State Fair of Texas reveals winning design for Big Tex’s size-96 boots

Jessica Bonilla of Irving has been to the State Fair of Texas countless times and always admired Big Tex’s size-96 boots — especially the artwork on them.

Bonilla, a 23-year-old artist who displays her work at pop-up markets throughout North Texas, didn’t know who designed the boots, and thought maybe “a professional kind of person did it.”

She learned the State Fair was accepting design entries from the public and she took the challenge.

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“I was like, you know, I could try that,” she said. “I have some ideas that would be cool for that.”

It paid off when Bonilla won the State Fair of Texas 2023 Big Tex Boot Design Contest. Her design can be seen on the fair’s website.

Bonilla was among a field of more than 300 entrants ranging in age from 10 to 79. A panel of judges narrowed the pool to five finalists, whose designs were judged on creativity, representation of Texas pride and how well they fit Big Tex.

Bonilla will work with the State Fair and designers commissioned by Lucchese Boot Co. to paint her two-dimensional creation onto 55-foot-tall Big Tex.

The boots, each measuring 10 feet, 6 inches long and weighing about 900 pounds, will show scenes from a Texas canyon, including native plants and creatures.

“My main inspiration for it was Texas wildlife, because I really like animals,” she said. “So that’s kind of what I wanted to do just because Texas has a lot of different terrains and there’s a lot of different animals that can live here.”

The design also reflects Texas’ colorful sunsets, which, “we all know and love” Lucchese president Doug Kindy pointed out in a release. “We can’t wait to see her vision brought to life by our bootmakers,” he added.

Bonilla’s design replaces that of 2019 contest winner Katie Sauceda of Keller.

Bonilla is a licensed social worker who earned degrees from the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at Arlington. She realizes that her boot design will be the background for millions of selfies during the fair.

“It’s really exciting because people will look at the boots, and unknowingly show other people my work,” she said.

The State Fair of Texas runs from Sept. 29 to Oct. 22 at Fair Park.