The Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) and the Google News Initiative have launched a $40,000 pitching initiative designed to bring non-fiction storytellers and journalists together with technologists and data visualisation experts to create new work.
The initiative is platform agnostic, meaning the proposed project can take any creative form, and any journalist or non-fiction media practitioner (working in documentary, podcasting, photography, interactive media, etc) with a strong idea for a data-driven story is eligible.
AIDC is currently seeking expressions of interest. Together with the Google News Initiative it will will select four proposals, and provide $5,000 for the teams to work with a technology agency or in-house technology team to develop a proof of concept to be pitched at AIDC 2019. The winning team will receive $40,000 in project funds.
Google News Lab lead for Australia and New Zealand Nic Hopkins said: “Helping people to tell stories through data lies at the heart of Google’s mission to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Technology is transforming how we can create and consume information, and we’re thrilled to partner with AIDC to create an opportunity for innovation and experimentation in data journalism.”
Alice Burgin, AIDC CEO & Conference Director, said: “As we move ever further into the digital era, AIDC is excited to partner with the Google News Initiative to encourage the pursuit of co-creation and media innovation between journalists, documentarians and technologists. The Raw Data, Real Stories initiative is a unique opportunity for teams to get creative, get collaborative and begin exploring new interactive and immersive storytelling.”
Applications close January 14. Apply on the AIDC website. Selected participants will be notified in mid-January and be given six weeks to develop the idea with a
creative technology team.
AIDC will be held March 3-6 at ACMI, Melbourne.