5th annual 'Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin' contest launched

MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) and Johnson Financial Group have announced the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest is back for a fifth straight year.

The annual competition aims to highlight the state’s manufacturing industry – which employs one in six Wisconsinites – and ultimately determine the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin.

Any product that is manufactured in Wisconsin qualifies for the contest, and nominations are now being accepted at madeinwis.com.

Last year, roughly 150 products were nominated and nearly 250,000 votes were cast to determine the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin. Products have ranged from motorcycles, military vehicles, cheese products, boats, generators, food carts, iron castings, beer, rifles, all-terrain vehicles, outboard motors, snowblowers, and much more.

Nominations will be accepted from Aug. 17 through Sept. 4. Following the nomination period, a popular vote will determine the Top 16 products that will be placed in a bracket-style tournament called Manufacturing Madness. Products will compete against one another in head-to-head match-ups, and the products that receive the highest votes in each match-up will advance to the next round.

Here’s the breakdown:

Aug. 17 to Sept. 4 – Nominations Accepted
Sept. 14 to Sept. 20 – Popular Vote to Determine the Field of 16
Sept. 21 – Announce the Top 16Sept. 22 to Sept. 27 – 1st Round of the Bracket
Sept. 28 – Announce the Top 8
Sept. 29 to Oct. 4 – 2nd Round of the Bracket
Oct. 5 – Announce Top 4
Oct. 6 to Oct. 14 – Final Round
Oct. 14 – Winner Announced

Products that move onto the next rounds will be announced via a live stream. The winner will be announced at WMC Foundation’s Made in Wisconsin Luncheon, which will be held virtually on Oct. 14.