Announcing the Rolling Stone College Journalism Awards
Since Rolling Stone’s founding in a college dorm room in 1967, we’ve been an outlet for young voices and aspiring journalists. Today, we’re honoring that tradition with the return of the Rolling Stone College Journalism Awards.
Established in 1975, the awards seek to encourage achievement in student journalism and recognize excellence among college newspaper reporters, writers, and editors. Past winners have included Elizabeth Wurtzel, author of the culture-shifting 1994 memoir Prozac Nation; George magazine editor and noted author Richard Bradley; and revered music journalist Chuck Young, who spearheaded Rolling Stone’s coverage of punk rock.
For the 2025 College Journalism Awards, to be announced Aug. 1, 2026, students may submit in three categories: Entertainment Reporting, Feature Writing, and Essays and Criticism (limit one entry per category per person). Each winner will receive a grand prize of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000 USD) and have their submission published on Rolling Stone’s website in the summer of 2026.
To enter, send submissions to collegejournalism@rollingstone.com by May 15, 2026. Be sure to include the following information:
Category: Entertainment Reporting, Feature Writing, or Essays and Criticism:
– Name– Age– Birthday– University name– Grade– Phone number– Email– Name of university publication– A brief autobiography, including hometown, educational history, honors and scholarships, and journalism experience
Please read the following carefully before submitting:
ROLLING STONE COLLEGE JOURNALISM ESSAY CONTENTOFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. CONTEST BEGINS AT 12:00:00 A.M. (ET) ON NOVEMBER 7, 2025 AND ENDS AT 11:59 P.M. (ET) on MAY 15, 2026 (THE “ENTRY PERIOD”).
1. HOW TO ENTER: To be eligible for the Rolling Stone College Journalism Essay Contest (“Contest”), you must submit an essay and/or article, as applicable, in one (1) of the three (3) following categories: Entertainment Reporting, Feature Writing, and Essays and Criticism (each, a “Category”), and submit the information requested to the email address specified on the Contest webpage located on www.rollingstone.com during the Entry Period. Entrants may submit an entry in more than one Category. There is no limit as to word count in each submission. Entry Limit: one (1) entry per person in each Category during the Entry Period.
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Please note that the entry limit is per person, thus submitting multiple entries in a single Category will not increase your number of entries or chance of winning and will disqualify you from participation in this Contest. To be considered eligible in the Contest, all entries must be received on the last day of the Entry Period. No illegible, incomplete, forged or altered entries will be accepted.
Entries must be original, may not be AI-generated in whole or in part, must not constitute a defamation, and must not infringe or violate any right of any third party or entity, including but not limited to copyright, right of publicity, and right of privacy. Entries must be created in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, and must not contain or convey any content that Sponsor determines, at its sole discretion, subjectively or otherwise, (i) to be indecent, profane, obscene, explicitly sexual, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, libelous, or hateful; (ii) to be racially, ethnically, or otherwise offensive or objectionable; (iii) to encourage unlawful behavior; or (iv) to infringe upon the brand names, trade-marks, trade names, logos, or any other intellectual property that may belong to a third party. The determination of whether any entry contains prohibited content is at the sole discretion of Sponsor. False, deceptive, or incomplete entries or information provided by entrants at any point relating to the Contest may render the entry ineligible, regardless of when the problem is discovered.
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2. SELECTION OF WINNER: Three (3) potential winners will be decided by Sponsor in its sole discretion after careful review by a select group of Sponsor’s editors who will evaluate entries based on the depth of analysis, quality of research, and the clarity of writing. Sponsor’s editors’ decisions are final and binding on all matters relating to the Contest. If you are a potential winner, Sponsor will notify you by email (to the address used to submit the essay/article) to let you know that you are the winner on or about July 31, 2026. Potential winners have 72 hours to reply and provide a full name and other required personal information in order for Sponsor to deem them a winner and make them eligible to receive a prize. If Sponsor does not hear from a potential winner within 72 hours or the potential winner does not provide the required information in this timeframe, an alternative potential winner may be selected at Sponsor’s discretion and the original potential winner will no longer be deemed a winner hereunder.
3. PRIZES: Three (3) winners will each receive a grand prize of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000 USD). The winners will also have their winning submissions published on www.rollingstone.com in the summer of 2026 (exact date to be decided in Sponsor’s sole discretion) and on such other platforms, in other media in Sponsor’s sole discretion. All prize details will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion and will be final and binding on all entrants into the Contest. All prizes will be awarded (assuming sufficient number of eligible entries). Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value. No cash equivalent for the prizes will be offered and no other substitution or transfer of prizes permitted. Sponsor responsible only for prize delivery; not responsible for prize utility, quality or otherwise. Taxes and fees, if any, are the responsibility solely of the winner.
4. ELIGIBILITY: Contest open to individual legal residents of the 50 United States (including the District of Columbia, but excluding the U.S. territories and possessions) who are age eighteen (18) years (except in the case of legal residents of certain states/territories/providences where the legal age of majority is greater than eighteen (18) years of age, such legal age of majority) or older at time of entry and who are enrolled in either a college or university on a part-time or full-time basis at the time of submission. Officers, directors and employees (and their immediate families and members of the same household) of Sponsor and its affiliates, agents, judges and advertising and promotion agencies are not eligible to participate. All federal, state, provincial and local rules and regulations apply. Sponsor will be the official timekeeper for the Contest and reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any entry that does not meet the eligibility requirements or otherwise does not comply with these Official Rules.
5. VERIFICATION OF WINNER AND DELIVERY OF PRIZES: The winners may, in Sponsor’s sole discretion, be required to sign a Contributor Agreement (including a license, indemnification and liability release) (“Contributor Agreement”) as well as an affidavit of eligibility. Any prize may be awarded to an alternate winner if the Contributor Agreement and affidavit are not returned within five (5) business days after date it is sent to the potential winner, if prize notification or prize is returned as undeliverable, in which case the originally selected winner shall no longer have any right to the Contest prize. The winners shall also provide a completed W-9 or W-8 Form as applicable. The winners agree to (i) Sponsor’s and its licensees and assigns right to reproduce, distribute, perform and/or display all or any portion of the winning entries and (ii) Sponsor’s and its licensees and assigns use of her/his name, photograph, likeness, voice, biographical information, statements and address (city and state). The rights granted in the prior sentence may be exploited for any and all purposes, including without limitation for editorial, advertising and/or publicity purposes, worldwide in any and all formats or media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity, without further compensation or authorization, to the extent permitted by law.
6. GENERAL: The Contest is void in Puerto Rico, all U.S. territories and possessions, overseas military installations, as well as outside the United States and where prohibited or restricted by law. These Official Rules and the rights or obligations of Sponsor or any entrants in the Contest shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to conflicts of laws principles thereof that would result in the application of the law of any other jurisdiction. Sponsor is not responsible for: (a) late, lost, stolen, damaged, garbled, incomplete, misaddressed, postage due or misdirected entries, emails or other communications; (b) errors, omissions, interruptions, deletions, defects or delays in operations or transmission of information, in each case whether arising by way of technical or other failures or malfunctions of computer hardware, software, communications devices or transmission lines; (c) data corruption, theft, destruction, unauthorized access to or alteration of entry materials, loss or otherwise; or (d) electronic communications that are undeliverable as a result of any form of active or passive filtering of any kind or insufficient space in entrant’s email account to receive email messages. The use of automated software or computer programs to register, enter or otherwise participate in this Contest is prohibited and any individual who uses, attempts to use or Sponsor suspects of using such methods to register, enter or otherwise participate will be disqualified. Sponsor disclaims any liability for damage to any computer system resulting from participation in, or accessing or downloading information in connection with, this Contest and reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify, cancel, terminate or suspend this Contest if any virus, bug, technical failure, unauthorized human intervention or other cause outside of Sponsor’s control corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest. In the event of any such cancellation, termination or suspension, a notice will be posted and a random drawing will be held from among all eligible, nonsuspect entries received prior to such time. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any entrant (and all of her/his Contest entries) from this Contest or any other promotion conducted now or in the future by Sponsor or any of its affiliates if she/he tampers with the entry process or if her/his fraud or misconduct affects the integrity of this Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to correct clerical or typographical errors in promotional materials. By participating in this Contest, each entrant accepts the conditions stated in these Official Rules, agrees to be bound by the decisions of the Sponsor and warrants that she/he is eligible to participate in this Contest. By entering and/or accepting a prize, all entrants and winners agree to hold Sponsor and its promotional partners, its directors, officers, employees and assigns harmless for liability, damages or claims for injury or loss to any person or property relating to, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, participation in this Contest, the acceptance and/or subsequent use or misuse, or condition of any of the prizes awarded, or any prize-related activity, or claims based on publicity rights, defamation, or invasion of privacy. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the immediate and unrestricted right to disqualify any entrant or prize winner if either commits or has committed any act, or has been involved or becomes involved in any situation or occurrence which the Sponsor deems likely to subject the Sponsor, entrant or winner to ridicule, scandal or contempt or which reflects unfavorably upon the Sponsor in any way. If such information is discovered by Sponsor after a winner has received notice of his prize and before the prize is awarded, Sponsor may rescind the prize in its entirety. Without limitation, decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding in all matters related to this paragraph. CAUTION. ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
7. ARBITRATION PROVISION:
(a) Procedure. The parties agree that, except as expressly set forth herein, any dispute, claim or issue arising between the parties arising out of or relating to this Contest or these Official Rules, including the performance of the services or the termination of this Contest shall be exclusively submitted to binding arbitration as set forth herein. The arbitration agreement set forth in this Section 7 shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (the “FAA”) and the law of the state in which the dispute arose, to the extent such state law is not inconsistent with the FAA. Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, the arbitration proceedings shall be conducted before JAMS in accordance with JAMS Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures and shall be concluded within sixty (60) days of commencement. Judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction. Each party shall bear its own attorneys’ fees and costs, subject to applicable law. Each party hereby designates the address in these Official Rules or in the Contest entry submission for service of process in any action or proceeding arising under this Contest and waives any U.S. and international treaty provisions with respect to such service of process. Service of process upon the parties in any action or proceeding arising hereunder may be by registered or certified mail (return receipt requested). Notwithstanding the above, either party may, in its discretion, obtain any provisional remedy including without limitation, injunctive or similar relief, from any court of competent jurisdiction as may be necessary to protect their respective rights and interests and if necessary to avoid irreparable harm.
(b) Class Action Waiver. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, no claims may be initiated or maintained on a class action or collective action or representative action basis either in court or arbitration. The parties knowingly waive any rights to participate in a class action or collective action or representative action or as a member of any class action or collective action or representative action, and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, will not be entitled to and will decline to accept any recovery from a class action or collective action or representative action, in any forum, concerning any dispute that could be asserted pursuant to this Contest (“Class Action Waiver”). The parties agree that any disputes regarding the validity or enforceability of the Class Action Waiver may only be resolved by a civil court of competent jurisdiction and not by an arbitrator. In any case in which (i) a party files a dispute as a class, collective or representative action, and (ii) a civil court of competent jurisdiction finds all or part of the Class Action Waiver invalid or unenforceable, then such elements of the dispute for which the court determined that the Class Action Waiver was unenforceable shall be permitted to proceed in a court of competent jurisdiction, but any remaining portion of the dispute must still be resolved in arbitration, including any individual claims or grievances (and in no event shall an arbitrator have authority to arbitrate any class, collective action or representative action). The parties agree that each may lawfully seek enforcement of these Official Rules and the Class Action Waiver under the FAA and may seek dismissal of such claims. Upon express consent of the parties or to the extent required by law, joinder and/or consolidation of claims in accordance with the applicable arbitration rules and procedures may be allowed by a party who has personally asserted a claim in arbitration provided that no class action procedures or collective action procedures or representative action procedures are utilized.
(c) Voluntary Agreement. You agree that you are executing entering this Contest voluntarily and without any duress or undue influence by Company or anyone else. You agree that you have carefully read these Official Rules and have asked any questions needed to understand the terms, consequences and binding effect of these Official Rules and has been provided an opportunity to seek the advice of an attorney of your choice before entering the Contest. YOU AND COMPANY AGREE TO ARBITRATE, AND THEREBY AGREE TO WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY WITH RESPECT TO ALL DISPUTES ARISING FROM THE SERVICE RELATIONSHIP ADDRESSED BY THESE RULES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY STATUTORY OR COMMON LAW CLAIMS.
8. USE OF DATA: Sponsor will collect and use participant’s personal information in accordance with the terms set forth in Sponsor’s Privacy Policy, available at https://pmc.com/privacy-policy/, and available at https://pmc.com/terms-of-use/. By participating in the Contest, participant hereby agrees to Sponsor’s collection and use of their personal information and acknowledges that they have read and accepted each of the foregoing.
9. WINNER’S LIST: The Winners will be publicly announced on www.rollingstone.com.
10. SPONSOR: Rolling Stone LLC, 475 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10017.
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© 2025 Rolling Stone LLC. All rights reserved.
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Visit www.rollingstone.com for official rules & entry instructions. Promotion begins on 11/07/25 at 12:00 AM (ET) and ends on 05/15/26 at 11:59 PM (ET). Open to individual legal resident of the United States (including the District of Columbia, but excluding the U.S. territories and possessions), age 18 (or the legal age of majority, as applicable) as of entry date and who are enrolled in either a college or university on a part-time or full-time basis at the time of submission. Additional restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Subject to all applicable laws and regulations. © 2025 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.
Δημοσιεύτηκε: 2025-11-20 19:09:00
πηγή: www.rollingstone.com
