There’s a national contest just for police cars, and every department is invited to attend. Every summer, state troopers from across the country enter photos of their cruisers in a bid to be crowned America’s best-looking. It’s like a Miss America pageant, except all of the contestants are cars. Voting for this year’s edition just opened, so anyone can log on and choose their favorite.
It’s run by the American Association of State Troopers, and this is the 13th year they’ve ran it consecutively. The setup is simple: photos of cruisers from dozens of states go up online, and people vote for the ones they like best. The 13 states with the most votes make next year’s wall calendar, and the single top vote-getter takes the cover, so they also get bragging rights. Voting runs through July 13, one vote per device, so you’ll want to start supporting your favorite right now.
There’s a charitable angle to this contest, too. Proceeds from the calendar fund a foundation that helps trooper families and pays for college scholarships for troopers’ kids as well as benefits for the families of officers killed in the line of duty. The group was started by Florida state troopers back in 1989, which is fitting, as Florida is the team to beat.
Florida’s Highway Patrol has won the contest three years running, which has never been done before. Now they’re chasing a fourth. Their entry this year leans hard into the home-state theme. It’s their black-and-tan Mustang parked in front of Tampa’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge, with a classic Florida thunderstorm rolling in behind it. The bridge is lit red, white, and blue for America’s 250th birthday as well, and we’ve got to say, it looks like stiff competition.
Florida Has Serious Competition This Year
But here’s the thing. Plenty of other states want that cover spot. Georgia went a different way, posing its cruiser under storm clouds with a horse in the background. Kentucky entered a 2024 Mustang GT, shot outside its police academy as a tribute to troopers killed on the job. The photos are half the fun. Agencies put real thought into staging them, a cruiser at a landmark, a dramatic sky, a bit of local flavor.
Kentucky has real history here, with back-to-back wins in 2021 and 2022 and a top-five finish almost every year since. So Florida’s streak isn’t a lock. Voting is open to anyone through the association’s website and Facebook page, and it closes July 13. You get one vote per device, and organizers say they guard against cheating with captchas and IP tracking. Rankings get posted every few days, so the whole race plays out in public.
A Lighthearted Contest That Funds Something Serious
Underneath the friendly trash talk, the contest does real work. It started as a lighthearted rivalry between state agencies, a way to get the public interacting with troopers in a good-natured setting. The money side is where it adds up. Every calendar sold feeds the foundation behind trooper families. That funds scholarships, death benefits, and help after a hurricane wipes out a trooper’s home.
As for this year, the storyline is Florida. A fourth straight win would be something no state has pulled off, and the black-and-tan crowd clearly knows it. The challengers know it too. Voting stays open through July 13, and anyone who wants a say can cast one. The 2027 calendar cover is up for grabs until then. Which police department cruiser will you be voting for?