MISSOULA, Mont. — The city of Missoula is embracing the winter season with the return of its popular annual “Name Our Snow Plows Contest.” This year marks the second time residents can get creative and name the snow plows that help keep the streets clear.
The contest, which began last year, brought memorable names like The Big LePlowski, Scoop Dogg and Darth Blader to the city’s snowplow fleet. Isaiah Ruiz visited one of last year’s named snow plows to explain how residents can participate in the 2026 contest.
Gwen Landquist, a communications specialist for the Department of Public Works and Mobility, shared the contest’s purpose. “Our goal is to, you know, see, a lot of community participation as a way to engage the community and, you know, have a little bit of fun with them, but also bring them in to our online channels, start to engage with them,” Landquist said.
With over 350 name entries and 3,800 votes cast last year, the contest was a hit. Missoula hopes to surpass those numbers this year and encourage more participation from the community.
“The creativity that Missoulians brought to the competition was actually really fun to see,” Landquist said. “So I was interested in it last year. I kind of followed it because I thought it was entertaining. And so this year, getting a chance to bring it back was exciting. So far, we launched it yesterday afternoon. I checked this morning. There were already 29 submissions. Just really hoping to give people something to look forward to,” she said.
Residents have until February 2 at midnight to submit their snow plow name ideas. This annual tradition not only adds a touch of fun to the winter season but also fosters community engagement.
