(WSIL) -- The initial round of voting is now open for the second annual “Makers Madness� contest hosted by the Illinois Manufacturers� Association, a bracket-style tournament in which voters across the state will decide which product is The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.
A total of 311 unique products from every corner of the state were nominated for The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois. Among this year’s nominees are massive machines, delicious food and beverages, iconic sporting equipment, advanced technology allowing us to see galaxies, innovative medical advancements and numerous products used in the fight against the global pandemic.
ľĹÓÎĚĺÓý Illinois Nominees for The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois:
Voting throughout the contest will take place at , where voters can now choose which products should advance to the Top 16.
Voting for this round will take place through 11:59 p.m. on February 28, and voters can vote for up to 5 individual product entries per day with no more than one vote per product, per day.
Consecutive rounds of voting will take place each following week, culminating with an awards ceremony on March 24 when The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois will be named.
In 2020, Caterpillar’s 797F Large Mining Truck was crowned “The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois� after nearly 300,000 votes.
Timeline of events:
- January 27 � February 14: Nominations accepted
- February 17 � February 28: Voting on nominations to determine Top 16
- March 2 � March 7: First round of voting to determine Top 8
- March 9 � March 14: Second round of voting to determine Top 4
- March 16 � March 21: Final round of voting
- March 24: Winner of The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois Announced
