BANNACK — Bannack State Park, a Montana treasure that became the state’s first territorial capital in 1864, is celebrating a major milestone this summer. The park’s signature event, Bannack Days, is marking its 50th year, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking artists to help commemorate the occasion.

“This is the park’s signature, yearly event where we bring together reenactors, demonstrations, and just all kinds of activities to celebrate Bannac,k but also early settlement in Montana and you know the gold rush days of Montana,” said Morgan Jacobsen with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

WATCH: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks announces art contest for Bannack Days 50th anniversary celebration

Montana artists sought for Bannack Days 50th anniversary art contest

FWP is asking Montana artists to help celebrate this milestone season by entering an art contest for the Bannack Days promotion.

“The winning artwork that’s selected will be used in promotional materials for Bannack Days and in other ways that we sort of advertise for Bannack. The winning artist will be linked with that artwork and receive a cash award,” Jacobsen said.

The artwork needs to capture the essence of Bannack, and the state park offers many artistic options for inspiration.

“There’s the gold mining aspect of it, you know, Bannack has many historic buildings that have just this natural aesthetic appeal, you know, early settlement, there’s Native American connections to the area, of course, the landscape and scenery is gorgeous too,” Jacobsen said.

Artists interested in participating can find more information about art requirements by searching for “Bannack Days Art Contest” on the FWP website. All entries must be submitted by the end of business on March 1st.

The contest represents an opportunity to help bring the past into the present while celebrating five decades of honoring Montana’s territorial history.

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Unless you’re a fan of extreme cold, heavy snow, winter sports and early nightfall, you’re probably not going to be traveling to, or through, Montana during February.

But if you’re a local, and looking to stay warm and entertained, you’re in luck, as it now is time for one of the most anticipated championship event of the year, the Montana High School Association All-Class State Wrestling Tournament.

Since the mid-1950s, the history and tradition of high school wrestling in Montana have continued to grow, with girls wrestling officially joining the landscape for the 2021-2022 season and adding to the sport’s popularity and following. 

The 2026 edition of the state event will take place Feb. 19-21 at the First Interstate Arena, one of the many versatile facilities that make up the 189-acre multi-use MetraPark in Billings, Montana.

Though this tournament won’t be broadcast live on FloWrestling or the FloSports app, each match will appear in the FloWrestling archives minutes after concluding. 

The evolution of MHSA wrestling includes one classification in 1956, two in 1958, three in 1964 and four starting in 2007 (AA, A, B, C). 

The state tournaments were held at separate sites until 1988, when the All-Class State Wrestling Tournament found its home at the MetraPark, with wrestling occurring on 12 mats. 

The 12,000-seat First Interstate Arena hosts many of Montana’s largest concerts, family shows, rodeos, trade events, ice shows, motorsports events, agricultural events and more. 

Check out this cool map of the wrestling floor.

Champions in girls wrestling were determined for the first time in 2021 when there was just one classification. In 2023, there were two. In 2024, there were three. Finally, in 2025, the girls got a fourth classification.

In 2025, eight team state championships were earned in Billings for the first time.

On the girls side, Billings Senior won the Class AA crown for the third consecutive season, while Custer County (Miles City) grabbed the Class A championship to deny Ronan a three-peat. In Class B, Baker won for the second consecutive season, and Simms took home the inaugural Class C trophy. 

Individually, Kaura Coles from Kalispell Glacier won her third consecutive state championship and now has the opportunity to complete the four-peat in 2026 and become the state’s first four-time girls state champion. Coles was one of four girls to join the three-win club in 2025.

The boys side of the event saw legacy-building performances in the team competition. 

Huntley Project took the top spot in the Class B standings for the fourth consecutive year, Billings West completed its own Class AA three-peat and Laurel won Class A for the second straight season. The final trophy, in Class C, went to Circle, which last won in 2022 to complete a nearly unprecedented five-peat.

As you get settled in for the new championship season, here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament, including links to the brackets.

What Are The Weight Classes For High School Wrestling In Montana?

In Pounds

• Girls: 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 155, 170, 190, 235
• Boys: 103, 110, 118, 126, 132, 138, 144, 150, 157, 165, 175, 190, 215, 285

2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament Brackets

Here’s where you’ll be able to find the brackets for the 2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament: 

How To Watch The 2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament

Coverage of the 2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament won’t be broadcast live on FloWrestling and the FloSports app, but the matches will be available in the FloWrestling archives minutes after they conclude.

News, notes, stats and more will be available on both platforms.

If you’re going to be in the area and want to catch the action in person, tickets will be available at the venue. All-session (three days) tickets for adults are $29. Single-session (Friday or Saturday) are $16. After 4 p.m. (Thursday or Friday) will be $10. After 3 p.m. (Saturday) will be $10. There will be a $2 service fee added to all tickets.

Student tickets will be $24, $14, $8 and $8, respectively. 

More spectator and ticket information is available here.

2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament Schedule

Here’s a look at when everything is going down in Montana:

All Times Mountain

Tuesday, Feb. 17

• 7 p.m. – Coaches’ meeting via Zoom

Thursday, Feb. 19

• 10 a.m.-1 p.m. – MetraPark opens for practice; Scales available for weight checks
• 1 p.m. – Boys & Girls weigh-in time; Grooming/skin checks
• 1 p.m. – Workers’ meeting
• 1 p.m. – Ticket gates open for spectator admission and sign/banner hanging
• 2 p.m. – Officials’ meeting
• 3 p.m. – Boys Round 1; Girls Round 1 & Round 2

Friday, Feb. 20

• 7 a.m. – Ticket gates open for spectator admission
• 8:50 a.m. – Assemble for Parade of Athletes
• 9 a.m. – Parade of Athletes
• 9:10 a.m. – National anthem
• 9:20 a.m. – Boys Round 1 Consolation & Quarterfinals; Girls Round 1 & Round 2 Consolation; Girls Quarterfinals
• 2:30 p.m. (approx.) – Boys Round 2 Consolation; Girls Round 3 Consolation
• 5 p.m. (approx.) – Boys and Girls Semifinals
• 5:15 p.m. (approx.) – Official weigh-ins

Saturday, Feb. 21

• 7 a.m. – Ticket gates open for spectator admission
• 8:50 a.m. – National anthem
• 9 a.m. – Boys and Girls Consolation Quarterfinals
• 11 a.m. (approx.) – Boys and Girls Consolation Semifinals
• 1 p.m. (approx.) – Boys and Girls Consolation Finals
• 3 p.m. – Parade of Finalists; Boys and Girls Finals (four mats)

What Teams Won At The 2025 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament?

Here are the 2025 team state champions in Montana:

Girls

• Class AA – Billings Senior
• Class A – Custer County (Miles City)
• Class B – Baker
• Class C – Simms

Boys

• Class AA – Billings West
• Class A – Laurel
• Class B – Huntley Project (Worden)
• Class C – Circle

Read more: 2025 MHSA Montana State Championship Results And Brackets

Did You Know: Butte High School Wrestling Was On Another Level

The record for team state titles in Montana is 17, held by Butte High School, which won a record 13 consecutive championships from 1980-1992, but hasn’t been back to the mountaintop since 2003.

Havre and Glasgow rank second all-time with 14 titles. 

Individually, 42 boys have won four state titles, with Zach Morse becoming the latest in 2025. 

For the girls, three-time defending Class AA champion Billings Senior owns the most titles with three, while three schools have two. 

Individually, seven girls have won three championships, with four adding their names to the list last season. 

2025-2026 FloWrestling High School Wrestling Rankings

Top 20 as of Jan. 12, 2026

Curious about how the top wrestlers from each state stack up against competitors from across the country?

Click here to see the latest high school rankings from FloWrestling.

CHANCE (The Unbelievable Story Of Chance Marsteller)

Chance Marsteller was a wrestling prodigy destined for greatness, but the journey to the top was anything but smooth. Learn all about Marsteller now.

Trackwrestling Has Joined The New FloWrestling

Trackwrestling officially has merged with FloWrestling, bringing its powerful tournament tracking tools and live data into a modern, all-in-one platform. 

Fans can follow every bout with pro-grade brackets, mat schedules, team rosters and detailed wrestler profiles—all seamlessly integrated within FloWrestling.

This move delivers a faster, smarter and more connected experience for the wrestling community. Through the updated FloSports app, users can track live results, explore brackets and even sign up for free alerts so they never miss a match.

FloWrestling Archived Footage

Video footage from all events on FloWrestling will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

Join The State Wrestling Conversation On Social

In an interview with CNBC on Thursday, the legendary quarterback recalled how former offensive tackle Harris Barton and former safety Ronnie Lott approached him with an idea to start a “fund of funds.”

“And because we lived around all the guys who were running Sequoia, Kleiner, Excel, all the top-tier funds, we’re going to leverage our friendships into access,” Montana said.

Silicon Valley and the NFL are converging again on Sunday as the Super Bowl will be played in San Jose, where the 49ers now play their home games.

Back when Montana first got into investing, he and his associates initially raised $15 million, and the fund grew from there, helping them get into leveraged buyout funds, hedge funds, and real estate funds, he said.

But Montana later moved two hours away from San Francisco to the Napa wine country, forcing him to step back from investing.

Then he connected with angel investor Ron Conway because their kids attended the same school. The cofounder of SV Angel introduced Montana to tech incubator Y Combinator and encouraged him to start his own fund, Liquid 2, in 2015.

Conway advised Montana, who shared a key lesson he learned from the legendary Silicon Valley investor.

“Everybody thinks it’s always about product,” he told CNBC. “But as early as we invest, most of the time it’s about people, and what you’re betting on are the founders.”

Montana also said his Liquid 2 work is more interesting than the fund of funds as his current job requires deeper involvement in his portfolio companies, especially in the early stages.

For his part, Conway told Worth magazine that Liquid 2 is now as big as SV Angel, adding that he and Montana invest together a lot.

“Because of his affable personality and his brand, he is able to get into really good syndicates and have lasting relationships,” he said.

Liquid 2 has invested in over 800 companies and was an early backer of GitLab, Rappi, Anduril, and Pipe, among others, according to Worth.

While Montana didn’t want his athletic fame to define his fund, he still draws on his experience in pro sports to help him invest. He said NFL coaching icon Bill Walsh showed him how to assemble a good team. Montana also learned to see parallels between great founders and elite athletes.

“It all stems from what’s inside them and their drive to succeed,” Montana told Worth.