Oklahoma Snowplow Naming Contest Opens for K-12 Students

Oklahoma Snowplow Naming Contest Opens for K-12 Students

Oklahoma students have another chance to put their creativity on the road as the Oklahoma snowplow naming contest returns for 2026.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Oklahoma Turnpike Authority are inviting K-12 students across Oklahoma to submit names for snowplows that will clear highways, interstates and turnpikes during winter weather. Submissions are open through Sept. 28.

Oklahoma Snowplow Naming Contest Returns for 2026

This is the second year for ODOT's contest, and the program is expanding with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority joining the competition.

Students will have the opportunity to name 24 ODOT snowplows and 11 OTA snowplows, giving Oklahoma students 35 chances to leave their mark on the state's winter-weather fleet.

Students can submit their ideas through OkTraffic.org.

The contest is open exclusively to Oklahoma students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Last year's inaugural competition drew nearly 400 student submissions, according to ODOT. More than 2,100 votes were later cast by the public to select the winning names.

And Oklahoma students apparently know their snow puns.

Previous winners included Snowy McPlowface, Clearopathra and Oh Snow You Didn't.

ODOT Traffic Operations Center Program Manager Caitlyn Carolus said the strong participation in 2025 helped bring the contest back for another year, with even more snowplows available for students to name this time around.

How Oklahoma Students Can Enter the Snowplow Contest

Students have until Monday, Sept. 28 to submit a name.

After submissions close, ODOT and OTA employees across Oklahoma will select the top three entries for each snowplow.

Then the decision goes to Oklahoma voters.

Public voting will be held Oct. 12 through Oct. 16, allowing people across the state to choose their favorite names from the finalists.

The winning Oklahoma snowplow names will be announced Nov. 2.

Winning students will receive a winter-weather prize pack and special recognition. Their winning names will also appear on Oklahoma's snowplow tracking website during winter storms.

OTA Chief of Public Relations Lisa Salim said the contest also gives students an opportunity to connect with the crews responsible for keeping Oklahoma roads safe during severe winter weather.

Schools, teachers and families are encouraged to participate, and educational toolkits are available for teachers who want to incorporate the snowplow naming contest into classroom activities.

Complete contest rules, entry forms and additional information are available through Oklahoma's official traffic website.

Oklahoma Snowplows Cover Thousands of Miles During Winter Storms

The names may be fun, but the work performed by Oklahoma's snowplow crews is serious.

ODOT, OTA and contractors have a combined fleet of approximately 768 snowplows operating across Oklahoma.

Those crews are responsible for helping maintain more than 30,000 lane miles of Oklahoma highways and interstates, along with approximately 630 miles across the state's 12 turnpikes.

During widespread winter storms, crews can be deployed across all 77 Oklahoma counties.

The scale of that work was demonstrated during the January 2026 winter storms, when ODOT and OTA crews cleared nearly 640,000 miles of highways, interstates and turnpikes.

The contest gives Oklahoma students a chance to put a little personality on the trucks doing that work.

For families planning to enter, the important dates are Sept. 28 for the submission deadline, Oct. 12-16 for public voting and Nov. 2 for the announcement of winners.

And somewhere in an Oklahoma classroom, the successor to Snowy McPlowface may already be waiting.

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