Among the Internet’s most astonishing achievements is the democratization of information sharing. Instead of a handful of news outlets, now millions of citizen journalists cover local and distant news topics using words and videos. Traditionalists worry that untrained reporters and commenters may lack the skills and fair-minded attitude needed to make grassroots journalism authentic.  And that’s one reason that the Mobile Journalism Competition 2017 is so imporant.

Competition Overview

This is the third time that Thomson Foundation has teamed up with RTÉ MojoCon Ireland to encourage innovative and quality mobile journalism. Works will be judged by an expert panel who will be looking for a feature story or news report shot and edited entirely on a mobile device, which excites, intrigues and surprises them and demonstrates impact and creativity. Deadline for submitting is March 17, 2017.

Thomson Foundation’s mission is to “promoting media excellence world wide. RTÉ Ireland’s National Television and Radio Broadcaster

This is an open competition to find the best journalistic example of the use of mobile content production for storytelling. The competition is open worldwide. It would be preferred if entries were in English, however, other languages with on screen subtitles are acceptable. Entrants must create a mobile journalism story, either a feature or TV-style news report with a run time of 2-5 minutes. The most important thing is that the story is shot and edited entirely on a mobile device (iOS, Android, Windows Phone or RIM Blackberry) and that the video content is delivered in high definition. The story must be produced by ONE individual and entries will be marked on the following:

• Journalism: Originality and credibility of the story, demonstrating original research, effort and use of interviews.
• Impact: Importance of the subject matter and the impact the story has achieved.
• Uniqueness to medium: Innovative and appropriate use of mobile recording techniques.
• Storytelling: Clarity of the storytelling.
• Technical quality: Technical quality of the production.

Click here to see full competition rules for the Thomson Foundation/RTÉ MojoCon Ireland mobile journalism competition 2017.