Elon Musk's X offers $1 million reward for best long-form article

Writing on X may soon come with a seven-figure incentive.

 

X has announced a $1 million prize for the best-performing long-form article published on the platform during its next payout cycle, marking one of the largest creator rewards ever offered by a social media company.

 

The announcement was made on Saturday by X’s Creators account, which said the “top article” of the upcoming payout period would receive the $1 million award. Responding to the post, X owner Elon Musk wrote simply: “$1M prize for the top X article.” 

Who can participate

According to the official rules published by X on its legal platform, the contest runs from January 16 to January 28, 2026, and is open only to "legal residents" of the United States and Washington, DC, who are at least 18 years old.  Employees of X and their immediate family members are excluded.

 

Participants must subscribe to Premium or Premium+ and publish an original article on X during the contest period. Multiple entries are allowed, but each article must meet the platform’s eligibility requirements.

What qualifies as an entry

To be considered, an article must be at least 1,000 words, written in English, and unpublished elsewhere. X states that submissions generated or substantially assisted by automated tools or artificial intelligence may be disqualified unless explicitly permitted.

 

The rules prohibit political or religious commentary, explicit or offensive material, commercial advertising, references to non-X brands, or any form of plagiarism. Articles must also avoid unsafe activities, illegal drugs, hate speech, or misleading information.

 

X further notes that submissions must be the entrant’s sole original work and must align with the platform’s content standards.

How the winner will be decided

X has described the competition as skill-based, not a game of chance. The winning article will be selected based on:

• Compliance with submission guidelines
• Grammar, spelling, and technical quality
• Originality and authenticity
• Platform engagement, including verified home-timeline impressions

The relative weight of each criterion will be determined by X in advance, and the company’s decision will be final.

Prize and payout terms

The contest offers one grand prize of $1 million, which cannot be transferred or assigned to anyone else. The winner will receive the payout through a third-party payment processor and must complete identity and tax verification checks. All applicable federal, state, and local taxes will be the winner’s responsibility.

 

X reserves the right to disqualify winners who fail background checks or do not complete documentation within the specified timelines.

Rights and legal conditions

By entering, participants grant X irrevocable rights to use, reproduce, and distribute their articles and related personal identifiers globally and in perpetuity, without additional compensation.  The rules also include a binding arbitration clause, a class-action waiver, and a one-year limitation period for disputes.

 

X has stressed that the contest is strictly for entertainment purposes and may not be used for gambling.