Elon Musk's X Platform Announces Major ₹9 Crore Prize for Top Articles
Elon Musk's social media platform X has launched an exciting new contest that offers creators a massive financial incentive. The company is giving away a $1 million prize, which converts to approximately ₹9 crore 7 lakh in Indian currency, for the best long-form article published on its platform. This initiative aims to recognize and reward high-quality written content that drives meaningful conversations.
Contest Details and Timeline
The $1 million article contest officially began at 2:00 PM Pacific Time on January 16, 2026. Creators have until 11:59 PM Pacific Time on January 28, 2026 to submit their entries. This gives participants approximately two weeks to craft and publish their qualifying articles. The company emphasizes that all submissions must be received within this specific timeframe to remain eligible for consideration.
Eligibility Requirements and Rules
X has established clear criteria for participation in this prestigious contest. First, the content must be original and consist of at least 1,000 words. The platform explicitly states that articles cannot contain hateful, fraudulent, or manipulative material. Additionally, content that violates any of X's established policies will be automatically disqualified from consideration.
Currently, only users located in the United States can participate in this particular contest. The company plans to judge submissions based on Verified Home Timeline impressions, which measures how many verified users see and engage with the content. X has also issued a specific warning about artificial intelligence tools: "Submissions generated or substantially assisted by automated tools, artificial intelligence, or third parties may be disqualified unless expressly permitted by X."
How to Enter the Competition
Interested creators need to visit either X.com or the main X website to publish their qualifying article. The process requires users to submit their long-form content directly through the platform's publishing system. X reminds participants that they must properly submit and receive confirmation that their entry has been accepted within the contest period to maintain eligibility.
Background and Platform Context
This new initiative comes at a significant time for X and its associated Grok AI technology. Both have faced considerable regulatory pressure recently after the chatbot generated non-consensual sexual deepfake images of women and children. The article contest represents X's effort to emphasize quality human-generated content over automated systems.
In an official statement, X explained their motivation: "We're trying something new: we're giving $1 million to the Top Article of the next payout period. We're doubling down on what creators on X do best: writing. In 2026, our goal is to recognize high-value, high-impact content that shapes conversation, breaks news and moves culture."
The company directly addressed content creators in their announcement: "Creators, writers, journalists, thought leaders: If long-form is your craft, this is your moment to double down on X. Tell us what you want to see next in 2026."
Recent Platform Developments
X has recently expanded its Articles feature to all Premium users, allowing more people to publish long-form content on the platform. This feature also provides creators with opportunities to earn revenue through X's monetization program. The $1 million contest builds upon this existing infrastructure while offering an extraordinary incentive for exceptional content creation.
The platform's focus on written content represents a strategic shift toward valuing substantive material that generates discussion and cultural impact. By offering such a substantial prize, X hopes to attract serious writers and journalists who can produce articles that meet their high standards for quality and influence.
