'Next Challenge' Competition Seeks Startups Looking To 'Reinvent' Media

Competition

The GLEN NELSON CENTER at AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA GROUP (APMG), partnering with several other media companies, has launched the NEXT CHALLENGE FOR MEDIA AND JOURNALISM competition for startups and student-led projects aiming to "reinvent" media.

The 20-week competition will seek entrants in four divisions, News & Information, Civic Engagement, Distribution Channels, and Student Ventures, with up to 40 division finalists paired with mentors and over $100,000 in cash grants and other benefits to be awarded to winning companies in FEBRUARY. A goal of the competition is to have 51% or more of judges, mentors, and first-round applicants identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or female. Entries are open through NOVEMBER 7th at thenextchallenge.com.

“The NEXT CHALLENGE is our opportunity to see the future of media,” said GLEN NELSON CENTER Exec. Dir. JEFF FREELAND. “Our goal is to find the most promising media startups and support talented and diverse entrepreneurs anywhere in the country.”

“It's up to all of us to support media startups revolutionizing the way content is made and distributed,” said WARNERMEDIA VP/Artistic and Cultural Innovations AXEL CABALLERO. “We are excited to partner with AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA GROUP to discover what's next in media.”

“Civic engagement is vital for a vibrant democracy,” said KNIGHT FOUNDATION ST. PAUL Program Director JAI WINSTON. “We’re thrilled to partner with APMG to support talented entrepreneurs and students who have great ideas on how tech and innovation can help serve as tools to better connect people to their community and each other.”

Partners in the competition include WARNERMEDIA, GOOGLE NEWS INITIATIVE, the JOHN S. AND JAMES L. KNIGHT FOUNDATION, the LENFEST INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM, KLEIN COLLEGE OF MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION at TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, and the CARLSON FAMILY FOUNDATION, with APM's MARKETPLACE as national promotional partner and DAVIS WRIGHT TREMAINE LLP as legal services provider.

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