Diego Lopez, Editor SANTA FE — New Mexicans once again have the chance to put their creativity on the road—literally. The New Mexico Department of Transportation has opened its third annual Name a Snowplow contest, inviting residents to submit witty, winter-themed or New Mexico-inspired names that could end up displayed on snowplows clearing highways this season.
Submissions are open now through noon on Friday, Dec. 26, and the winning dozen will be assigned to plows across all six NMDOT districts, including District 6, which covers Cibola County.
“Our snowplow operators play an important role in keeping our communities connected and our roads safe during the winter months,” NMDOT Cabinet Secretary Ricky Serna said. “We’re looking to New Mexicans for their flair, humor and originality to help give more of our snowplows unique names.”
Residents may submit one name per person, with a strict limit of 20 characters, including spaces. The state emphasizes that the contest is meant to be fun and nonpartisan—meaning no vulgar phrases and no political references or puns. Entries can be submitted at
www.dot.nm.gov/namea- plow/.
NMDOT’s communications team will narrow all submissions to 50 finalists before opening a public vote. The top 12 names will be unveiled statewide and permanently assigned to their snowplows for the rest of each machine’s service life.
Recent years’ winners show the level of punmanship New Mexicans bring to the table. In 2025, District 6’s plows carried the names En-CHILL-ada and Zia Later, Snow. The year before, local winners included Ctrl-Salt-Delete and Mr. Snow It All.