NYC Media Lab Launches Media Mash 2012

NYC Media Lab today launched Media Mash, a competition for developers and students to mash up data from the city’s top media and tech companies to create new insights, experiences and business models.

Open to individuals and organizations with fewer than 50 employees in the United States, Media Mash promotes collaboration between the media industry and the developer community in order to drive innovation. Judges will award $10,000 in prizes in professional and student categories for apps that run on the web, desktop computers, tablets or mobile phones. 

The goals of the challenge are three-pronged, explained Roger Neal, Executive Director of NYC Media Lab, a public-private partnership conceived by New York City to advance new media technologies with academic institutions in order to drive collaborative innovation.

“First, we think Media Mash will spark innovation by engaging developers in media-related APIs,” he said, referring to Application Programming Interface standards, which allow communication among software. “Next, it will connect digital media organizations with the developer community; and finally, it will promote the media industry’s API offerings.  New York City’s digital media ecosystem can benefit from closer collaboration, and APIs are a great starting point for students and developers to work more closely with media and technology companies.”

Kristy Sundjaja, NYCEDC Senior Director, Center for Economic Transformation, said: "This is a great platform to drive collaboration across emerging and established media sectors, develop New York City talent and spur the type of innovation that has been a hallmark of the Bloomberg administration."

Resources available to developers include open APIs and feeds from bitly, CBS Sports Fantasy, Etsy, Facebook, foursquare, The New York Times, PBS, Rolling Stone, Tumblr, and many more. 

“Having recently transformed CBSSports.com’s award-winning fantasy sports service into the first open platform in the fantasy sports industry, we’re excited to engage with students and the developer community in New York through the Media Mash Challenge to see what type of apps they can create,” said Jason Kint, Senior Vice President and General Manager of CBSSports.com.

Entries will be judged on three criteria: the quality of the idea, implementation and potential media innovation. A panel of distinguished judges from the media and tech industries, venture capital, government and New York City-based universities will select winners. The general public will vote on http://MediaMash.ChallengePost.com to identify a Popular Choice winner.

The judging panel includes influential tech and media leaders: Dawn Barber, Co-founder, New York Tech Meetup; Ken Bronfin, President, Hearst Interactive Media; David Carroll, Director, MFA Design + Technology, Parsons The New School for Design; Chris Fralic, Partner, First Round Capital; Glenn Goldstein, Vice President, Video Technology Strategy, MTV Networks; Roger Neal, Executive Director, NYC Media Lab; Frank Rimalovski, Managing Director, NYU Innovation Venture Fund; Andy Weissman, Partner, Union Square Ventures.

The submission period lasts through May 29, 2012, followed by judging and public voting between June 12 and July 10. Winners will be announced on or around July 24. Winners will receive cash prizes totaling $10,000 across categories such as Best Overall Mashup – Grand Prize; Best Overall Mashup – Second Prize; Student Award; and Popular Choice Award. A Large Organization Recognition Award, which does not include a cash prize, will be given for the best application submitted by an organization with more than 50 employees. 

Media Mash is powered by ChallengePost, a New York City-based startup and global marketplace for challenges and community-driven innovation.

For more information on how to participate in the Media Mash Challenge, or for contest rules, visit http://mediamash.challengepost.com.