Boulder's snowplows are set to get a new batch of monikers, courtesy of the city's youngest residents. In a campaign that blends civic engagement with a touch of whimsy, Boulder students ranging from wee preschoolers to high school seniors are invited to submit their most creative snowplow names, as the city rolls out its fifth annual Snowplow Naming Contest. Entrants have until October 15 to submit their ideas, and this year, there’s a thematic twist: incorporating a "five" to mark the occasion's fifth anniversary.
Submissions are open online via a dedicated portal provided by the city's website. The drill is simple: kids brainstorm, they enter the name, and they move along the digital form at bldr.fyi/snowplow2025. After the deadline, city staff will deliberate and choose the most apt names for the 17 city snowplows awaiting an identity. Parents or guardians will be brought into the loop by October 31, assuming the role of messenger pigeons, to relay the good news to the winning kiddos.
These freshly christened snowplows will then become part of a public display, with winners invited to snuggle up next to their named plow for a photo op at the naming ceremony scheduled for November 15. The Transportation Maintenance Senior Manager, Rene Lopez, waxed almost poetic about the success and community engagement inspired by the contest's previous years. "It has been incredibly rewarding to bring this contest to our community for five years, and to see youth in our community engaging with their local government," Lopez told the City of Boulder. "We are consistently impressed by the creative names and can’t wait to see this year’s submissions."
