The International Press Institute (IPI) has initiated the second phase of the IPI News Innovation Contest, and is reviewing 309 applications from the 23 February – 1 June submission period. The entries came in from all over the world; most, however, were from the contest’s focal regions: Europe, the Middle East and Africa. IPI also received applications from Mexico, the United States, New Zealand and India, among others.

The submissions are being evaluated in relation to criteria such as the innovation level of the project, the proposed budget, sustainability, and the project’s contribution to press freedom online. Contestants were offered the opportunity to propose projects that fit into three categories: News Platform, Sustainability, and Training. IPI’s results show that most applications fell under the first of the above categories.

The applicants who have moved on to the next round of evaluation will be informed no later than the first half of August. Depending on the information at IPI’s current disposal, they may be asked to submit additional documents or answer further questions.

“We are very pleased to have received so many applications for the first innovation contest in Europe, Africa and the Middle East,” said José Otárola-Silesky, IPI’s Grants Officer. “This contest aims to bring Internet freedom and online media freedom to Africa and the Middle East, where Internet access is limited, and to improve the current, more-developed situation in Europe.”

The winners of the IPI News Innovation Contest will be announced by the end of October after careful consideration by both IPI staff and the organisation’s Advisory Board. The contest was founded by Google Inc with 2.7 million US dollars.

IPI is a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists dedicated to the furtherance and safeguarding of press freedom, the protection of freedom of opinion and expression, the promotion of the free flow of news and information and the improvement of the practices of journalism. Founded in 1950, at Columbia University in New York, IPI is one of the oldest global human rights organizations in the world.

The role of digital innovation in news has been amply demonstrated in the ‘Arab Spring’ uprisings. By forging continued cooperation with industry leaders like Google Inc., IPI is working to ensure that people can have access to information they can trust.