T-Mobile Takes Friday Night 5G Lights to a Whole. New. Level: More Winners, More Ways to Win and $4M in Total Prizes Up for Grabs

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07/17/2025 - 08:14 AM

The Un-carrier’s nationwide competition to level the playing field for small towns returns with Patrick Mahomes and Rob Gronkowski rallying high schools to share their stories for a chance to win a game-changing football field makeover

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) today announced the return of Friday Night 5G Lights, the game-changing competition turning high school football into a nationwide celebration of hometown pride.

T-Mobile Takes Friday Night 5G Lights to a Whole. New. Level: More Winners, More Ways to Win and <money>$4M</money> in Total Prizes Up for Grabs

T-Mobile Takes Friday Night 5G Lights to a Whole. New. Level: More Winners, More Ways to Win and $4M in Total Prizes Up for Grabs

Last season, nearly 1,750 high schools from all 50 states brought unmatched energy and creativity, rallying their communities and the nation. Magenta was everywhere — football jerseys, signs and even hair — as small towns nationwide repped T-Mobile and showed off their school spirit on and off the field. Students called on celebrities like Jennifer Garner, Jamie Lee Curtis and Matthew McConaughey to hype up their schools. Entire towns packed stands, cheering their hearts out. Millions of votes poured in.

In the small town of Inola, Oklahoma, home to less than 2,000 people, students at Inola High School hustled so hard, they called every other school in the state (that’s over 1,700!) and even traveled to Oklahoma City to drum up support, ultimately winning the grand prize.

After a wildly successful debut, the 2025 season promises to be even bigger, with more winners, more prizes and more chances for small towns to shine on a national stage.

“Last year, we saw what happens when small towns get the spotlight they deserve, and the response blew us away,” said Jon Freier, President, T-Mobile Consumer Group. “So this year, we’re turning it up. We’re shining a bigger spotlight with Friday Night 5G Lights so more communities can share what makes them special and get the support they need to bring their vision to life.”

This year’s competition is putting over $4 million in total prizes on the line:

450 schools will win $5,000 through weekly $5K Fridays giveaways.
25 finalists will each score $25,000 for their football programs.
1 lucky finalist will win “Fan Favorite” as voted on by T-Mobile employees to receive an extra $25,000.
1 grand prize winner will receive a $1 million football field upgrade, a renovated weight room from Gronk Fitness, a consultation with stadium experience experts, an all-expense-paid trip to the SEC Championship Game for select school officials and students and a tailgate party revealing the finalized upgrades in 2026. Whew!

Beyond the competition, T-Mobile customers can get in on the action and score a Friday Night 5G Lights water bottle on July 29 and a stadium bag on Aug. 26 through T-Mobile Tuesdays.

Super Bowl Legends Champion the Competition

To help make this year’s competition even louder and prouder, three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is joining the fun alongside returning ambassador Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski, as well as top college athletes and high school football heroes.

“Growing up in a small town in Texas, I know what high school football means to these communities and how much love the players, parents and fans have for the game,” said Mahomes. “This competition is all about recognizing that heart and giving these communities the kind of support they deserve.”

“Friday nights are about so much more than just football to small towns. They’re about community, tradition and pride,” said Gronkowski, four-time Super Bowl champ. “We saw so much passion and dedication last year with Friday Night 5G Lights, that we knew we had to take things further this time around. The energy is electric, and I can’t wait to see what these schools do.”

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 an Un-carrier-style transformation for their football field.

Applications open today and will be accepted through Sept. 12. Any school that signs up will automatically be entered for a chance to win $5,000 in our “$5K Fridays” sweepstakes running each week of the application period, with 100 winners selected in Week 1 and 50 winners in each of the following seven weeks.

A panel of judges will select 25 finalists based on community impact, need, creativity and more. Public voting runs from Sept. 25 to Oct. 24, and anyone in the country can vote once per day through FridayNight5GLights.com. Finalists may also earn bonus votes by completing weekly “Social Plays” posted on the Friday Night 5G Lights website.

The grand prize winner will be announced on Oct. 30.

T-Mobile’s Commitment to Small-Town America

Friday Night 5G Lights is just one part of T-Mobile’s larger effort to connect every corner of the country. Since 2020, America’s Best Mobile Network has:

Expanded 5G coverage by 1.24 million square miles
Made T-Mobile 5G Home Internet available to 70 million households, with millions in rural areas, and launched T-Mobile Fiber — bringing more options for fast, reliable internet across the U.S.
Offered free connectivity for up to 10 million eligible students across the country through T-Mobile’s $10.7 billion initiative, Project 10Million
Invested nearly $18 million through Hometown Grants for community development projects
Created T-Satellite, the only satellite-to-mobile network solution that automatically connects to most modern smartphones in areas unreachable by any terrestrial network. Launching on July 23, the service is available for free on T-Mobile's best plan. Customers on other plans and customers on competitor networks can opt-in for $10/month. For more on T-Satellite: https://www.t-mobile.com/satellite.

Learn more and enter today at FridayNight5GLights.com.

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

Watch Rob Gronkowski and Patrick Mahomes announce the return of Friday Night 5G Lights here.

Learn more about today’s announcement on our newsroom.

Best mobile network: Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 1H 2025 data. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission. See 5G device, coverage, and access details at T-Mobile.com. T-Satellite: Developing technology available in most areas, most of the time; ultimately available in most outdoor areas where you can see the sky. $10/mo. for service beginning in July 2025 and renews automatically each month until cancelled. Cancel anytime in the T-Life App.

About T-Mobile

T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is America’s supercharged Un-carrier, delivering an advanced 4G LTE and transformative nationwide 5G network that will offer reliable connectivity for all. T-Mobile’s customers benefit from its unmatched combination of value and quality, unwavering obsession with offering them the best possible service experience and undisputable drive for disruption that creates competition and innovation in wireless and beyond. Based 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 please visit: https://www.t-mobile.com