MnDOT Announces Eight Winning Snowplow Names After Nearly 19,000 Votes

1. Metro system winner

MnDOT’s metro system received one of the eight winning names announced Feb. 24, 2026, as part of the agency’s annual Name a Snowplow contest. The metro winner was chosen by public ballot in a contest that drew nearly 19,000 votes statewide; MnDOT says the name will be applied to a metro-area snowplow used on routes that keep Twin Cities arterials moving during storms. For Otter Tail County readers, the metro selection matters chiefly as a statewide civic moment, it’s the same contest that produced the names now assigned to district plows that appear on county highways during winter operations.

2. District 1 winner

One of the eight winners corresponds to MnDOT’s District 1, chosen through the same public vote total that reached nearly 19,000 across the contest. MnDOT released the full results on Feb. 24, 2026, and confirmed each district’s winning moniker will be applied to the front of a district plow. That district plow will be part of the statewide winter maintenance fleet that supports snow removal on state routes serving communities near Otter Tail County and beyond.

3. District 2 winner

District 2 captured a second district-level winning name in the contest, with the winner arriving via the statewide public voting effort. MnDOT’s announcement reiterated that these named plows are a communications and community-engagement tool as well as part of routine winter operations. For Otter Tail County drivers, the District 2 plow will be one of the visible examples of how MnDOT combines public outreach with frontline transportation work each winter.

4. District 3 winner

The District 3 winner is one of the eight names MnDOT selected on Feb. 24, 2026, following the almost 19,000 votes cast by Minnesotans. MnDOT will apply the District 3 winning name to a district snowplow that is deployed during storms to keep state highways passable. Seeing the named plow on county-adjacent routes is a reminder of how state-level decisions, here, a public naming contest, translate into the day-to-day services that residents rely on when snow falls.

6. District 5 winner

The winner for District 5 completes another piece of MnDOT’s statewide naming rollout, which drew community participation and nearly 19,000 total votes. MnDOT’s annual contest pairs lighthearted civic engagement with operational transparency by announcing which names will be attached to the agency’s winter fleet. The District 5 plow will carry its winning name into service on routes that intersect regional traffic patterns affecting Otter Tail County travelers.

7. District 6 winner

District 6’s selected name is included among the eight winners MnDOT announced, and it will be painted or affixed to the district’s snowplow equipment as part of the agency’s winter readiness program. The contest outcome was public and measurable, nearly 19,000 votes, and MnDOT framed the names as a way to increase public familiarity with maintenance crews and their vehicles. For county residents, the District 6 plow will be a seasonal, recognizable presence on state-maintained roads.

8. District 7 winner

The final district-level winner, completing the eight-name slate alongside the metro system winner, was announced by MnDOT on Feb. 24, 2026; all eight names stem from the same public vote that reached nearly 19,000 participants. MnDOT will assign the District 7 winning name to a district snowplow that participates in winter operations, making the contest outcome visible to anyone traveling state highways in and around Otter Tail County. The naming program underscores a simple civic point: community engagement with routine infrastructure can shape how public agencies present themselves to the people they serve.