Google News Initiative JournalismAI Innovation Challenge 2025 (up to $50,000) – YOA

Deadline: December 3, 2025

Applications are open for the Google News Initiative JournalismAI Innovation Challenge 2025. The JournalismAI Innovation Challenge, supported by the Google News Initiative, is a programme to fund tasks from a variety of stories publishers to foster AI literacy and implementation by focused innovation and experimentation. This 9-month lengthy programme is designed by the JournalismAI crew, an initiative of Polis, the journalism assume-tank on the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and supported by the Google News Initiative.

Following the success of the primary cohort of the Innovation Challenge, and as part of their continued efforts to foster AI literacy, implementation and experimentation, they’re excited to launch the second version of this programme. The programme is focused at small and medium-sized information publishers who’re already exploring the chances of AI applied sciences. This yr, they’ll help up to 12 information organisations who will use AI applied sciences to improve and enhance viewers intelligence and income development.

grant

Grants shall be awarded as follows:

• 8 concepts will obtain US $50,000 every
• 4 concepts will obtain US $100,000 every

Eligibility

• Government-owned entities or entities affiliated/owned by a political social gathering are usually not eligible to apply.
• Eligible candidates will need to have a verifiable digital presence (corresponding to an internet site primarily offering journalistic content material) and have been in full operation – and energetic with latest content material – for a minimum of 12 months previous the decision for purposes.
• Eligible candidates have to be small and medium-sized information publishers (10-200 personnel) which can be already exploring the chances of AI applied sciences.
• Eligible candidates have to be in a position to launch, implement, and measure the influence of the grant on their organisation inside a most 9 (9) month interval.
• This is just not a reporting or storytelling grant and funding should not be used to report and produce tales primarily. Eligible grants mustn’t deal with the creation of instruments for newsgathering, verifying data, reality-checking, detecting misinformation or unique journalism. Eligible concepts will utilise AI for viewers intelligence and income development.
• You are prepared to share enterprise insights and overtly collaborate with different grantees, in addition to observe outcomes all through and submit a report of your efficiency on the finish of the programme.
• Note that solely publishers whose main focus is information publication shall be thought of.
• Publishers who had been awarded grants as part of the primary JournalismAI Innovation Challenge are usually not eligible to apply to this problem.

Eligible Geographies

Geographically, information organisations have to be owned and working within the following international locations, the place they primarily serve the residents of the nation the place they’re primarily based:

• Asia Pacific: Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia,  New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
• Europe: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
• Middle East and Africa: Kenya, Nigeria, Turkey, UAE.
• United States
• Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay.

Application

Click here to apply

For extra data, go to JournalismAI Innovation Challenge.