Inviting News Organizations in Africa, Middle East & Turkey to the Google News Initiative (GNI) Innovation Challenge

Today, news publishers in many parts of the world are grappling with questions of how quality journalism can thrive in the digital age. With economic models changing, declining print revenue, and new ways in which people are consuming news, unprecedented challenges are facing the news industry.

With these fast-paced changes, innovation has never been more important. News organizations and startups are experimenting with new approaches to adapt to the changing consumption and business models.

Last year, we announced the Google News Initiative (GNI), the global umbrella that pulls together everything we do at Google to help news players in their transition to a digital future. We’re happy to announce the GNI Innovation Challenge in Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey (MEA&T), a call for projects from news organisations of every size. We’re inviting proposals for projects to address increasing engagement with readers and/or exploring new business models in any form such as subscriptions, membership programs, etc… Application window open from June 12 - Sep 2

The best part about innovation is that it can come from anywhere and everywhere. We want to make sure that all news organizations, large and small, legacy publishers as well as new entrants, have the opportunity to inject new ideas and shape the future of the industry. Traditional publishers, news startups and associations that aim to build innovative digital media projects are all eligible to apply.
A panel will evaluate the submissions and fund selected projects up to $150k, with funding for up to 70 percent of the total project cost. The funding will be reviewed against several criteria, including a “sharing component” - for example, a project proposal can include publishing findings or holding a public seminar to encourage applicants to share the knowledge and learnings to others.

How to apply?

The application window for project submissions is now open until September 2. For more information on eligibility, rules and criteria, and funding, please visit the Google News Initiative website. We are also holding an online town hall on July 3 at 10 am GMT (11am London time). Click on this link on the day to see a live presentation and have the opportunity to ask questions.

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Please view the original post at http://africa.googleblog.com/2019/07/inviting-news-organizations-in-africa.html