‘Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska’ contest down to final two

LINCOLN, Neb. (KSNB) - Two Nebraska-made products are in a head-to-head race to claim the championship title in the state’s “Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska” tournament for 2023.

The finalists are Drone Amplifed’s Ignis Firefighting System out of Lincoln or Rocket Mobility’s All-Terrain Tracked Wheelchair out of Columbus.

The public has a chance to help pick the champion by voting HERE from now until Sunday, Sept. 24. The first three rounds of the competition drew about 44,000 votes total.

Four central Nebraska businesses made it to the top 16 but were eventually knocked out in the bracket-style competition.

Nebraska Chamber Chief Operating Officer Mike Johnson told Local4 in August that this was created to bring awareness to the manufacturing industry in the state. He said manufacturing is the largest GDP producer in the state; and he wanted to highlight the field with a friendly competition.

The contest is hosted by the NE Manufacturing Alliance along with the NE Chamber and Nebraska Public Power District.

The tournament leads Nebraskans into the annual celebration of NE Manufacturing Month this October. The champion will be announced October 10 at the NE Chamber’s Manufacturing Summit in La Vista, where the top 16 finalists are invited to display their products.