The CBS soap opera ‘Beyond the Gates’ is giving students from Georgia-based HBCUs a chance to enter a contest to win a walk-on role on the daytime drama. The announcement comes less than three weeks from the show’s premiere episode.

“In addition to launching a groundbreaking series, we, and CBS, wanted to offer an aspirational experience for a young adult interested in exploring all things TV,” said president of CBS Studios/NAACP Venture Shelia Ducksworth in a statement. “We also wanted to pay homage to HBCUs—which have been a guiding force for students, families, and communities for almost 200 years—and also thank Georgia for availing so many resources to us for the creation of ‘Beyond the Gates.’ We hope that we may pique interest in young people who may have dreams that lie either in front of or behind the camera, and we’re excited to review all of the submissions from outstanding HBCU students of Georgia, regardless of major, and have our winner spend a day with us on set.”

The contest begins February 24 at 2:00 p.m. and runs through March 21 at 11:59 p.m. Eligible students will take a brief quiz testing their knowledge about the show in addition to submitting a video of themselves talking about what they like about the show and what it would mean to them if they were chosen for the walk-on role. Students don’t need prior acting training or experience to enter. The website for submission will be revealed in a few weeks on the show’s official Instagram and TikTok pages.

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The winner will be chosen by the show's executive producers and will have the opportunity to be featured in a 2025 season episode. In addition to a walk-on appearance, the winner will also have a one-on-one chat with an executive producer of the show and a full “Day in the Life” behind-the-scenes experience with the cast and crew.

‘Beyond the Gates,’ created by Michele Val Jean, follows the Duprees, a wealthy Black family in the Maryland suburbs just outside Washington D.C. The show is the first-ever, one-hour Black-centric daytime drama series.