Codebridge has launched a storytelling challenge in which eight teams will use elements of activism, journalism, data and tech to “tell innovative stories and address issues of social change in South Africa”.
The Re-Imagine Storytelling challenge, the organisers say in their online explanation, “goes beyond just reporting issues of social justice to actively trying to solve them”.
“We have moved into the digital and information age. This means that the way we tell stories has evolved from simply spreading the news to getting the reader involved. This is what Re-imagine Storytelling is all about,” Codebridge says.
This evening, 6 September 2016, Codebridge is hosting an open pitch session to give potential contestants the chance to pin down their story ideas, or come up with an idea as well as find members to join a team. “You’ll also get to test out your pitch, see what others think and meet some of the people at Codebridge who will be helping out the eight competing teams throughout the challenge,” the civic tech incubator says.
“We will choose eight final teams to compete for a cash prize of R20,000. All projects are guaranteed a small budget to work with, Codebridge resources, a cool space where you can plot, plan and create, as well as media coverage.”
Each competing team will receive a small budget to help make their story and project innovation happen. “This will cover things like travel, equipment and material costs. Teams will be encouraged to crowdsource financial resources and skills that cannot be covered by your budget, or which team members are unable to fulfil,” says Codebridge.
How to get involved:
- Attend the competition launch inCape Town or Durban
- Get your team together (teams must consist of two or more people)
- Create a project on the Codebridge HackDash Board, using #CBStoryChallenge in the title
- Attend our open pitch sessions in Cape Town (Tuesday, September 6) or Durban (Tuesday, September 13)
- Submit your story-project idea here
Competing teams will have to attend workshops and training sessions in either Cape Town or Durban (depending on where you are based) in mid-September. These will cover things such as solutions-based and citizen journalism, information-gathering, and some helpful tools you can use to do this. Finalists will use these sessions to refine and strengthen their proposals, as well as develop implementation plans and budgets ahead of final judging.
These projects will go beyond just telling a story and will also be about sustainable implementation. Teams will be encouraged to use as many platforms and networking opportunities as they have access to, as well as those offered by Codebridge, to gain added support for their story-projects. Many of these stories will be published in national media, but will need to be promoted beyond this by participants.
Check out the Re-Imagine Storytelling webpage to see the kind of tools Codebridge has already created, and won journalism awards for, to get some inspiration.
