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Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin - Nominations Open
Date and Time
Monday Aug 24, 2026 Friday Sep 11, 2026
August 24 - September 11 Nomination Period
Location
To Nominate go to
Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin ContestFees/Admission
Website
Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin - Nom...Description
The 11th annual Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest is coming back — and we’re getting ready to celebrate another year of the products, people, and manufacturers that make Wisconsin special.
Nominations officially open Monday, August 24.
Whether you’re a manufacturer, educator, student, or longtime fan of the contest, mark your calendar and get ready to help us find Wisconsin’s next Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin, presented by BMO.
About the award
The competition aims to highlight the state’s vibrant manufacturing industry. The contest not only brings attention to all the cool things made in Wisconsin, but also the outstanding career opportunities available in manufacturing – an industry that employs 1 in 6 people in the state and contributes over $71 billion to the economy!WMC is proud to partner with BMO to host the contest, which has garnered nearly 2 million votes from Wisconsinites since its inception in 2016. Products have ranged from motorcycles, military vehicles, cheese products, boats, generators, robots, iron castings, beer, all-terrain vehicles, snow blowers and much, much more.
After products are nominated, they compete in a popular vote that sets the field for Manufacturing Madness. In this tournament-style bracket, the Top 16 Wisconsin-made products compete in head-to-head matchups to win the ultimate prize – being named the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin.
The winner is announced each year during Manufacturing Month in October.
