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The Media Challenge Initiative (MCI) has expanded its annual National Newsroom Contest into the Africa Newsroom Contest (ANC), opening selected individual categories to university students across Africa.
The National Newsroom Contest began in 2012 as an inter-university competition in Uganda and has since trained young journalists and connected participants with media professionals.
With this expansion, MCI will take the contest beyond Uganda and connect emerging journalists across the continent with practical reporting, mentorship and media professionals.
ROUNDCHECK is partnering with MCI on the initiative, with opportunities being explored for university students to participate in the continental contest. The partnership creates another avenue to connect university students with opportunities focused on journalism, Media and Information Literacy and emerging technologies.
The 2026 edition themed “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Reimagine Our Communities through Responsible Journalism,” reflects the growing influence of artificial intelligence on how news is produced, verified and consumed. It also draws attention to concerns around misinformation, disinformation, and manipulated content eroding public trust.
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MCI says the contest will help students develop critical thinking, verification, digital literacy, editorial judgement and multimedia storytelling skills as they navigate the changing information environment. The organisers also link the contest to its Fellowship Programme, where standout participants can continue into longer-term practical training and professional development.
For the continental individual categories, students can compete in Photography, One Minute of Fame, Best Cartoonist and Essay Writing.
The Photography category requires participants to produce a six- to ten-image photo essay telling a story about their community across three stages: Before, Now and After. While the first stage may use credited archival images and the second requires original, unmanipulated photographs, participants can use AI-generated images to present a vision of a better future.
The One Minute of Fame category challenges students to produce a one-minute television or radio presentation, with participants expected to demonstrate clarity, confidence and the ability to communicate effectively within a short period.
The Best Cartoonist category focuses on original visual storytelling around the 2026 theme, while the Essay Writing category requires an original 1,500- to 2,500-word essay examining how artificial intelligence is shaping journalism and its role in strengthening truth and reporting within communities.
As part of the 2026 programme, MCI is also hosting a series of virtual conversations for journalists and journalism students across Africa. The next session scheduled for September 25th will focus on “Journalism beyond Borders: How to go beyond local journalism.” Interested participants are encouraged to register through the registration form.
Entries for the individual categories are to be submitted in English before October 31, 2026, through challengemedlaug2014@gmail.com.
