We’re giving away around $5 million in 2009 for the development and distribution of neighborhood and community-focused projects, services, and programs.

If you have a great idea that will improve local online news, deepen community engagement, bring Web 2.0 tools to local neighborhoods, develop publishing platforms and standards to support local conversations or innovate how we visualize, experience or interact with information, we’d like to see it! You have the opportunity to win funding for your project and support within a vibrant community of media, tech, and community-oriented people who want to improve the world.

There are three rules to follow to apply to the 2009 Knight News Challenge:

1. Use or create digital, open-source technology as the code base.
2. Serve the public interest.
3. Benefit one or more specific geographic communities.

Get support for your application before you submit: The News Challenge Garage is a coaching and mentoring site for prospective applicants to talk with mentors and peers, check out previous winners’ applications and improve application prior to submission.

Applications for the 2009 Knight News Challenge are now closed. If you receive an invitation to submit a full proposal, it will include a link and instructions for you to follow. More information is here.