Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Foundation seeks ideas for digital news

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a Miami-based organization that supports journalism, is launching The Knight News Challenge for the second year.

The contest is open to anyone, anywhere in the world, to come up with ideas how to use digital experiments to transform community news.

The contest is awarding as much as $5 million this year to fund the ideas, which can use digitally delivered news and information to enhance communities and improve the lives of people where they live and work.

In the contest's first year, the foundation made grants to 25 individuals and private and public entities, ranging from MIT to MTV.

Although the contest has a category for commercial applications, most entries must share the software and knowledge created.

This year, the contest's website will allow entrants to invite public comment to improve their entries.

Details are available at newschallenge.org. Applications will be accepted through Oct. 15. The foundation -- which was started by the Knights, who were early owners of this newspaper -- plans to announce the winners by the spring of 2008.

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