What Does ‘American Idol’ Winner Get? Inside the First Place Prize

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[WARNING: This post contains MAJOR spoilers from the American Idol Season 23 finale].

Jamal Roberts was crowned the winner of American Idol Season 23, but does he receive more than just bragging rights and the title of “American Idol” 2025? Obviously, taking home the title provides a major jumping-off point for any artist’s career, but the winner gets even more than just an exciting opportunity.

In addition to receiving a recording contract, the winner of American Idol also takes home a cash prize. That amount has changed over the years, though. When Kelly Clarkson won Season 1, she received a $1 million recording contract, according to Parade. In 2012, Today reported that Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips got the same deal.

However, the dollar amount appears to have lessened in the years since, with Season 16 winner Maddie Poppe telling Business Insider in 2022, “You do get $250,000, but not really because of taxes. And you get half of it before you complete your record, and then the second half you get after you complete the record. So it’s just like an advance from the record deal, but I’m pretty sure I have to recoup it.”

Season 19 winner Chayce Beckham spoke about the final prize on the Taste of Country Nights, On Demand, podcast in 2022 and confirmed that he received less than the previous prize of $1 million for his victory.

Of course, the record contract that comes with winning Idol isn’t a guarantee for success. The contestants have to work just as hard as any other aspiring artist to keep the momentum going after the show, and Roberts seems willing to do just that.

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“I’m still trying to process this… God is so good,” he wrote on Instagram after the finale. “From my first step on that stage to this unbelievable moment, I never dreamed a kid from my hometown would one day be called American Idol. This journey has been bigger than me, and I’m so grateful for every person who believed in me when I was just chasing a dream.”