The Next Journalism Prize
65% of today’s schoolchildren, will eventually be employed in jobs or careers that do not yet exist.
More than most sectors, the media industry has been caught at the center of the new economy’s upheavals. It will take some time for the large media companies to incorporate all the new possibilities, no matter how vital they may be — and these skills are mostly likely to emerge from the field of entrepreneurship.
Today’s journalists are frequently the first to identify the new demands or fresh approaches of the profession, new technics and tools that have the potential to transform the global media landscape. These new ideas may emerge form within a media organization, but innovators will also need to leave their employment in order to bring these projects to life, making the transition from journalists to entrepreneurs.
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The prize
The Next Journalism Award seeks to reward such long-term innovation and risk taking. In its content, form and development, this project - innovative, demanding, efficient and independent - must be in service of tomorrow’s quality journalism. The award is aimed at projects in their first stages, that have yet to be tested and prototyped. The winning project must be in the process of being created. A unique way of shedding light on the ongoing efforts and investments of pioneering media entrepreneurs as they reshape the future of journalism at the European level.
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An award for what ?
For both an innovation in the field of media and for the start-up that instigated it, the Next Journalism award will recognize a journalistic innovation that is not yet fully operational. The award is based in the belief that entrepreneurial talents deserve support in creating the media companies of the future.
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Remarkable ideas and companies are emerging far and wide across Europe
and we wish to showcase the projects that stand out for us. We will reward projects that are both cross-media as well as those that are purely digital. We are also interested in rewarding initiatives that further enable journalists across Europe to work together.
The award
Once committed to their venture, those working on innovative projects need a prize that also opens up real professional opportunities and hands-on expertise.
A 3-day visit to one of the meccas for innovative journalism
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism (Cambridge, USA)
The aim is to allow the winner to present their project to the Nieman fellows while also connecting with the best academic research at Harvard University.
A 3-day visit to Paris
to receive the award, test and pitch their ideas to a number of top level-journalists and media executives, including board members of the CFJ and Ecole W (the new French school of digital innovation launched by the CFJ) and members of their Paris-based incubator.
The Centre de Formation des Journalistes and Ecole W in Paris
In 1946, Philippe Viannay, a journalist and leading Resistance figure, known as Indomitus during the World War II, created a free, independent and durable journalism school. Since its foundation, more than 2,700 journalists have graduated from the Centre de Formation des Journalistes (CFJ).
Every single newsroom across France (and beyond) includes CFJ alumni : from France’s famous anchormen David Pujadas, Gilles Bouleau, Ruth Elkrief or Patrick Poivre d’Arvor to the talented investigative journalists Florence Aubenas (held hostage in Iraq in 2005), Natalie Nougayrède (The Guardian), Emmanuel Duparcq (AFP) and many others.
In October 2016, France’s leading J-school will celebrate its 70th anniversary in the Paris’ splendid City Hall in the company of over 800 students, alumni, heads of media companies, and the CFJ’s academic partners: France’s leading business schools, HEC and ESCP Europe, as well as the leading research institutes, ENS Ulm and La Sorbonne University, and tech schools such as Ecole 42, etc…). This unique night will be an opportunity to discuss with these partners the new trends in journalism and news making that currently inspire our students and alumni. This is the Next Journalism Award’s DNA.
Always in October 2016, the CFJ launches Ecole W, a new school for creative producers. The two schools (CFJ and W) are moving to a new building alongside incubated start-ups, focused on contents, diversity and innovation.
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism
at Harvard University (Cambridge, USA)
Founded at Harvard University since, the Nieman Foundation’s mission is to study, reflect upon, and reimagine the field of journalism – its professional standards, reporting craft, and it’s business models.
For the past 80 years, the Nieman Foundation has offered year-long fellowhips to 12 American and 12 international journalists – the “Nieman Fellows” – journalists, documentary filmmakers, photographers, media heads who have shown “exceptional professional standards” in the practice of their job and/or development of their profession in the transition to digital media.
The fellow spend a year on Harvard’s campus, taking classes and benefitting from the wealth of specialists and guests that the university has to offer, as well as exchanges with the John F. Kennedy School of Governmenty, Harvard Business School, the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard Law School, etc.
This global network of journalists (1,400 fellows in 100 countries), as well as the Nieman Lab, a world-recognized think tank on the future of journalism, the foundation is at the very heart of press revolution.
Mentors
Karen Bastien
Karen Bastien is a data journalist passionate about the intersection of data and narrative who co-founded Wedodata, a Paris-based data analysis and visualization company. Wedodata brings together data scientists, journalists, developers, and designers to create web applications.
Florence Martin-Kessler
Florence Martin-Kessler is a filmmaker and the founder of Live Magazine, a storytelling show in Paris, Brussels, Strasbourg and Marseille. She was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard in 2010-11, and sits on the boards of the CFJ (French Journalism School) and LA SCAM.
Ludovic Blecher
Since September 2015, Ludovic Blécher is the director of the Google Digital News Initiative (DNI). Before that, he directed the FINP, the Fund for the Press Digital Innovation in Paris. He was a Nieman fellow in 2012 and spent most of his career as a journalist for Liberation, where he became editor-in-chief.
Emmanuel Chain
Emmanuel Chain has worked for major media companies in France and abroad, and co-founded Elephant and cie in 1999. Elephant is known to be a big success in meeting the public expectations, employing 120 staff members. He graduated from HEC 1985 and later created the show Capital at M6.
Julie Joly
Julie is the director of CFJ in which she defends values such as precision of investigation, ethics, opening and independance. She has been a journalist for 24 years in newspaper such as La Tribune or L’Express, where she also became deputy editor-in-chief.
Pierre Haski
Pierre Haski has worked as a correspondent for Agence France-Presse and Libération abroad, after graduating from the CFJ. He has also held a positions at Libération as deputy editor-in-chief and managing editor before co-founding Rue89, the first French “Pure Player”.Project Team
Laurence Bagot
Laurence Bagot is President of Narrative, an award winning producing company of transmedia documentaries and innovating contents for museums and heritage sites. She was a Nieman fellow at Harvard University in 2005.
Anne-Lise Carlo
Anne-Lise Carlo is a journalist for 15 years. She works as a freelancer for Le Monde, Live Magazine and the Next Journalism Prize. She's media curator of the Prize and project leader.
Amel Aounallah
Amel is currently working at Ecole W in Paris, the new school for digital content, and is helping on the coordination of the Next Journalism Prize 2018.
Who can apply ?
- Individuals or yet to be structured groups of individuals in the field of journalism and media
- Organizations and companies for profit or not-for-profit that have existed for less than five years, having a nascent entrepreneurial project in the field of media
- Located in France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland.
- Whose project shall be a prototype, ranging from an idea to the most advanced stage
- Which can be defined as a news media start-up based or not on digital technology, with a goal of storytelling, investigations, interactions, platforms, tools, services, products, business models, etc
- And oriented towards the future of journalism by :
Aiming for a breakthrough innovation
Not being limited to producing editorial content
Having the potential for monetization and income growth
Evaluation criteria :
- Its impact on the creation and dissemination of journalism
- New approaches to storytelling, new ways of reporting
- New audiences, new players
- Innovation & technology
- The benefit provided to the reader/buyer/viewer
- Project’s feasibility
- Project’s potential for growth and evolution
- Potential for being applied across other European countries
FAQ and Rules of the Next Journalism Prize
Judging
The Next Journalism Award Jury will be comprised of 8 internationally renowned figures:
Jurors representing the CFJ’s board of directors
Jurors representing the Nieman Foundation
including its curator or a
representative and a former fellow in Europe
Media entrepreneur
either from the Ecole W/CFJ in 2017 and, starting in 2018, the prior Next Journalism laureate.
Jurors representing our sponsors
(Audiens, Varenne Foundation, Prisma Media)
The initial selection of projects will be made by a project team made up of experienced media figures who will consider all applicants according to the previously mentioned criteria.
APRIL 2018
Call for entries with application form available online
SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2018
Application deadline and jury deliberation
DECEMBER 2018
Award ceremony
BEGINNING OF 2019
3-day visit to the Nieman Foundation (Harvard)
and pitch in Paris (at the CFJ)
Applications are open now and here
Contact
For further information, you can reach us at:
Contact