The worldwide Knight News Challenge 2008 contest reopened September 2, with another $5 million in funding available for digital media experiments to innovate news and communication before applications close on November 1. Are you ready to apply?
You Invent It. We Fund It!
The contest is open to community-minded innovators worldwide, from software designers to journalists to citizens and students of any age. Do you have a big idea for informing and inspiring a geographic community using social media, Web 2.0 tools or OpenID? How about exchanging information via video, photos or text messaging? A way to integrate game theory with web browsing to support local community engagement? Come on, push the edge — we’re seeking true innovation!
Winning entries must have four elements: 1) use of a digital media, 2) delivery of news or information on a shared basis to 3) a geographically defined community, and 4) be innovative.
Entries must be open-source and share the software and knowledge created.
New in 2008: The News Challenge Garage
To support applications this year, Knight has created a new incubator — the News Challenge Garage — where prospective applicants can receive peer reviews and mentoring from screeners and awardees from previous years. To date, over 40 applications are already incubating in the Drupal-based Garage site. A diverse group of developers, online journalists, nonprofit evangelists, video bloggers and social media experts are on hand to coach at garage.newschallenge.org. The 30 mentors are available to coach and guide everyone who enters a project in the Garage. For a postable video introducing the Garage in a variety of languages, visit DotSub to find out more.
Want to get more involved? Apply at newschallenge.org.
Want more info?
The Knight News Challenge is incorporating new media tools to reach out to more diverse communities to spread the word about this year’s Challenge. You can follow us on Twitter, converse on video via Seesmic or chat about application ideas in our FriendFeed room.
Background
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation invests in journalism excellence worldwide and in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Since 1950, the foundation has granted more than $400 million to advance quality journalism and freedom of expression. The foundation focuses on projects with the potential to create transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.
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