The Next Challenge for Media & Journalism is the largest startup competition open to nonprofit and for-profit media companies in the United States.
Donor Name: American Public Media Group
State: All States
County: All Counties
Territory: American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands
Type of Grant: Awards and Prizes
Deadline: 03/18/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The Next Challenge for Media & Journalism (“Next Challenge” or “Competition”) is a competition managed by American Public Media Group (“APMG”) that is intended to incentivize media innovation, increase media startup activity, and invest in a diverse group of visionary media founders.
Funding Information
In 2025, six prizes totaling $200,000 will be awarded to five early-stage media startups. Each division winner will receive a grant of up to $50,000 and will be eligible for an additional $25,000 Grand Prize.
Eligible Industry Focus/Divisions
Entrants must be focused in one of the following Divisions, defined below:
- Future of Local Journalism Division: This award will be presented to an innovative startup serving a specific local or regional geography, filling a gap in existing local news services.
- NewsTech Division: This award will be presented to a startup building digital tools to address the critical tech needs of journalists and local news organizations.
- Open-Source Intelligence Division: This award will be presented to a startup leveraging publicly available data to strengthen the fact-finding, verification, and accountability capabilities of local journalists.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Next Challenge Competition is open to Ventures that are legally incorporated for-profit and nonprofit media-focused entities based in the United States of America and U.S. Territories. An entity is considered U.S.-based if it is incorporated in the U.S. and if the majority of employees and/or contractors live in the United States.
- To be eligible, all applicants must be above the legal age of majority in their jurisdiction of legal residence as of the date of entry. Employees, officers, and directors of APMG or APMG’s agents and members of their immediate families (spouses, parents, siblings, and children, regardless of where they live) and those living in the same household as any of the foregoing are not eligible to enter or win. Employees, students, officers, and directors at partner organizations (non-APMG companies that provided financial support to the Next Challenge), and members of their immediate families are eligible to apply.
For more information, visit APMG.
