Metallica announces collegiate winners of marching band competition

Metallica on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' (ABC/Randy Holmes)

Metallica has announced the collegiate winners for the latest edition of the metal legends' annual marching band competition.

The grand prize Division 1-winning school was the University of South Carolina, which was awarded with $50,000 in prizing, including instruments and equipment. Additionally, the Gamecocks marching band will have the opportunity to record a Metallica track as well as the theme song for a future EA Sports College Football video game.

The Division 1 second and third place winners were Virginia Tech and University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign, respectively.

California's Riverside City College won first place in the Division 2/3 category, followed by Virginia's Bridgewater College in second and Indiana Wesleyan University in third.

The University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign also won the fan-favorite prize, which was determined by public vote.

Friday, January 30, 2026 at 10:40AM by Josh Johnson Permalink