Contest to Highlight Kansas Manufacturers
By the Kansas Manufacturing Council / The Kansas Chamber
Topeka, KAN. — The Kansas Manufacturing Council (KMC), an affiliated program of the Kansas Chamber, is looking for the 2024 Coolest Thing Made In Kansas.
Presented by Forvis Mazars, KMC launched the contest in 2020 to promote Kansas manufacturers and to highlight products developed and produced in Kansas and distributed across the U.S. and internationally.
“The Kansas Manufacturing Council’s annual contest showcases the state’s wide variety of manufacturers that keep our state’s economy strong and our communities growing. It’s with great pride that KMC supports manufacturing technology and integration to embrace the future,” said Brandie McPherson, KMC Executive Director.
Any product that is made in Kansas qualifies for the competition. There are two categories in this year’s competition: People’s Choice and Coolest Innovation.
The People’s Choice contest begins with product nominations. The KMC’s Board of Advisors then narrows the nominees to 16 to move on to a bracket-style tournament. The products compete in head-to-head match-ups for votes from the public. The ones receiving the most votes in each match-up advance to the next round. There are three rounds of voting.
The Coolest Innovation contest highlights the many ways Kansas manufacturers research and develop new products and work to improve products to address crucial challenges.
A panel of expert judges will review and score questionnaires completed by the companies regarding their nominated products. The top four scoring products will be invited to present in-person to the expert panel on October 8th before the Coolest Celebration Reception. The judges will choose the winning product based on a criteria that includes its impact on the challenge it solves as well as the business, its employees, and customers.
Winners for both categories will be announced during the Kansas Manufacturing Summit on Wednesday, October 9th at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Wichita.
“Forvis Mazars is fortunate to have the opportunity to work and engage with manufacturers across Kansas and is able to see first-hand the research, development and ultimate success of innovative products,” said Matt Cash, Forvis Mazars Commercial Products Industry Partner.
“We are excited to sponsor this competition and provide manufacturers a platform to showcase their products and promote the entrepreneurial spirit of Kansas manufacturers and the solutions they are bringing to the market.”
Click here to nominate your favorite Kansas-made product. Nominations for the 2024 contest close on August 23rd at 5:00 PM CT.
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2024 Competition Details
Nomination Rules
- Everyone is encouraged to nominate their favorite products. There is no limit to the number of product nominations per person.
- Products nominated can be from any sector of the state’s manufacturing industry.
- The company does not have to be headquartered in Kansas but the product must be manufactured in a Kansas-based facility.
- The product must be made using a manufacturing process.
- The Kansas Manufacturing Council will review each nomination to ensure these requirements are met. If for any reason the nomination does not meet these requirements, the nominator will be notified.
- Companies may only have one product featured in the top four, so only one product nomination per company is encouraged.
- Winning companies are prohibited from participating in the contest for one year, while each winning product is indefinitely prohibited from being nominated again.
- Companies with products nominated will be notified by the Kansas Manufacturing Council.
- Products can be nominated for both categories but may only be in one of the category’s finals.
Voting Rules for People’s Choice Contest
- Voting is open to the public. A voter may vote once per day
- The number of votes received will be reset at the beginning of each round.
- The KMC Board of Advisories will select 16 of the nominated products to advance to the bracket-style tournament.
- The tournament bracket will be set randomly.
- The products receiving the highest number of votes in their head-to-head match-ups during each voting period will advance to the next round.
- The final round of final four (4) will be decided by popular vote.
People’s Choice Contest Calendar
- Aug. 1 – Aug. 23: Submit nominations at Kansascool.com
- Aug. 29 – Sept. 11: Announce Tournament Bracket of 16, open voting at Kansascool.com
- Sept. 12 – Sept. 25: Announce Bracket of 8, open voting
- Sept. 26 – Oct. 8: Announce Final Round, open voting
- The final round is a popular vote of the final four products
- Oct. 8: Coolest Celebration Reception – all 16 products/companies will be invited
- Oct. 9: Announce 2024 People’s Choice Coolest Thing
Coolest Innovation Contest Calendar
- Aug. 1 – Aug. 23: Submit nominations at Kansascool.com
- Aug. 26 – Sept. 6: Nominated products submit Innovation questionnaires
- Sept. 9 – Sept. 20th: Judges review and score Innovation questionnaires
- Oct. 1: Announce Innovation finalists
- Oct. 8: Innovation finalists present to judges
- Oct. 9: Announce Innovation winner
