Start-up contest @GMF: Where entrepreneurial minds meet and compete

The start-up contest @GMF 2022 will take place on June 20 and 21, focusing on new tech designed to foster resilient journalism and civil societies in times of rapid change.

Start-ups, entrepreneurs and talent in media technology and innovation will showcase their work during this event as a central feature of the DW Global Media Forum. 

The Global Media Forum is hosted by DW and its partners. This annual media conference offers a unique opportunity to its participants to network and strengthen relationships with inspiring representatives from a variety of interdisciplinary fields such as digital media, politics, culture, business, development and society.

Following the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event is scheduled to take place for the 15th time both in person at the World Conference Center in Bonn, Germany and online. Get your ticket for the conference here.

Resilient ideas for challenging times

DW welcomes start-ups from around the world to participate in the start-up contest @GMF 2022. We are looking for visionaries who can relate to our 2022 theme, Shaping tomorrow, now.

The 15th DW Global Media Forum is held as an interactive, interdisciplinary conference designed to explore innovative solutions for media professionals around the world. It aims to foster resilient journalism and civil societies for the future – and thus to support universal democratic values.

In order to partake in the contest, you should be interested in or preferably already be working on innovations and trends concerning the following fields:

• News intelligence - how can smart tools support work in the newsroom?

• Science journalism - how to find new ways to connect science and news

• Diversity - how can AI and new tools help to increase awareness on unconscious bias and help foster diversity? 

• Internet censorship - how can we detect censorship and online shutdown while creating better mechanisms and safeguards to ensure freedom of speech?

• Media production - how can new production tools ensure the resilience of free media in times of crisis and disaster? 

• Local means relevant - how can we support and empower local independent media

• Propaganda and the "infodemic" - how can media companies fight misinformation and disinformation in order to retain trust_

Read more: Leading the way: Tunisian and Danish start-ups win GMF contest 2021

What to expect

This year, the start-up contest @GMF will take place in hybrid form. The majority of the event will be conducted on digital platforms, while certain parts will be produced from the DW broadcasting center in Bonn, Germany. Parts of the event will be broadcast live on Deutsche Welle on two days: June 20 and 21, 2022.

After the initial application phase, selected start-ups will be invited to participate in our incubation program. This includes three days of professional training and preparation for the final pitch session in the run-up to the DW Global Media Forum. The incubation days will take place on June 08 to 10.

The start-ups will pitch their projects to our international jury, which will select three finalists. The pitch final will be presented as part of the official GMF conference programme, and will be broadcast in the event stream during the conference. 

The winner will enjoy global media coverage by DW media as part of their prize. In addition, the winners will also receive professional media training by DW Akademie. 

A joint development process with DW after the pitch may be also possible further down the road; however, this is not guaranteed. DW is actively looking for innovative approaches that help support the work of the journalists in the newsroom, and also for technologies that help to ensure freedom of speech and security on the internet.

Meanwhile, all the selected start-ups will be welcome to participate digitally as delegates at the DW Global Media Forum itself, where some of the most important issues in news and media today are being discussed in an interdisciplinary manner.

Read more: The power of local start-up ecosystems