By Tony Liberto 

Texans from all corners of the state will tell you that there’s no other place they could call home. It’s the people, the community, the history, the food and the most important thing that brings us all together – pride. 

Ricos is excited beyond words to introduce our video contest. We want to hear from the people who know better than anyone else in the world “What Makes Texas Pop”, whether you currently live in Texas or are a true Texan who may currently be living somewhere else! It’s not really a matter of what’s so good about Texas, rather, it’s a question of what’s the BEST thing about Texas – because we all know that there are just too many to count. 

To me, Texas is the kind of place where life is lived, and family means everyone in your life. My dad, Frank, turned our small family business into the global business that we are today. He built the foundation of Ricos with his ability to build and maintain relationships in his community. Dad knew how to make Texas pop! His vision for Ricos forever changed the way Americans think of snack food. Family, friends, and quality food have always been our first priority, and thanks to Dad’s hard work and determination, Ricos has been providing everyone’s favorite pastime snacks for more than 40 years. 

Some people say that everything you plant in Texas soil grows, and that’s what happened for Ricos. We’ve had our ups and our downs, but through it all, we’ve been lucky enough to come out on the other side stronger and ready for anything. Whether you have heard of Ricos or not, you’ve probably had our nachos or our popcorn at a movie theater or baseball game; and if you know why you love Texas, this contest will be the perfect challenge for you! 

Maybe you fell in love with Texas when you first visited Big Bend National Park, or maybe your dreams of being an astronaut were born out of your first visit to the NASA Space Center in Houston. If attending your first college football game was just about the best day of your life or when all your hard work paid off and your dreams came true when you were crowned Miss Texas in front of a screaming crowd full of family and friends, we want to hear your stories. Whatever it is, from Amarillo to Brownsville, and from El Paso to Beaumont, we’re on a mission to find those of you who think everything’s better in Texas, and what you think makes Texas pop! 

Ricos will be accepting video submissions answering the prompt, “What Makes Texas Pop?” Videos can be produced using the most up-to-date video equipment or simply 

Using the camera on your phone. We just want to see your videos of what makes Texas unique, local or just plain awesome! If you think you know, or know someone who does, share this with them and get that camera ready, because if your submission gets the most votes, you could be one of our prize winners, including our grand prize to see one of your favorite Texas sports teams play live! 

The possibilities are endless when it comes to reasons why you might love Texas, and we want to hear them all! Submissions will be accepted from May 1 to September 30, 2018, and voting will continue through October 31, 2018. Once your submission is processed and accepted, you can share it on all of your social media channels and remind your friends and family to vote once per day. Winners will be announced in early November. 

We’re looking for the star of our “What Makes Texas Pop" contest, and we need your help deciding! Your votes determine who will become our grand prize winner, so vote for your favorite video every day until the contest closes! The video with the most likes will be awarded the “Ricos FANtastic Texas Sports Trip” grand prize, which will include 2 tickets to watch a Texas team of the winner’s choice (Spurs, SAFC, Cowboys, Texans, Astros, Rangers or Texas A&M) and $1,000 towards travel, accommodations, and food for the trip. Second place will receive popcorn for a year, third place will receive a nacho party for 20, and fourth and fifth places will receive Ricos gift baskets. A few selected videos will be featured in our upcoming documentary highlighting the spirit of Texas. 

Submit your videos at https://popcorn.ricos.com and find all the details about our prizes, contest rules, and video guidelines. If you love Texas, don’t forget to like us or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or YouTube. You can also follow our contest using the hashtag #WhatMakesTexasPop. We can’t wait to see what you think makes Texas pop!