MADISON – Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) and Johnson Financial Group have officially kicked off the first round of voting for the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin. Nearly 150 nominees will compete in a popular vote from Monday, Sept. 14 at 9:00am to Sunday, Sept. 20 at 5:00pm.
Wisconsinites can cast their vote once per day at www.madeinwis.com. Voters must have a valid email address to cast a ballot.
WMC and Johnson Financial Group have partnered together for this contest since 2016, and Wisconsinites have cast over 650,000 votes since its inception. Last year alone, roughly 150 products were nominated and nearly 250,000 votes were cast to determine the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin. Nominees this year range from COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment, beef jerky and traffic cones to hospital beds, boat motors and frozen pizzas.
The nominees will compete over the next week for a spot in the coveted Manufacturing Madness tournament-style bracket. The Top 16 vote-getters will be placed into the bracket to compete in head-to-head matchups in the coming weeks. The Top 16 will be announced on Monday, Sept. 21 via a livestream video.
The contest schedule is below:
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 16
Sept. 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
The winner will be announced at WMC Foundation’s Made in Wisconsin Luncheon, which will be held virtually on Oct. 14.
