Got a great idea for transforming the future of news? The 2010 Knight News Challenge is now accepting applications, through October 15th!

If you read this blog regularly, you probably know about the many stellar projects Knight has funded in the past through the News Challenge. This year, the contest is back with a few excellent twists:

• In the past, all applications were submitted through an open process, where applicants could allow others to discuss their ideas. This year, to accommodate innovators who don’t want to go public with their idea immediately, we’ve added a closed category, in which your pitch will only be reviewed by Knight staff and our panel of reviewers. (Of course, if your idea gets funded, it will be revealed publicly.)
• Another new addition to the News Challenge is the blog, where we’ll be sharing tips on applying, lessons from past winners, peeks into the selection process and much more. The blog will run during the entire application period. Knight staff will take to the blog for a couple of live chats at 2 p.m. Sept. 9 and Oct. 8 to answer questions from prospective entrants.

Check out the News Challenge site, track the challenge on Twitter with the hashtag #knc10, and submit your idea early to get feedback!