(INDIANAPOLIS) — The Indiana Chamber’s fifth annual Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana tournament field has been trimmed from eight competitors to the final four as fourth round voting has concluded, and the semifinal round qualifiers have been announced today.

 The four remaining makers are from four cities: Elkhart, Indianapolis, Rising Sun and Shipshewana. The companies making the semifinal round of the 2025-26 Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana tournament, in alphabetical order with location:

  • Elkhart Brass Manufacturing (Elkhart): Elkhart Brass Manufacturing has entered its XD Glow-in-the-Dark Smooth Bore Nozzle, which is an essential piece of equipment used by firefighters far and wide.
  • Goulding & Wood Pipe Organ Builders (Indianapolis): Located in the Mass Ave Cultural Arts District, Goulding & Wood Pipe Organ Builders entered its popular, highly refined handmade pipe organ.
  • Harpsicle Harps (Rising Sun): Defending co-champion Harpsicle Harps has entered its lever harp. Its handmade harps are shipped and played by top performers as well as beginners.
  • Stone Horses (Shipshewana): Stone Horses, the only fully made-in-America model horse company, has entered its collectible model horse art. They are hand painted by local artisans and often custom-made.

Stone Horses and Harpsicle Harps will square off in one semifinal match, and Goulding & Wood Pipe Organ Builders and Elkhart Brass Manufacturing will go head-to-head in the other. The two winners will compete for the championship.

The online contest is a celebration of Indiana’s rich history in manufacturing and the Hoosier makers that produce all kinds of goods sold locally, nationally and globally. The competition format is a Hoosier Hysteria-style single-elimination tournament, with the top vote earner in each matchup advancing to the next round.

Voting for the remaining rounds is as follows:

Semis: January 8-12
Finals: January 13-15

The contestants, matchups, cool products and product descriptions can be seen on the event’s website. Fans and followers of the competitors can be part of the competition by voting online at www.indianachamber.com/coolestthing. Voting closes at 9 p.m. on the final day of each round.

With the beginning of each new round, the votes from the previous round are wiped away, and every remaining competitor starts the new round with no votes. Voters must vote for all matchups in any given round in which they vote.

“The quality of competitors in this year’s tournament has simply been tremendous, which has led to a fantastic competition and an unparalleled showcase of this state’s great manufacturers and makers of all sorts of goods,” says Vanessa Green Sinders, Indiana Chamber president and CEO. “The interest and competition with each passing round continue to climb, and now that we’re down to the final four ‘coolest’ products, we expect the spotlight to get turned up another notch.”

Entry in the contest is free. To participate, a company did not need to be headquartered in Indiana, but the product entered must be manufactured in the state. Companies are limited to having one product nominated for their entry.

Last year, Nashville’s Hard Truth Whiskey Co. and Rising Sun-based Harpsicle Harps shared top honors.

In 2023, Hoosier Racing Tire was crowned as the producer of the Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana for its racing tire. In 2022, the Indiana Chamber honored Maple Leaf Farms of Leesburg for its roast half duck, and Janus Motorcycles of Goshen was victorious in the inaugural competition.

Awards for this year’s top finishers will be presented at the Indiana Chamber’s Best in Business Awards Luncheon sponsored by Charter Spectrum TV/Internet/Voice on January 26 at the Indiana Convention Center.

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The Indiana Chamber partners with 25,000 members and investors – representing over four million Hoosiers – to achieve the mission of “cultivating a world-class environment which provides economic opportunity and prosperity.”