A pair of behemoth tunneling machines are getting ready to begin a 3.9-mile underground journey on parallel paths that will one day be known as the first phase of the Purple Line extension stretching from Koreatown to Beverly Hills.

But first the tunnel boring machines, known now simply as the “The Twins,” need names — and some decoration.

That’s why Metro is asking K-12 students to take part in a naming and art contest to come up with something creative. They promise the prizes for the winners will be “awesome,” with the bundles for each contest worth up to $350, although being part of local history can be its own reward.

The tunnel boring machines for Purple Line Ext are getting ready to head to L.A. Check out the naming contest: https://t.co/bqlK8HoAek pic.twitter.com/vKaTNqWvxN — Metro (@metrolosangeles) September 15, 2017

The naming contest is open to sixth- through 12th-grade students, who can submit their ideas here.

With the art contest, Metro is seeking a painting, drawing or collage from K-5 students. The piece will adorn the two machines during a ceremony. The contest submission form can be found here.

Submissions for the two contests are due by Oct. 15.

The names will be put to good use as Metro crews work on the tunnels, and as the transportation agency documents the tunneling machines’ whereabouts on Twitter.

Some of our insides are like #curlyfries. pic.twitter.com/oYQEuhRdih — Purple Line Ext TBMs (@purplelinetbms) September 2, 2017

The machines, which were originally assembled in Germany, will be put to work first digging from Wilshire and La Brea boulevards in the Miracle Mile to Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Koreatown. Then the machines will be taken back to the start to dig the other way, through Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue to Wilshire and La Cienega boulevards in Beverly Hills.

The machines have a long road ahead, as they’ll be working 20 hours per day, 5 days a week. It will take about 24 months to complete the job, according to Metro.

Three new stations will be built along that path, which form the first phase of the Purple Line extension toward Westwood.

This is the latest boring machine naming contest held by Metro. Past contests yielded the name “Harriet” — in honor of Harriet Tubman — for the machine that recently completed digging a tunnel for the Crenshaw/LAX tunnel. The moniker “Angeli” was given to the one creating the underground path for downtown’s Regional Connector line.

You can learn more about the TBMs and the Purple Line extension project with Metro’s handy fact sheet.