Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin down to 8 products for 2026

MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) and BMO's 11th annual "Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin" contest has reached the final eight products as voters began voting in the contest's "Manufacturing Madness" bracket.

Contest details

Big picture view:

Thousands of votes were cast to determine which products would be nominated to go head-to-head in "Manufacturing Madness."

What began with 108 total nominees was widdled down to a 16-product bracket, and following head-to-head voting in round one, eight products now remain.

Meet the products

By the numbers:

The remaining nominees were initially given seeds from No. 1 to No. 16. Following first round voting, here are the head-to-head match-ups voters will be deciding this week:

• No. 1 4800XPC Electric Rope Shovel from Komatsu in Milwaukee vs. No. 12 Custom Pool Cues from Jacoby Custom Cues in Nekoosa
• No. 9 Giddings & Lewis Vertical Turning Centers by Fives Giddings & Lewis in Fond du Lac vs. No. 4 CLiC Smart Privacy Glass by Cardinal IG in Tomah
• No. 15 M157 Small Arms Fire Control by Vortex in Barneveld vs. No. 6 Meltaway Candy Bars by Seroogy’s Chocolates in De Pere
• No. 10 Aspex Printed Wall Protection / GrooveLine by Inpro in Muskego vs. No. 3 Gravely ZT HD STEALTH 60 by AriensCo in Brillion

Voting and more information

What you can do:

Voting to determine the final four begins at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, and continues through Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 5 p.m. Voters are encouraged to vote once per day by going to the Made in Wisconsin website.

What's next:

The final four will be announced on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

This year's winner will be announced on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at WMC's Business Day Event. 

The Source: Information for this story was found on the Made in Wisconsin website.