The African Story Challenge: $1 million Reporting Grants for Journalists (Cycle 2)

Deadline: October 13, 2013 (Cycle 2)

Entries are now invited from journalists across the continent for the African Story Challenge. The challenge is a new $1 million programme of reporting grants to encourage innovative, multi-media storytelling that aims to improve the health and prosperity of Africans.

The African Story Challenge is a two-year pan-African project that seeks to challenge the media to expand coverage of fundamental issues that matter to Africans. The aim is to inspire a bold form of journalism that seeks solutions and uses innovative, digital and data-driven storytelling tools and techniques.

The Competition Has Five Themes

1. Agriculture and Food security
2. Diseases: Prevention and Treatment
3. My Africa 2063
4. Maternal and Child Health
5. Business and Technology

More about the themes here.

Eligibility

• This competition is open to all African journalists from around the continent aged 18 and above.
• African journalists based outside the continent are welcome to apply as long as they have an outlet for their stories that is accessible to audiences in Africa.
• Media organizations, online contributors with a demonstrated following or affiliated freelance journalists may apply.
• Participants can apply as part of a team or partnership. If a team wins, the prize will be shared by the team members.
• Employees of AMI and ICFJ cannot enter the competition to avoid any conflict of interest.

Entry requirements

• Entries will be accepted in English, French, Portuguese and Arabic. Stories in other African languages are also welcome but the proposal itself needs to be in English and there must be a media outlet ready to publish or broadcast your story in the language you have chosen.
• Entries should use one or more of the following five platforms:
  • Print
  • Radio
  • TV
  • Photography/Video
  • Digital story telling/multimedia
• Preference will be given to stories that lend themselves to multi-platform treatment. Multimedia stories are strongly encouraged.
• All participants must address the prescribed development topics.
• All participants including freelance journalists must ensure they have at least one confirmed outlet (print, radio, TV or online) that will publish or broadcast their finished work in the selected language.

For more information, click here.