- Participants can nominate any product that is manufactured in Mississippi, even if it is a product that is a part of another product.
- The first 32 products submitted will be entered into the contest. If there are more than 32, adjustments may be made to accommodate more submissions. If a company submits more than one product, the MSBA will attempt to contact the nominator to help choose the product that will be represented in the competition.
- Nominations must include the name of the product, the name of the manufacturer, a link to the product or manufacturer website, and the name and email address 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 MSBA staff.
- Nominations must be made exclusively at msmakerschallenge.com. Products nominated through email, letter, fax, etc., will not be accepted.
- Nominated products can be from any sector of the manufacturing industry.
- Product submissions and initial voting will occur July 7 – July 31, 2026, with the ability to vote up to five times per day.
- In the voting rounds, a voter may vote in each bracketed matchup once per day per device. There will be a Round of 32, Round of 16, Round of 8, and Round of 4.
- In the first three rounds, the product with the most votes in each matchup will advance. The product with the most votes in the Round of 4 will be the winner.
- Before winners are announced, votes will be tabulated and confirmed by the Mississippi Business Alliance at the conclusion of each round.
- The number of votes will be reset at the beginning of each round.
- Products nominated are subject to qualification verification by the Mississippi Business Alliance. In case of questions about nominations, MSBA will make every effort to contact the nominator for additional information.
- The Mississippi Business Alliance will attempt to contact all companies with products nominated for the Makers’ Challenge for every round of voting.
- Early nomination access for MSBA Board members will open at the Manufacturers Summit on June 3, 2026.
- Product submissions will be accepted from July 7 through July 31, 2026. All nominations and voting will be done on the Mississippi Makers Challenge website, msmakerschallenge.com. Nominations received via other methods will not be accepted.
- The 2026 bracket is planned for 32 products. An extra week is built into the schedule in case the bracket needs to expand beyond 32 products.
- The 2026 voting timeline will run from July 7 through August 28.
- The Round of 32 will run from August 3 – 7.
- The Round of 16 will run from August 10 – 14.
- The Round of 8 will run from August 17 – 21.
- The Round of 4 will run from August 24 – 28.
- If necessary, an extra voting week will run from August 31 – September 4.
- The four finalists will be invited to attend the MSBA General Assembly for an awards ceremony. The winner will be announced at General Assembly.
- The winner of the Mississippi Makers Challenge will be announced on September 9 at General Assembly.
- All finalists will receive a "Finalist" banner to hang in their facility. The overall winer will receive a "Winner" banner to hang in their facility, a trophy, and the championship belt. They will also have an article written about their product to be featured on the MMC website. The article will also be shared with news media, on MSBA's social media, the MSBA website, and the MSBA monthly newsletter.
