Google News has launched a new innovation challenge to help scribes and publishers in the Asia-Pacific region produce quality journalism in the digital age. The Asia-Pacific Google News Initiative (GNI) Innovation Challenge will fund selected projects up to $300,000 and finance up to 70 per cent of the total project cost, that inject new ideas into the news industry. "We are inviting proposals for projects aimed at increasing revenue from readers, including subscriptions, membership programmes, contributions and/or new digital products and services," Google News said in a statement late Tuesday.

"A panel of Googlers and other tech industry executives will review the submissions and fund selected projects up to $300,000 and finance up to 70 per cent of the total project cost," said Kate Beddoe, Head of News and Publishing Partnerships. Applications for the innovation challenge will open on November 28 and the deadline to submit is January 9.