanilla ice cream in a cup.

  • Tropical Two-Step Punch: A drink has made it to the finals, and it’s Binh Tran’s tropical punch, available with or without alcohol. The punch is made with pineapple, watermelon, mango, cantaloupe and other juices, with a Tajin rim that’s described as fresh, tangy, sweet, sour, and spicy.