Makers Madness: The Coolest Thing in Illinois

1. The contest will begin on February 14, 2024 with nominations made at www.makersmadnessil.com.
2. Nominations will be accepted from February 14, 2024, through 11:59 p.m. on March 3, 2024.
3. Products receiving the most votes (top 16) in the Nominating Voting round will advance to a seeded, bracketed contest.
4. The 2024 winner of Makers Madness – The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois will be announced at the April 10, 2024, awards luncheon in Springfield.
5. The overall winner will receive:
   • Award recognizing Makers Madness – The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois
   • A written article about the company and product on www.makersmadnessil.com
   • A feature article about the company in the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association The Illinois Manufacturer

Nomination & Voting Procedure

1. Any product made in Illinois may be nominated for Makers Madness – The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois. There is no limit on the number of products that a person may nominate.
2. The product must be made in Illinois. The manufacturer’s headquarters do not need to be located in Illinois.
3. Nominations must include the name of the product, the name of the manufacturer, photo of the product, short description of the product, link to the product/manufacturer’s website along with the name, email, and telephone number for the person making the nomination. The nominator’s information will not be made public but may be used for verification or follow up questions from the IMA staff.
4. Nominations must be made at www.makersmadnessil.com. Written, emailed, or other nominations will not be accepted.
5. Products nominated can be from any sector of the manufacturing industry.
6. A company can have multiple products nominated for Makers Madness but only one product per company will be allowed into the First Round (Top 16 products). If a company has more than one product in the Top 16 after the Nomination Voting round, the product with the highest vote total will be that company’s sole entry into the contest in the Round of 16.
7. Voting during the Nomination Round will occur March 5, 2024 through March 17, 2024, with individuals able to vote up to five times per day per device.
8. In the First, Second, and Final rounds, a voter may vote in each bracketed contest once per day per device. There are eight head-to-head contests in the First Round (16 total products), four head-to-head contests in the Second Round (8 total products), and one Final Round contest with all four products competing.
9. During the First and Second Rounds, the product with the most votes in each seeded, bracketed contest will advance to the next round. The product with the most votes in the Final Round will win the title of Makers Madness – The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois for 2024.
10. Votes will be tabulated and confirmed by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association at the conclusion of each round before winners are announced.
11. The number of votes will be reset at the beginning of each round.
12. Products nominated are subject to qualification verification by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. In case of questions about nominations, the IMA will make every effort to contact the nominator for additional information.
13. The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association will attempt to contact all companies with products nominated for Makers Madness for every round of voting.

Nominations Accepted: February 14 – March 3
Nomination Voting: March 5 – 17
First Round (Top 16): March 19 – 24
Second Round (Top 8): March 26 – 31
Final Round (Top 4): April 2 – 7
Winner Announced: April 10