State Renews Name a Snowplow Contest, Invites Local Participation

The New Mexico Department of Transportation reopened its Name a Snowplow Contest on December 12, 2025, offering residents a chance to submit creative, winter themed or New Mexico inspired names for the department's snowplow fleet. Submissions are accepted through noon on Friday, December 26, 2025. The NMDOT Communications team will compile the top 50 entries and the public will then vote to select the final 12 names that will be applied to snowplows operating across the state's six highway districts.

The contest sets clear rules to guide participation, including a 20 character limit that counts letters and spaces, one submission per person, and a prohibition on vulgar or politically themed names. Past winners reflect a mix of regional flavor and humor, and include Snow Bueno, Snow Way, Scoop Dogg, Blizzard Wizard and En CHILL ada. NMDOT has posted submission details and the voting process online at www.dot.nm.gov/name-a-plow/.

For Los Alamos County residents, the contest is more than a lighthearted diversion. Snow removal is an essential public service in northern New Mexico, and the naming exercise creates a focal point for civic engagement with transportation policy and operational priorities. Participation in the nomination and voting phases can increase public attention on the timing and effectiveness of winter roadway clearance, budget allocations for equipment and staffing, and the communication practices NMDOT uses to keep communities informed during storms.

The contest structure also raises questions about how small scale public votes reflect broader patterns of civic participation. The Communications team will narrow entries to a top 50 before opening a public vote, which concentrates influence on the candidates they select and creates incentives for organized voting. Rules that bar political names are a formal safeguard against partisan use of visible state assets, and the one entry per person limit is intended to balance broad participation with protections against vote splitting or automated campaigns.

Residents who want to participate should prepare a name under the 20 character limit and submit before the noon December 26 deadline. The process offers a practical entry point into local oversight of winter operations, and a way for communities to shape public visibility of essential services.