Friday night lights are almost back, and the Natchitoches Parish Journal is preparing to kick off another season of its popular High School Football Pick ’Em contest.
With the 2026 high school football season less than a week away, the NPJ will officially open online picks on Monday, Aug. 31. The weekly contest gives local sports fans an opportunity to showcase their football knowledge by predicting the outcomes of 10 selected high school matchups across Natchitoches Parish and the region. The first week of action wraps up Friday, Sept. 4.
Each week, the top predictor will win a $100 cash prize and have their photo published in the Journal.
Get ready to see who is truly the best football picker in Natchitoches Parish—picks open next Monday!
To help make this contest a success, the Natchitoches Parish Journal is offering premium sponsorship opportunities for local businesses. Ad placements are featured directly between the listed weekly matchups, guaranteeing high visibility in front of engaged local readers throughout the season. To reserve your spot, call or text the NPJ at 318-500-3336 or 318-540-4142.
Contest Rules & Details
- Anyone is eligible to participate for free, and each week’s winning participant will win a $100 prize. Each week, the winner will be the participant with the best record out of 10 selected high school football games. Ties will be broken by two separate tiebreakers consisting of guessing the total points scored in two designated weekly contests. The picker with the closest score, without going over, is the winner. All decisions by Management/NPJ are final. The contest can be modified and/or cancelled without notice to the public.
The only persons not eligible to participate are the publisher, the publisher’s immediate family, and regular content contributors to the Journal as determined by Management/NPJ. - There is no entry fee. All contest decisions by Journal management are final. Weekly winners will be notified on Mondays and must agree to have their photo published in the Journal.
- Every participant receives a free subscription to the Journal, delivered directly to their inbox daily at 6:55 a.m.