# Guitar Center's Ed Sheeran Contest Flooded With Political Memes

> A tour-opener competition launched the same day Macklemore was dropped for pro-Palestine remarks, and the contest website is now drowning in protest submissions.
- Title: Guitar Center's Ed Sheeran Contest Flooded With Political…
- Summary: A tour-opener competition launched the same day Macklemore was dropped for pro-Palestine remarks, and the contest website is now drowning in protest…
- Keywords: guitar center, ed sheeran, macklemore, loop tour, open for legends contest, mexico city, palestine support, israel gaza war, protest submissions, tour opener, Guitar, Center's
- Source: Rolling Stone — https://rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ed-sheeran-guitar-center-contest-macklemore-1235628612
- Author: Charisma Madarang
- Published: 2026-09-17T23:43:15+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: guitar center, ed sheeran, macklemore, loop tour, open for legends contest, mexico city, palestine support, israel gaza war, protest submissions, tour opener
## Macklemore dropped from Sheeran tour
The Seattle rapper was removed from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour after making pro-Palestine statements onstage during Israel's war in Gaza.
## Guitar Center launches contest same day
On September 14th, Guitar Center announced its 'Open for Legends' competition offering a chance to open for Sheeran in Mexico City on December 11th.
## Contest flooded with protest videos
Instead of genuine musician submissions, the contest website received memes and nonmusical videos showing support for Palestinians and criticism of Sheeran.
## No verification system in place
Entertainment Weekly reported the contest website has no way to confirm whether uploaded videos actually contain musicians wanting to compete.
## Guitar Center says contest was planned ahead
The company stated the competition was developed months before the Macklemore controversy and will disregard non-legitimate submissions to focus on real musicians.

> Those submissions will not be considered so that the opportunity can remain focused on musicians who are seeking to showcase their talent.
## Key takeaway

Guitar Center says the contest was planned months ahead, but the timing and flood of political entries have tied the competition to the Macklemore controversy.