Cross-posted from NewsChallenge.org When the Knight Foundation ‘asked if I would help judge this year’s Knight News Challenge, I jumped at the opportunity.’ In only its fifth year, the Knight News Challenge has a strong track record of attracting highly innovative proposals capable of shaping the methods, matrix, and message of our civil discourse. By providing capital in support of early-stage ideas that stretch the boundaries of traditional journalism, the Knight News Challenge has itself become an innovator helping to fulfill journalism’s promise in this new era.

I am eager to discover what’s inside the minds of today’s innovators and creative thinkers around the world.’ My role is to sieve through the proposals trying to identify the most innovation and sustainable ideas across all four themes: mobile, authenticity, sustainability, and community.

I will be reading the applications through the lens of my personal journey through the digital world over the last twelve years.’ It has included some stops most impacted by the digital revolution: a large consumer-facing web portal, a major news and information outlet, and an online start-up.’ Back in 1999 at Amzon.com, what seems now like digital’s pre-school days, I learned the importance of long term thinking from Jeff Bezos who is still one of the great innovators of this generation.’ From 2001-2008 I led NPR Digital, during one of the most disruptive and simultaneously innovative periods in the journalism and media worlds.’ The monoliths of the old news empires, TV network news and daily newspapers, were beginning to see irreversible audience declines while new media, cable, and the internet gained share.’ Most recently, I led Etsy, an online marketplace for handmade goods, where I experienced first-hand the powerful force that enabling technology can be in the hands of a creative community.

Through these experiences I’ve learned first-hand that it takes time and capital’ ‘ though increasingly less of both — for the power and utility of new ideas to take hold.’ The Knight News Challenge awards provide a bit of both to entrepreneurs and industry leaders alike.’ In doing so, the Knight Foundation is spurring innovation and spawning ideas.’ As the Knight organization itself says, ‘…the more experiments we seed, the more approaches we explore, the more likely we are to find innovations that will serve communities and strengthen journalism in the digital’age.’

It is with great anticipation that I wait for my opportunity to see the next wave of applications and to find out which innovative ideas will eventually win the 2011 competition and go on to help shape our shared future.

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You can follow Maria on Twitter @pesmou or find her online at at mariathomas.org.