Deadline: May 31, 2022
Applications for the Google News Initiative (GNI) Innovation Challenge – Europe 2022 are now open. The GNI Innovation Challenge is a global program that empowers news organizations from around the world to demonstrate new thinking in digital journalism.
The GNI Innovation Challenge in Europe focuses on innovation in any form. It follows the DNI Fund which ran from 2015 and funded 662 projects across Europe. Selected projects will produce learnings and thought leadership to share with the wider industry.
Funding
- Google will fund up to €150,000 for selected projects. Out of the total project budget, Google will finance up to 70% while at least 30% must be provided by the applicant.
Eligibility
- Geographically, applicants must be based in Europe ;
- News organizations must be incorporated in one of the eligible countries. Unincorporated organizations must be registered in the region or, if unregistered, have their principal place of business there.
Eligible Projects
All ideas are welcome but they require all projects to have clear indicators showing the potential impact of the project from a user perspective and/or from a business perspective. Selected projects will also need to be delivered within one year.
They encourage innovative projects – focused on, but not limited to – the areas below:
- Ways to increase reader engagement and/or reader revenue
- Developing and diversifying business models
- New methods of distribution
- Combating misinformation
- Increasing trust in journalism
- Reaching new audiences
- Improving the efficiency of workflows
- Exploring new technologies
Evaluation Criteria
Projects will be evaluated against five main criteria:
- Innovation: Preferred projects will be innovative and transformative for the applicant and for users.
- Impact on the news ecosystem: Preferred projects should demonstrate potential for significant positive impact for the wider industry. For example, collaborative approaches and open source projects are encouraged.
- Feasibility: Preferred projects should demonstrate their potential through clear indicators and expected metrics. They should set out key risks and mitigation steps.
- Diversity: Preferred projects will be able to demonstrate their self-defined commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion whether that is within their audience, organization or content. Google is committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and works to support companies/projects that are in line with such values.
- Inspiration: Preferred projects will show willingness to share knowledge and to contribute to the improvement of the ecosystem overall. This could include activities such as attending events, writing blogposts or contributing to case studies. Selected recipients will be required to produce a public report with learnings from the project.
Application
Only online applications in English will be considered. Applicants are asked to provide clear descriptions and budget information plus complete a templated slide deck via the online application form.
For more information, visit GNI Innovation Challenge.
