What is the Knight News Challenge?

Do you have a big idea for informing and inspiring community using bits and bytes?Cell phone documentaries? New operating software for news collectors? Journalism games? The Knight News Challenge is offering up to $5 million for innovative ideas using digital experiments to transform community news. Nothing is too far out to qualify.

Who is Eligible?

Everyone is eligible. The contest is open to community-minded innovators worldwide, from software designers to journalists to citizens and students of any age.

Bringing Communities Together—Digitally

Newspapers at one time were the glue that held communities together. The news they printed helped people identify problems and work together to find solutions. Technology has changed everything – it connects us with the world, but leaves us disconnected from those in our geographic community. The Knight News Challenge seeks to change that by using digitally delivered news and information to enhance physical communities and improve the lives of people where they live, work, and vote.

Winning Criteria for Ideas:

• Digital: The idea uses digital technology.
• Innovative: The idea is new, original, and ground-breaking. It's different from what people have done before.
• News/information: The idea is about giving people access to what they want to know.
• Timely: The idea delivers news or information while it's still fresh.
• Community-building: The idea helps create a sense of community among some group of individuals.
• Limited Geographic Area: The idea affects people in a specific area, which could be as big as a state or province.

A simple online entry form is available at http://www.newschallenge.org. The web site will accept applications through Oct. 15. Winners should be announced by the spring of 2008.