Deadline: September 2, 2019.

As part of this program, the GNI will fund a set of projects from around the world that meet specified criteria, with the intent of producing learning and thought leadership to share with the wider industry.

They are proud to launch the GNI’s first Innovation Challenge in the Middle East, Africa & Turkey Region. The Challenge will focus on reader engagement and new business models in any form. Google will fund selected projects up to USD $150,000 and will finance up to 70% of the total project cost. Special discretion on the total project cap may be considered by the Jury depending on the scale and impact of a very large collaborative effort.

 

ELIGIBILITY

1. The Middle East, Africa and Turkey GNI Innovation Challenge is open to organizations of every size, including freelancers and sole traders, that aim to produce innovative, original journalism and to enlighten citizens with trustworthy journalistic content, whose projects focus on encouraging a more sustainable news ecosystem.

2. Incorporated organizations must be incorporated in one of the eligible countries within (countries listed in Terms & Conditions) in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

3. Unincorporated organizations must be registered in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey or, if unregistered, have their principal place of business based in the region.

4. All ideas are welcome but we are requiring all projects to have clear indicators showing the impact of the project from a user perspective and/or from a business perspective (eg: audience indicators, business plan when relevant). Successful projects will also need to be delivered within one year.

5. They encourage innovative projects – focused on but not limited to- the areas below:

• Business Models
• Distribution
• Interface
• Social
• Workflow

Projects can be experimental but must be measurable with well-defined goals. We encourage you to clearly underline the opportunities of the project by providing clear key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs should have a significant digital component.

 

FUNDING

Google will fund up to $150k for selected projects.

 

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Projects will be evaluated against four main criteria:

1. Impact on the news ecosystem: Projects should demonstrate potential for significant positive impact on the creation of new revenue streams and/or change the way people consume digital news.
2. Innovation: Preferred projects will be innovative (use of technology, business model, new reader engagement approaches etc) and be transformative for the applicant and for users.
3. Feasibility: Projects should demonstrate clear indicators and metrics, or even a business plan when relevant, and set out key risks and mitigation steps.
4. Inspiration: How can the project help news organizations learn from each other? Willingness to share knowledge, open source code or/and to contribute to the improvement of the ecosystem overall.

 

OFFICIAL LINK

 

Click here to apply