On February 3, 2026, X (@XCreators) announced the winners of its first-ever $1 Million Article Contest. The total prize pool across all winners exceeded $2.15 million.
This special contest was a major test to see how much high-quality long-form writing could perform on the platform.
The $1 Million Grand Prize Winner
@beaverd – “Deloitte: A $74-Billion Cancer Metastasized Across America”
Read the full article here (44.7 million views)
This deeply researched piece took over 50 hours to produce. @beaverd analyzed millions of government contracts, audits, and system failures to expose how Deloitte secured $74 billion in public contracts while being linked to multiple major project failures across several states.
- California unemployment system failures – tens of billions wasted
- Tennessee Medicaid collapse – 250,000+ kids lost coverage
- $1.9 billion court digitization project abandoned
- Revolving door between Deloitte and government agencies
Runner-Up – $500,000
@KobeissiLetter – “President Trump’s EXACT Tariff Playbook”
Read it here (19M+ views)
Creator’s Choice Award – $250,000
@thedankoe – “Full guide: how to unlock extreme focus on command”
Read the article
Honorable Mentions – $100,000 each
@nickshirleyy • @wolfejosh (donating full amount to charity) • @thatsKAIZEN • @ryanhallyall
Why This Contest Matters
X wanted to reward serious, original long-form content. The results showed that well-researched Articles can still generate massive reach and engagement on the platform.
What Happens Next?
The $1 Million prize was a special one-time contest for January. However, X has stated this is “only the beginning” of their push to support high-quality long-form writing.
With increased revenue sharing and more focus on Articles, X is clearly encouraging creators to invest in deeper, more substantial content.
The first million-dollar Article is already live:
https://x.com/beaverd/status/2013366996180574446
The bar for long-form writing on X has been raised significantly.