New Delhi: X, the Elon Musk–led social media platform, has announced a major creator incentive with a prize of $1 million (around Rs 9.07 crore) for the “Top
Article” of its next payout period. The move signals X’s push to position long-form writing as a core content format, alongside short posts and videos.
The announcement comes as X expands its Articles feature to all Premium users and encourages writers, journalists, and thought leaders to publish directly on X.com. The company said it wants to reward high-impact writing that shapes conversations, breaks news, and influences culture, even as the platform faces regulatory scrutiny over issues such as deepfakes and misleading content.
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… pic.twitter.com/4hKBJNvNIg
— Creators (@XCreators) January 16, 2026
What is the Top Article contest?
In a post shared on X, the platform said it is “doubling down on what creators do best: writing.” The company stated that its 2026 goal is to recognise long-form content that delivers value and drives meaningful engagement on the platform.
The Top Article contest will reward a single winning article with a $1 million payout during the upcoming creator payout cycle.
Eligibility rules and content guidelines
According to X, entries must be original articles of at least 10,000 words. The content must comply with platform policies that prohibit hate speech, racism, terrorism-related material, fraud, manipulation, sexual content, defamation, misinformation, and plagiarism.
Articles that are largely generated or heavily assisted by automated tools or artificial intelligence may be disqualified, unless explicitly allowed by X. Once published, articles cannot be edited, but creators are allowed to submit multiple entries during the contest window.
Timeline and evaluation criteria
The competition launched at 2 PM Pacific Time on January 16, 2026, and will close at 11:59 PM PT on January 28, 2026. X said articles will be evaluated based on Verified Home Timeline impressions, focusing on reach and engagement.
At present, the contest is limited to users based in the United States.
How to participate
To enter, users must publish their articles directly on X.com using the platform’s Articles feature. With Articles now available to all Premium subscribers, X is encouraging long-form creators to use the platform as their primary publishing destination.
