The flagship What’s So Cool About Manufacturing® contest is held in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley area, where the first contest took place in 2014. The 2026 contest featured schools from Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe, and Carbon counties and was produced by the Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC) in Allentown, PA.
Voting times: Mar 17th, 2026 (12:01 am) – Mar 19th, 2026 (11:59 pm)
Best of PA Nominees
Contest Awards
| Outstanding Overall Program | Saucon Valley (Crayola) |
| Viewers Choice | Springhouse (Mack Trucks) |
| Outstanding Videography | Nazareth Area (B. Braun Medical Inc.) |
| Outstanding Creativity | Northampton Area (Polymer Contours, INC) |
| Outstanding Editing | Lower Macungie (Sharp) |
| Outstanding Cool | East Hills (Just Born Quality Confections) |
| Outstanding Team Spirit | Northwestern Lehigh (FMI) |
| Outstanding Educational Value | Northeast (Ocean Spray) |
| Outstanding Outreach Plan | Lehighton Area (AMPAL, Inc.) |
| Outstanding Brand Placement | Catasauqua (Bosch Rexroth Corporation) |
| Outstanding Career Pathway | J.T. Lambert (Weiler Abrasives Group) |
| Best CTE Story | Broughal (Stanley Black & Decker) |
| Sweet Manufacturing | Career Institute of Technology |
Contest Videos
Sponsors
The What’s So Cool About Manufacturing® contests are supported regionally by their sponsors and partners. Production support is provided for several Pennsylvania contests by eMediaWorks in Center Valley, PA, and additional support in Pennsylvania is provided by Sahl Communications and EmpowerStar Enterprises.
Premier Sponsor
Leadership Sponsors
Technology Sponsors
Event Sponsors
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Cupcake Competition Sponsor
Cupcake Competitors
Media Sponsors
Featured Manufacturers
Contest Contacts
Karen Buck
Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC)
610.628.4626
Amber Morris
Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC)
610.628.4628