You invent it, they fund it

Previous Knight News Challenge winners doled out advice to entrepreneurial journalists vying for a chunk of the organization’s award money at a Saturday afternoon panel called, “You Invent It, They Fund It.” Now in its fifth year, Knight News Challenge — which is part of the Knight Foundation — awards up to $5 million a year for innovative ideas that help make technology useful to news outlets around the globe. The foundation receives more than 2,300 submissions each year. Last year the organization chose 12 winners. Given the stiff competition, how can you make your application stand out? Knight Foundation staffers and past award recipients offer their tips: