Strategy
Manychat Offers Creators a Times Square Billboard in New Contest Challenging ‘Not a Real Job’ Stigma
Manychat has launched a contest giving U.S.-based content creators the opportunity to win a Times Square billboard placement, centering the campaign on the debate over whether content creation constitutes professional work.
The contest runs June 8 through June 30, 2026, and is open to creators on Instagram and TikTok who are 18 or older and U.S. citizens. To enter, participants must post a video under two minutes in length incorporating the on-screen text “It’s not a real job,” with an emoji placed over the word “not.”
Videos must go on a public account, tag @manychat, and include the hashtag #myrealjob. Entrants must also complete a separate validation form for their submission to qualify.
Prizes and Timeline
The grand prize includes a two-night stay in Manhattan, an NYC experience with Manychat, and one free year of Manychat Pro. Four runner-up winners will each receive a digital billboard in their home city, a curated gift box, and one free year of Manychat Pro.
Judging is scheduled for July 2026, with the NYC experience set for September 2026. Manychat says its panel will evaluate submissions on four criteria: authenticity, creativity, drive, and relatability.
Judging Criteria
On the relatability criterion, the company frames the winner as a representative figure for the broader creator community. “The winner of this contest won’t just represent themselves,” Manychat states in contest materials. “They’ll represent every creator who’s ever had to justify what they do.”
The company also notes it is looking for videos made for a creator’s existing audience rather than produced specifically for the contest.
No purchase is necessary to enter. The contest is sponsored by Manychat, Inc. and is void where prohibited.
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