Browse Innovation Challenges
Welcome to the Scripps Innovation Challenge! The challenges listed here are related to the media industry, but studies show that the most innovative solutions often come from people outside a given industry, or from a hybrid team of industry and non-industry people. Even (actually especially!) if you are not a communications student, we encourage you to browse the challenges and register.
When you register, you can find other people to team up with, and you’ll hear about development workshops where a mentor will work with you and other students to help you sharpen your idea and help you understand what you will need for a competitive solution. Registration does not commit you to anything. It just helps us contact you directly about challenge news and events.
Below you will find links for 20 challenges; each link leads to a description of the challenge. We have posted the requirements for the final deliverables in the PDF below the challenge itself.
By the submission deadline of March 13, you will need to prepare the set of materials that the judges can use to evaluate your idea. For this initial review, you will not have the opportunity to present to the judges, so your materials must give the judges all the information you want them to have. If you are selected as a finalist, you will have the opportunity to develop your submission further, and to present your final pitch live to a panel of judges.
Make sure your submission addresses any specific white paper sections mentioned in the challenge requirements list. For all challenges, the following items are required:
- A white-paper that fully describes your idea. Make sure to point out what sets your idea apart from other approaches (what is your innovation?).
- A one-page executive summary that concisely describes your idea.
- A presentation that walks the judges through your idea.
- An intellectual property statement. In this statement you will certify that you own the rights to all materials you have submitted, and you give Ohio University the right to post your submission on a publicly accessible web site. A template will be available on the web site once it has passed OU legal review.
- 1. Find a Way to Entice Young People to a Career in Broadcast Sales (JAWCO Inc.)
- 2. Design a Multi-media Plan to Attract Applicants for Radio Jobs (V-Treck Communications, Inc.)
- 3. Create an App to Engage Millenials in Local TV News Broadcasts (KDVR-TV Fox 31 / KWGN Channel 2)
- 4. Make Local News Relevant for Young TV Viewers (WJW Fox8)
- 5. Find New and Profitable Uses for AM Radio Signals (Radio One Inc., Cleveland)
- 6. Help a Radio Station Promote a Community Improvement Plan (WCBO-AM / WQEL-FM / CrawfordCountyNow.com)
- 7. A Newspaper Needs a Way to Monetize 60,000 Twitter Followers (The Columbus Dispatch)
- 8. Convince Older Newspaper Readers to Embrace Digital Products (The Plain Dealer)
- 9. Newspaper Needs Social Media Campaign to Engage Non-subscribers (The Plain Dealer)
- 10. Craft a Strategy to Get More Young People to Consume News (Ogden Newspapers)
- 11. Design a Multi-platform Plan to Engage Young Readers (Ogden Newspapers)
- 12. How Can Newspapers Make Money from Their Archives (Ogden Newspapers)
- 13. Invent Ways to Get People to Submit Reader-generated Content (Ogden Newspapers)
- 14. Help Radio Stations Retain their Over-the-air Listeners (North American Broadcasting Company)
- 15. Create Ways for Readers to Tailor Information to their Needs (Akron Beacon Journal)
- 16. Use "Augmented Reality" to Engage Media Consumers (Anonymous)
- 17. Create a Mobile App for Local Events, Eateries, and Attractions (Anonymous)
- 18. How to Teach New Media Skills to Veteran Journalists (Anonymous)
- 19. Create a Downloadable Daily Podcast of Top Stories (Knoxville News Sentinel)
- 20. Invent a Way to Instantly Share Public Safety News with the Public (WELW Radio)




