Open call for applications for the European media hackathon to boost innovative storytelling in media

The European media hackathon Media Blend is pleased to announce that applications are now open for its main event, which will take place in Bratislava, Slovakia from October 19–22, 2025. The four-day competition brings together media managers, journalists, technologists, and content creators from across Europe to enhance and reinvent journalistic storytelling.

Participants will have the opportunity to further develop their project ideas with the support of industry-leading mentors, and eventually pitch them to a jury of media investors, funders, and thought leaders for a chance to win kick-off grants of €5,000.

The deadline for applications is August 31, 2025.

Media Blend Hackathons are designed and implemented by The Fix Foundation. The program is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme and is part of the Media Innovation Europe (MIE) initiative coordinated by the International Press Institute (IPI) and implemented by a consortium of media organizations including BIRN, The Fix Foundation and the Thomson Foundation.

“At the Media Innovation Europe consortium, our goal is to unlock innovation to help newsrooms in Europe, both young and old, achieve sustainability. The Media Blend Hackathons are a critical step toward rethinking how media can become more resilient to the fast-changing realities around them, from building closer relationships with audiences to ensuring the financial viability of their news products,” said Ryan Powell, Product and Innovation Manager at the International Press Institute.

This Year’s Focus: StoryHack

The 2025 edition is titled Media Blend: StoryHack, reflecting its focus on innovative storytelling formats, cross-border collaboration, and audience-centered approaches. Participants are encouraged to apply with early-stage project ideas aimed at tackling the most pressing challenges in journalism today through the reinvention of storytelling logic: from news avoidance to declining platform trust, changing audience habits and needs etc. During the hackathon, teams will receive hands-on support from mentors and experts to enhance their projects and prepare for pitching. The hackathon will also serve as a major networking platform, connecting participants with some of Europe’s most forward-thinking media startups, editors, technologists, and funders.

Applicants must:

• Represent media-related organizations (journalists, editors, communications specialists, media innovators, designers, technologists, developers, and content makers)

• Be based in one of the following countries: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine

• Apply as a team of 2–4 people (or as individuals — Media Blend will help form teams)

• Include at least one decision-maker (e.g. editor-in-chief, product lead)

• Ideally, include members from at least two different countries and organizations

The final selection of participants for the hackathon will be made by the project team and led by an independent jury of leading European media professionals. 

Programme Timeline: