New Bracket Shines a Spotlight on Small & Medium Manufacturers
Sacramento, Calif. – A supersonic jet, a bag of jellybeans, and a breakthrough medical device all have one thing in common: they’re made in California. This summer, the California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA) is once again inviting the public to help crown the “Coolest Thing Made in California,” a contest celebrating the more than 45,000 manufacturers whose innovations continue to put the Golden State on the map.
Nominations for the contest open July 27 and will remain open through September 4. Anyone can nominate any product made in California at CoolestThingCalifornia.com. Past contests featured products manufactured across the state, from family-owned businesses to globally recognized brands.
The bracket-style tournament invites the public to nominate and vote for their favorite California-made products, celebrating the manufacturing industry as one of the state’s most powerful economic engines employing 1.2 million workers and generating $382 billion in annual output.
“One of the most exciting parts of this contest is seeing Californians discover the incredible products being made in their own communities,” said Lance Hastings, President & CEO of CMTA. “The competition gives people a chance to recognize the manufacturers and innovators behind them, and I’m eager to see what the public nominates this year.”
Since launching in 2023, the contest has grown into one of CMTA’s signature annual events, drawing international attention to California-made products and the companies who create them. Lockheed Martin Skunk Works won the 2025 title for its X-59 experimental jet, joining past champions Northrop Grumman’s world’s fastest microchip and Tesla’s Model Y. Last year’s contest set new records, reaching more than 600 million people worldwide and pulling in 167 product nominations.
New in 2026, CMTA is introducing an SMM Bracket to highlight products made by California’s small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs)—which represent 89% of the state’s manufacturing base—and level the playing field for small makers. Following the Popular Round, the Top 16 SMMs and Top 16 large manufacturers will advance into separate brackets that will run on the same timeline and follow identical voting rounds, with a winner crowned in each.
How the contest works:
- Nominate: July 27-September 4
Anyone can nominate a California-made product at CoolestThingCalifornia.com/nominate. Products that advanced to the Top 4 round in 2025 are not eligible. - Vote: September 14-October 8
Public voting begins with the Popular Round before advancing through weekly bracket rounds until a winner is crowned.- Popular round: September 14-17
- Top 16: September 21-24
- Top 8: September 28-October 1
- Top 4: October 5-8
- Celebrate: October 28
The winner will be announced at the Coolest Thing Made in California Awards Ceremony on October 28, 2026, at The Citizen Hotel in Sacramento.
Beginning July 27, nominate California-made products and follow the contest at 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 CMTA’s website.
