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MnDOT Snowplow Contest Excludes 'Ice' From Finalists as Voting Opens

The agency says it avoided the term to keep the six-year tradition nonpolitical.

Overview

  • The Minnesota Department of Transportation named 30 finalists and opened public voting through noon Feb. 13.
  • Officials said about 400 of nearly 6,800 submissions referenced "ice," which was kept off the finalist list due to associations with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
  • Contest rules limited entries to 30 characters and barred vulgar or political themes.
  • The top eight vote-getters will be assigned to snowplows, one in each of MnDOT’s eight districts.
  • This year’s lighthearted finalists lean toward music and pop-culture puns, and the agency highlights its roughly 800-plow fleet and operators.