Minnesota’s coolest product contest: 8 finalists remain

RED WING, Minn. (FOX 9) - Another round of voting is underway in a contest to determine the "coolest thing made in Minnesota."

The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is hosting the contest, in which various products compete to be named the inaugural coolest thing made in the state.  

Background 

What started with dozens of products, the public cast their votes during five rounds of head-to-head matchups of Minnesota products. As of Sept. 23, only eight products remain.

Some products in the competition included Spam, Scotch Tape, and Johnny Pops, but there are many others, like medical products, that have made an impact on people’s lives. 

The Chamber of Commerce says its goal in launching this contest was to familiarize people with companies and products they may not have heard of. While the contest is in its first year, the Chamber of Commerce said the contest will continue for years to come. 

The top 8 products

The contest is bracket-style and started with the top 64 nominations before dwindling to the current top eight. 

The lineup includes:

• American Crystal Sugar Company – Real Sugar vs. Action Manufacturing – Action Trackchair
• 3M – Scotch Magic Tape vs. Artic Cat ZR 858 With ATAC 137
• Johnny Pops – Organic Rainbow Fruit Stacks vs. Midwest Floating Island – Innovative National Aquarium Wet Land
• Red Wing Shoe Company – Beckman Boot vs. Stratasys – Stratasys F3300 Industrial FDM Printer

The final eight products in the "coolest things made in Minnesota" contest. (Credit: The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce)  (Supplied)

The most recent round of voting opened at noon on Monday and will close at 11:59 a.m. on Sunday. 

Once the five rounds of voting are over, the winner will be announced on Oct. 28 at the 2024 Manufacture Summit. For more information on how voting works, visit the website here.