T-Mobile's Friday Night 5G Lights Returns Bigger Than Ever with Over $8 Million in Prizes

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 6, 2026--

T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) today announced the return of Friday Night 5G Lights for its third season, giving small-town high schools across America more opportunities than ever to celebrate their communities and compete for prizes that can make a meaningful difference.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260805739250/en/

This year's competition more than doubles schools' opportunities to win, with over $8.4 million in total prizes, a new divisional bracket format and the return of the $1 million football field upgrade grand prize.

Since its launch, Friday Night 5G Lights has shown what's possible when entire communities rally behind their hometown schools. In 2024, Inola High School in Inola, Oklahoma — population 1,900 — became the inaugural champion, earning a $1 million football field transformation after capturing the support of fans nationwide. In 2025, Dierks High School in Dierks, Arkansas — population 900 — followed in its footsteps, earning nearly 2 million votes with the help of its determined community and celebrity supporters to secure its own $1 million field upgrade. Together, more than 750 schools across the country have earned prizes through Friday Night 5G Lights, strengthening hometown pride and creating lasting impact far beyond the football field.

"Over the past two years, we've seen firsthand what happens when communities come together to support their hometown schools, and it's been absolutely inspiring,” said Jon Freier, Chief Operating Officer, T-Mobile. “Friday Night 5G Lights has become about so much more than football — it's about celebrating the pride, traditions and connections that make small towns special. This season, we're going even bigger and opening the door for more schools than ever to win because every community deserves its moment in the spotlight."

Here’s how this year’s competition is putting over $8.4 million in total prizes on the line:

Football Legends Return to Champion the Competition

Friday Night 5G Lights wouldn't be complete without two football greats. Patrick Mahomes returns for his second season alongside Rob "Gronk" Gronkowski to inspire fans and rally communities throughout the competition. They're joined by standout college athletes Dante Moore, Ashlea Klam, CJ Carr, Rocco Becht and Kewan Lacy, representing divisions across the country and encouraging fans to support their hometown schools in the race for game-changing prizes.

"It’s great to be back for another season of Friday Night 5G Lights,” said Mahomes, three-time Super Bowl MVP. “This program celebrates the passion, pride and sense of community that makes high school football so special. I am excited to recognize the players, fans and hometowns that bring that energy every Friday night.”

"Every year, Friday Night 5G Lights reminds me why high school football means so much to small towns,” said Gronkowski, four-time Super Bowl champ. “The energy, the traditions and the school spirit are unlike anything else. Every season these schools raise the bar, and with more schools winning than ever before, I can’t wait to see who brings the biggest spirit this year.”

How to Get in the Game

High schools in U.S. towns with populations under 150,000 are eligible to apply. Authorized school officials, including teachers, coaches or administrators, can submit an entry on behalf of their school at FridayNight5GLights.com. Submissions must include a short story or essay about why their school deserves a transformation for their football field.

Applications will be accepted now through Sept. 18, with the first 1,500 schools to apply receiving a rally kit. Any school that submits an application will automatically be entered for a chance to win $5,000 in T-Mobile's “$5K Fridays” sweepstakes for 1,000 schools, with 300 winners selected in Week 1 starting Aug. 7 and 100 winners in each of the following seven weeks.

Schools can rally their communities — and boost their chances of winning — by sharing on social media. Every eligible post on X or Instagram using #FN5GL and #Entry while tagging @TMobile and their school counts as an additional sweepstakes entry. Fans can also show their school spirit with a new AR Gronk selfie experience, available at FN5GL.com/AR.

New to this year’s competition, a panel of judges will select 40 division finalists — 10 each from the West, East, Midwest and South divisions — based on community impact, need, creativity, school pride, social media participation and overall community engagement.

Public voting runs from Oct. 8–25, and anyone in the country can vote once per day through FridayNight5GLights.com and the T-Life app. Finalists may also earn potential bonus votes by completing social media “Spirit Week” challenges posted on the Friday Night 5G Lights website.

The four schools with the highest number of votes will receive $250,000, a Gronk Fitness gym, “The Big Deal” student leadership award for $5,000 and move onto the final Division Champion round. Public voting for the final four schools runs from Oct. 29–Nov. 8, with the grand prize winner announced on Nov. 12.

More Ways to Celebrate Hometown Pride

New this year, T-Mobile is taking the excitement beyond the field with Tailgate Week. From August 11–15, more than 500 T-Mobile stores will host hometown celebrations where fans can come together, show off their school spirit and rally behind their teams. Whether you're sporting a football jersey, cheer uniform, band attire or mascot costume, it's time to celebrate your hometown.

T-Mobile members also have the chance to win a 2026 Honda Passport, exclusively available via T-Mobile Tuesdays. Plus, score free grill tongs on Aug. 11 through T-Mobile Tuesdays in the T-Life app.

T-Mobile’s Commitment to Small-Town America

Friday Night 5G Lights is just part of T-Mobile's broader commitment to helping small towns and rural communities thrive through connectivity, innovation and community investment. Since 2020, T-Mobile has:

Learn more and enter today at FridayNight5GLights.com.

Follow the T-Mobile Newsroom on X and Instagram to catch the latest company updates.

About T-Mobile US, Inc.

As the supercharged Un-carrier, T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is powered by an award-winning 5G network that connects more people, in more places, than ever before. With T-Mobile’s unique value proposition of best network, best value and best experiences, the Un-carrier is redefining connectivity and fueling competition while continuing to drive the next wave of innovation in wireless and beyond. Headquartered in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile and Mint Mobile. For more information, visit https://www.t-mobile.com.

Friday Night 5G Lights

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week but layoffs remain in the historically healthy range of the past few years.

U.S. filings for jobless aid in the week ending August 1 rose by 1,000 to 199,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The previous week’s figure was revised up by 1,000 to 198,000.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered representative of layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the U.S. job market.

Last week, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation metric, PCE, came in at 3.7% for June, still well above the U.S. central bank’s 2% target. If inflation remains elevated, Fed officials say they are ready to raise interest rates to combat higher prices, raising costs for businesses and making them less likely to hire.

Last month, the government reported that employers pulled back on hiring in June, adding only 57,000 jobs. That’s less than half the previous month’s total and a sign that companies remain cautious about adding to their head counts. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% from 4.3% in May, though that decline is mostly because many out-of-work people gave up looking for jobs and were no longer counted as unemployed.

June’s tepid hiring comes after a relative surge in job gains the previous three months, countering concerns that the conflict in Iran could trip up an already wobbly labor market. The government’s July jobs report is due out Friday.

Weekly jobless aid applications have stabilized in a range mostly between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. economy emerged from the pandemic recession. However, hiring began slowing about two years ago and tapered further in 2025 due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, his purge of the federal workforce and the lingering effects of high interest rates meant to control inflation.

Among the companies that have trimmed their workforce recently are Verizon, UPS, Amazon, Disney, Starbucks, Walmart and Microsoft.

The Labor Department’s report Thursday also showed that the four-week moving average of weekly jobless claims, which balances out some of the weekly volatility, fell by 4,500 to 198,750.

The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending July 25 was 1.8 million, an increase of 24,000 from the week before.

FILE - A now hiring sign is seen in front of an auto body shop in Chicago, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, file)