We're contacting the winners of the Knight News Challenge
It's always difficult to run a contest where only 0.0047% of the applicants are singled out for a possible grant. That's the situation Knight Foundation is in, with the conclusion of the 2008-2009 Knight News Challenge.
We had 2,323 applications for this year's installation of our $25 million community news and innovation contest. Of the 2,323 applications, 260 (11.2%) were invited to submit a full proposal. The final panel of reviewers was given what the first panel thought was the best of the 260 proposals. That turned out to be 69 great ideas. The second panel selected what they thought were the best proposals that met the goals of expanding news for geographic communities in innovative ways. That turned out to be 11 projects. Nothing magical about any of these numbers. The reviewers always were asked to pick the best ideas at whatever stage they were working.
Now we start the negotiations with each of the 11 prospects, with a goal of announcing the winners in June. Year 4 of the Knight News Challenge opens the first week of September.
We know how difficult it is to receive a rejection letter after you have worked so hard on shaping an idea into what you are proud of. For that reason we always are looking for better ways to run this contest.
Please comment here or send me your thoughts at kebbel@knightfoundation.org.
-- Gary Kebbel, Knight Foundation Journalism Program Director
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October 22nd, 2009 at 12:09 am
I teach business at a local community college and often times running such a contest to determine who receives such a large sum of money is *very* difficult and it's heartbreaking to tell people who put their hopes and dreams for their vision of the world into one specific idea or craft.
I tell my students that if they were to apply and compete for grants to go on to graduate school or to start up a new business venture, they would have to go through hurdles and heartache. I always tell them to try their best and not to expect anything to soften the blow when they receive the rejection notice. Statistically, the odds are against everyone since only a handful of people will receive the prize of gold (first place, second place, and usually , a lesser third place). A grant is just that, a gift, so it's something one really can't expect.
As for your contest I'm not sure if having a second or third place is appropriate (since I'm not familiar at all with Journalism per say) but perhaps you can have "lesser" prizes of some sort so you can fund the not-first place great ideas. After all, just because you're not first doesn't mean you're all that bad, but again it is your contest so of course please do as you see fit.