The State Fair of Texas has launched a new competition that will take place not-during-regular-Fair-hours and help manage three of their most popular cookoffs.

Called "Battle for the Blue Ribbons," the competition will run May 19-21, in the Embarcadero Building at Fair Park, and will be centered on three categories: Cookies, Cakes, and Bread. These are the three most popular Creative Arts cooking contests that take place during the State Fair's annual competition events.

These three are so popular that they've become nearly overwhelming. This new competition will serve as a preliminary event and create a set of semifinalists who move on to compete in the regular contests in the fall.

The goal is to help manage the swell of contestants which have increased in recent years, says State Fair spokesperson Karissa Condoaianis.

"These three competitions are our largest, and have grown so much that it's been hard to accommodate the number of people who want to enter," Condoianis says. "Last year, bread alone had nearly 300 entries, and cookies and cake both had more than 200 entries."

"If you've been in the Creative Arts Building, you know there's only so much room to expand," she says.

Breaking off these contests into preliminary events increases visibility and helps fulfill their goal to maintain year-round relevance for the State Fair of Texas.

"We're working to keep the facility activated throught the year and draw people out to Fair Park," Condoianis says.

It's a sea change for participants who've been accustomed to submitting entries in the fall, but Condoianis says that the feedback they've received from longtime contestants has been positive.

"Our goal by doing this is to provide more opportunity for a broader audience to get engaged," she says. "My hope is that it adds more participation."

They welcome contestants of all ages, who can enter all three contests, but limited to six submissions per contest with one submission per category. There are 45 categories total.

Friday May 19
Cookies, with the following categories:

• Chocolate
• Chocolate Chip
• Christmas
• Gluten-free
• Holiday (Any)
• Lemon
• Macaron
• Macaroon
• Oatmeal
• Party
• Peanut Butter
• Shortbread
• Snickerdoodle
• Spice
• Sugar

Saturday, May 20
Cake with two divisions:

Layered Cake – Two Layers Only

• Carrot
• German Chocolate
• Gluten-free (Any)
• Spice
• White (No Yolks)
• Yellow

Loaf, Bundt, or Sheet Cake

• Angel Food
• Cupcakes (12)
• Fruitcake
• Gluten-free (Any)
• Nut
• Pound
• Spice
• Sweet Roulade (Cake Roll)
• Upside Down Cake

Sunday, May 21
Bread, also with two categories.

Yeast Bread:

• Bread (Cheese, Herb, Onion, etc.)
• Gluten-free Bread (Any)
• Loaf Bread, Other (Whole Loaf)
• Loaf Bread, White (Whole Loaf)
• Rolls, Dinner (12)
• Sweetbread, Loaf, and Coffee Cakes
• Sweetbread, Sweet Rolls (Cinnamon, Fruit, etc.)

Quick Bread (No added sauces or whipped cream)

• Coffee Cake
• Combo Bread (Fruit/Vegetable)
• Cornbread
• Fruit Bread (Apple, Banana, etc.)
• Gluten-free Bread (Any)
• Muffins (12)
• Sourdough
• Vegetable Bread (Pumpkin, Zucchini, etc.)

One contestant from each of the three contests will be awarded a Best of Show ribbon, allowing them to advance to a head-to-head battle for a Best of Show-Down grand prize.