MNDOT Brings Name A Snowplow Contest Back For 2021-2022

Sometimes a good thing is worth repeating - especially when it gives people something to have fun with during the long winter season in the Northland.  Last year, the Minnesota Department of Transportation held a "Name A Snowplow Contest" - where residents statewide were able to submit nominations and then vote on names for the plows that serve their district.

Last years contest was so popular that MNDOT is bringing it back this year!

The contest will run similar to how it did last year.  Right now we're in the submission part of the event.  Each person is able to submit up to three snowplow name ideas on a special form that's located on a website linked from the Minnesota Department of Transportations home page. Submissions need to be 30 characters or less - including letters and spaces.  Deadline for the submissions is 12 Midnight on Wednesday, December 15.

Oh, one more thing:  Last years' winners will not be considered for this years contest.  MNDOT is looking for new and different names to make the contest more fun. In addition, the agency will not accept snowplow names that feature politically-inspired themes.  As they said in the rollout of this contest "Naming our snowplows is meant to be fun and lighthearted, and we're going to keep this contest non-political and nonpartisan".

If you need some inspiration, here are the winning snowplow names from last years contest.  (Remember - you can't reuse these names)"

• District 1 (our area):  Duck Duck Orange Truck
• Metro District:  Plowy McPlowFace
• District 2:  Plow Bunyan
• District 3:  Darth Blader
• District 4:  Ope, Just Gonna Plow Right Past Ya
• District 6:  Snowbi Wan Kenobi
• Dictrict 7:  F. Salt FItzgerald
• District 8:  The Truck Formerly Known As Plow

A sample of some of last years submissions that didn't end up getting picked:

• Blizzard of Oz
• Buzz Iceclear
• C-3PSnow
• Flake Superior
• Frosty The Snowplow
• Giiwedin (Ojibwe word for 'North Wind')
• Icamna (Dakota word for "Blizzard")
• King Of The North
• Lake SnowBeGone
• L'Plow du Nord
• Luke Snowalker
• Minnesota nICE
• Oh Snow You Didn't!
• Plowabunga!
• Purple Snow
• Raspberry Brrr-et
• Sir Plows A Lot
• Spirit of '91
• Tator Hot Hotdish

Once December 15 comes and passes, staff members at the Minnesota Department of Transportation will review the submissions.  "At the agency's discretion", they'll select up to 50 finalists for the round of voting that will open to the general public at some point in January 2022.