Call for submissions to the 2020 Journalism 360 Challenge for experiments in immersive journalism. The Journalism 360 Challenge is an open call for ideas using immersive storytelling to discover new ways to engage audiences and advance the field of journalism.

The 2020 Journalism 360 Challenge focuses on early-stage ideas, recognizing that experiments will help advance the use of new technology in newsrooms. We’re hoping to help demystify the techniques and technology used for immersive storytelling to democratize the platform for news organizations, journalists, nonprofits and individuals alike.

Details

Winners will receive a share of $100,000 for early-stage projects that help expand best practices for technologies including, but not limited to: 360 videos, spatial audio, augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality. Projects might develop workflows for newsrooms, help journalists adopt immersive storytelling methods, build low-barrier tools for independent immersive projects, experiment with new ways to engage audiences navigating physical distancing, and more.

Grants

Winners will receive a share of $100,000 for early-stage projects. The funding will go towards testing, refining, and building out a project. This scheme will award grants up to $10,000. In your application, you’ll express how much funding you are requesting for your project, up to $10,000.

Ineligibility

As required by IRS rules, the Challenge funds can’t be used to:

• Engage in direct lobbying activities (i.e., contacting legislators regarding specific legislation).
• Engage in grassroots lobbying activities (i.e., encouraging the public to contact legislators regarding specific legislation).
• Participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for elective public office.
• Support a voter registration drive (unless the grantee is a Section 4945(f) organization).
• Benefit a private party (other than through providing grant funds to conduct activities in furtherance of charitable and educational purposes).

Application

The Journalism 360 Challenge is open from July 29, 2020, until August 20, 20208 at 11:59 p.m. ET. You may submit your application here. The organizer asks a few questions to get a sense of your project, how you’re approaching it, and who you are. While the submission phase is open, you can save your application as a draft and revisit any time.

More information, see FAQs