Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin Contest
From commercial equipment to household goods to food products – YOU are the key experts on what is manufactured in your backyard. There's no limit to how many products you can nominate. Every product you nominate increases the chances of a company from your community being crowned the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin.
Here’s the contest timeline:
- August 25 – September 12: Nomination Phase
- September 22-30: First Round of Voting (Popular Vote)
- October 1: Top 16 Announced
- October 2-7: First Round of Bracket Voting
- October 8: Top 8 Announced
- October 9-14: Second Round of Bracket Voting
- October 15: Top 4 Announced
- October 16-23: Final Round of Voting
- October 23: Winner Announced at Business Day
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.
Celebrating its tenth year in 2025, Wisconsin Manufacturer's & Commerce (WMC) and Johnson Financial Group have partnered together for this contest since 2016, and Wisconsinites have cast nearly 1.5 million votes since its inception.
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 will once again be crowned live at Business Day on October 23 as part of the celebration of Manufacturing Month.
How It Works:
From August 25 to September 12, the public is invited to nominate products at the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin.
To be eligible for the Popular Vote round, products must be manufactured in Wisconsin using a manufacturing process.
Individuals or companies may submit nominations for multiple products.
