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Growing to monetization can feel isolating. The Race gives you a verified progress bar, a rank you can watch move, and a community of creators at the same stage, plus weekly racing strategies to help you get there faster.

1. Your progress toward 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours is calculated on our servers and refreshed periodically (a few times a day), so it can briefly lag what you see in YouTube Studio.

2. Your channel appears on the public leaderboard with its subscribers, qualified public watch hours, derived progress, rank, and movement. Only the top 25 are listed publicly; everyone else sees "racers around your position."

3. When your channel crosses both thresholds, it moves to the permanent, verified finisher wall.​

• You need a YouTube channel connected to vidIQ
• The channel must not yet have reached both 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 qualified public watch hours. Channels that already meet both cannot enter.
• One active Race entry per vidIQ account at a time.
• Entry is free and does not require a paid plan.

1. Go to https://app.vidiq.com/race-to-4k and click Join the Race.
2. If you have more than one connected channel, select the one you want to race and click Verify selected channel. (With one channel, verification starts automatically.)
3. vidIQ verifies the channel's current subscribers and qualified public watch hours.
4. Tick the consent box to list your channel publicly, then click Join the Race.
5. Your verified rank is revealed and your channel is on the leaderboard.
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Your account can only race one channel at a time. To move your entry to another channel you own:
1. On the Race to 4K page, open the ⋯​ menu next to your entry (labeled "Manage your Race entry").
2. Choose Switch channel…​, select the new channel, and tick the consent box.
3. Click Confirm channel switch.
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Switching leaves your current entry and starts a fresh verified entry for the new channel.

1. On the Race to 4K page, open the ⋯​ menu next to your entry.
2. Choose Leave the Race…​ and click Confirm leave.
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Your channel's public position is removed from the leaderboard. You can rejoin later with the Rejoin the Race button, as long as the channel is still eligible.

Find your channel's position, open the ⋯​ menu and choose Hide from public leaderboard. Your progress keeps tracking and you can switch back with Show on public leaderboard at any time.
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Channels found artificially inflating metrics (purchased subscribers, bot views, or bot watch time) are disqualified.

Channels at risk of breaking YouTube's Terms of Service (for example, pirated or re-uploaded content) may be removed at any time.

Finishing the Race is not a guarantee of YouTube monetization. Acceptance into the YouTube Partner Program is decided solely by YouTube.

The Race to 4K is run by vidIQ and is not sponsored by, affiliated with, or endorsed by YouTube.

Winners agree to be featured in vidIQ marketing. Rules may be updated; continued participation means acceptance of the updated rules.