IT’S TIME TO
DISCOVER
WHAT’S NEXT
The Next Challenge annual competition awards grants to innovative startups reinventing media & journalism.
Latest News >> The 2025 Next Challenge will kick off in January. Sign up to get information and updates about the upcoming competition.
Watch the 2024 Next Challenge National Awards Celebration
Broadcast live from the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center Wednesday, May 22nd, 2024
The 2024 awards ceremony was part of the Media Impact Forum, a national gathering of funders with a shared vision of a world in which compelling media serves the public interest.
The Next Challenge for Media & Journalism is the largest startup competition open to nonprofit and for-profit media companies in the United States.
The annual 12-week challenge promotes groundbreaking ideas and trailblazing startups that will reinvent journalism and media over the coming decade.
In 2024, seven prizes totaling $150,000 were awarded to six early-stage media startups.
2024 Winner
Grand Prize & NewsTech
Nota
Awarded to a startup supporting the productivity and sustainability of newsrooms by providing an essential service using artificial intelligence (AI) and/or other technology.
2024 Winner
Borderless Magazine
Awarded to a local or regional news startup that excels at meeting the information needs of the community it serves or is pioneering a sustainable new business model for local journalism.
2024 Winner
Recordical
Awarded to a technology startup developing powerful ways to share media content across the country and around the globe.
2024 Winner
LOOKOUT Publications
Awarded to the most compelling finalist as voted on by the public.
2024 Winner
Hark Audio
Awarded to an innovative finalist with a bold vision to reinvent media and journalism.
2024 Winner
Mapping Black California
Awarded to a finalist building trust in the media by exposing disinformation and deep fakes.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is creating new opportunities for media and journalism, promising to revolutionize how content is gathered, produced, and disseminated. AI also threatens the media business model and erodes trust by making it difficult for audiences to know what is real and what is not.
Now is a time to invest in innovation, identify new revenue sources, and recognize companies that are succeeding amid change. The 2024 Next Challenge aimed to elevate the work of hundreds of media startups across the United States and grant $150,000 to new companies and organizations representing a thriving future for media and journalism in the U.S.
Together, we can discover what’s next.
“Having Recordical's vision for empowering creators validated by such a prestigious panel of judges – the very minds shaping the future of American media – is motivating beyond words. The value of the Next Challenge goes beyond grant money by amplifying our mission to some of the nation's leading news and media organizations and investors. It fuels our commitment to building a platform that equips creators to not only tell their stories, but also to thrive in an ever-changing landscape.”
- Michelle Kouri, CEO & Founder, Recordical
2024 Next Challenge Power Platform winner
2024 Next Challenge Partners
Promotional Partners
2022 & 2023
Next Challenge Competitions
The Next Challenge is a program of Glen Nelson Center at American Public Media Group, which identifies, elevates and invests in emerging media & journalism ventures led by diverse and visionary founders.
To date, Glen Nelson Center has supported the work of 600+ startups and hundreds of entrepreneurs through investments, competitions, and incubator/accelerator programs.
