​Contest Rules

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  Who can make nominations for the
​COOLEST THING MADE IN NEBRASKA product?

Members of the manufacturing community and related sectors are invited to nominate their favorite Nebraska-made product. Products seeded in the top 16 and the winning company of the 2024 contest are ineligible to participate in 2025.  Otherwise, there is no limit to the number of product nominations per person or company.  You may even nominate your own product. ​
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When are nominations for the COOLEST THING MADE IN NEBRASKA product accepted?
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Nominations will be accepted July 1, 2025, and close July, 31, 2025.

​Membership not only offers
a network of fellow manufacturers, but it also provides you with the
​peace of mind to know
that while you are running your business, we are monitoring issues that affect you,
​your business and your bottom line
What qualifies as a MADE IN NEBRASKA product?
 
  • Products nominated for the COOLEST THING MADE IN NEBRASKA may be from any sector of Nebraska’s manufacturing industry.
  • The company who makes the product does not have to be headquartered in Nebraska, but the product must be manufactured in a Nebraska-based facility.
  • The product nominated must be made using a manufacturing process.  For example, a restaurant making a “made to order” pizza would not qualify but a food manufacturer or processor that mass-produces frozen pizzas would qualify.  If not sure that a product qualifies, contact us [email protected].
  • The NE Manufacturing Alliance will review each nomination to ensure these requirements are met.  If for any reason the nomination does not meet these requirements, the product will not be entered into the tournament.  Because of time constraints, nominators will not be notified.
May a company have more than one product nominated?
 
Yes, multiple products of a company may be nominated, however only one product per company will be selected by the NE Manufacturing Alliance for voting in the first round of the tournament (16 products).
How will a company know that one of its products is nominated?
 
The NE Manufacturing Alliance will notify a company when its product has been nominated and selected for eligibility in the first round.  Following notification and the company’s consent to compete, the NE Manufacturing Alliance will seed the tournament-style bracket.
How do you vote and how does a product advance in the contest’s brackets?
 
  • Voting rounds will be announced. Each round of votes following the first round will proceed from Wednesday to Sunday, weekly.
  • Voting is open to the public. A voter may vote once per match-up round.  Votes will be entered on the website only and not by any other method.
  • Products will compete in weekly head-to-head match ups.
  • Products receiving the highest number of votes in the 16-bracket head-to-head match ups will advance rounds to top 8, 4 and the championship.
  • The 2 products that advance to the championship round of the tournament will compete for the most votes during the last week of the contest.
  • The product receiving the most votes in the final round will be announced as the winner at the NE Chamber Manufacturing Summit in October.
  • The number of votes received will be reset at the beginning of each round.
What is expected of a participating company?
  • Your nomination must include a brief, company-approved description, product image and company logo to be considered. 
 
(Please seek the necessary approvals of the appropriate headquarters or management personnel to release product descriptions, images and logos to the NE Chamber to use in public promotion of the contest and vote generation.)
 
  • If your product is selected as one of the 16 product contenders (and any round thereafter), your company is invited to host a conference-style table display at the NE Chamber Manufacturing Summit to share more information about your product and company with other manufacturing and state leaders.

  • Confirm your permission to the NE Chamber & NE Manufacturing Alliance to share the image, description of the product and company logo in promotion of this contest.
My product was one of the top 16 contenders last year. May we enter the contest again?
 
A top-16 product must sit out of the tournament this year, but your company may nominate a different product. Your 2024 top-16 product regains eligibility in 2025.
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How often may a company or product win the COOLEST THING MADE IN NEBRASKA?
 
A winning company must sit out from competing in the tournament for one year and a winning product cannot participate in the tournament again.