What is it all about?

Media Blend is a three-day offline event in Sarajevo, gathering media professionals and innovators from across Europe to delve into diverse business models in the industry. The chosen hackathon format guarantees 72 hours of creative problem-solving, allowing the participants to develop their project ideas through collaboration with experts and media professionals. This process leads up to the competition: a pitching session where ideas are presented and assessed.

As a part of the selection process before the event, we will hold 5 ideation sessions. Ideation is a 2-hour online meeting with potential participants and experienced industry professionals to help the teams shape their ideas and take them to the next level.

This event is perfect for anyone with a project idea to enhance the financial sustainability of media outlets in threatened democracies.

Whether candidates are applying as individuals with a vision or as part of a team, Media Blend offers the opportunity to network, learn, and collaborate while enhancing the business models of participants’ projects.

Here’s what we’ll provide:

• Comfortable setting in Sarajevo for collaboration with teammates, fostering the development of the team’s aspirational project.
• Mentorship and ideation support for product development; business, action, promo-plan creation; and presentation of the project;
• Kick-off grants of €5,000 to support sustainable media projects based on Hackathon competition results;
• Networking opportunity with the most innovative media start-ups from all over Europe;
• Access to the 2024 IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival, happening in Sarajevo from May 22 to 24, 2024.
• Deadline for applications: 10 March 2024

Who is it for? Am I eligible?

Media Blend Hackathon brings together media experts and managers, freelancers, and journalists from newsrooms and media startups around Europe to delve into different business models in the media industry. If fitting this description, candidates are welcome to apply, either individually or as part of a team!

Teams / individual participants are welcome to apply if they have:

• A vision for a project idea they wish to develop and pitch;
• A project idea related to freedom of expression; 
• Availability for a 3-hour online ideation session, a key part of our selection process;
• Ability to travel to Sarajevo for the 19-21st of May (travel costs will be covered ahead).

Geographical eligibility

Applicants and their organizations must be based in one of the following countries: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine.

Teams / individual participants are welcome to apply if they have:

• A vision of a challenge they want to approach/opportunities they want to create;
• A rough plan on how to develop a solution to the challenge/problem addressed;
• A project idea within the main categories:
  • Analytics and monetization;
  • Media research and data analytics;
  • Content production and distribution.
• An ability to travel to Vienna in May (travel costs will be covered once your participation is confirmed).

What should my team look like?

• The team consists of 2-4 people focused on the media sector;
• Your team has to include at least one company decision-maker; 
• Should include members representing two different organizations and countries. If this isn’t the case, we still encourage the teams to apply. However, this team will be considered partially complete and will need to find an additional team member.

Application process

1. Start by completing our online application;
2. If selected, join our ideation session between March 15th and March 30th. It is part of the selection process but also an opportunity for the applicants to get support refining their project ideas;
3. Following these sessions, our jury will choose 10 teams to join the Media Blend!

Apply by March 10th: https://forms.gle/Lcgd6wQAnHbhzNnJ8

Have you got any questions? Contact us here: [email protected]