Sacramento, Calif. – The California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA) today announced the Top Eight small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) and Top Eight large manufacturers advancing in the 2026 Coolest Thing Made in California contest, an annual competition celebrating the diversity and innovation of California’s manufacturing sector.
The public has narrowed the field, with tens of thousands of votes already cast in this year’s contest. The remaining products are made as far north as Humboldt County and as far south as San Diego, with stops in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Sierra foothills and the Mojave Desert along the way.
Advancing to the Top Eight round are:
Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturers (SMM) Bracket
- Steelhead Handheld Shower Head, made by High Sierra Showerheads in Coarsegold
- Icon Dry Suit, made by Kokatat in Arcata
- Fiber Optic Gyroscope, made by Northstar Photonics in San Jose
- Coldshield, made by Optiforms, Inc. in Temecula
- Shockwave X, made by Orchard Machinery Corporation in Yuba City
- First Due Fire Helmet, made by Phenix Technology, Inc. in Riverside
- Pelican 2, made by Pyka in Alameda
- DBATS 5.2, made by Wing Inflatables in Arcata
Large Manufacturers Bracket
- MicroGEO Communications Satellite, made by Astranis in San Francisco
- EV ARC, made by Beam Global in San Diego
- 200mm Silicon Carbide Chips, made by Bosch in Roseville
- da Vinci Xi, made by Intuitive Surgical in Sunnyvale
- iRhythm Zio, made by iRhythm Technologies in Cypress
- Condor-M Satellite Platform, made by Muon Space in San Jose
- OS1 Digital Lidar Sensor, made by Ouster in San Francisco
- Talon-A, made by Stratolaunch in Mojave
Voting in the Top Eight round will run Sept. 28–Oct. 1 at CoolestThingCalifornia.com. Voters may vote up to five times per day, per device, in each bracket. The Top Four competitors in each bracket will be announced after the round’s close. Following the Top Four round, which is the contest’s championship round, the winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony on Oct. 28 in Sacramento.
Previous contest winners include the X-59 supersonic jet, made by Lockheed Martin in Palmdale (2025), and the World’s Fastest Microchip, made by Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach (2024).
The competition is supported each year by a wide range of California companies, from manufacturers to the businesses that serve them. The 2026 Coolest Thing Made in California contest is made possible by its sponsors: BMO, Solstice Advanced Materials, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling, Three29 and The Plastics Guy.
For more information, visit CoolestThingCalifornia.com.
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About CMTA
The California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA) has advocated for pro-growth laws and regulations before the California legislature and administrative agencies since 1918. The total output from manufacturing in California is $382 billion per year, roughly 10 percent of the total economic output of the state. Manufacturers employ 1.2 million Californians, paying wages more than $25,000 higher than other non-farm employers in the state. For more information, visit the CMTA website at cmta.net.
