Why did we extend the Challenge?

We know our announcement to extend the Knight News Challenge deadline this week was something of a surprise.

A lot of folks are asking questions about the hidden motivations that might underpin such a move. Did we not like the quality of the applications? Did we not receive enough of them?

Happily, the answer to both questions is no. In fact, applications this year are on track to reach record levels. We extended our Challenge because we think the contest will benefit from additional outreach to communities of entrepreneurs and software developers.

Behind the scenes, we make a ton of efforts to promote the Challenge to a wide variety of audiences. It's vital to us that the applicant pool reflect a diverse range of participants. That's why you'll find us talking not just to the Online News Association conference, but to college students in communities around the country (including HBCUs), to international and ethnic media organizations, to the technophiles who read Lifehacker and to folks who've never heard of Lifehacker.

As always, thanks for your interest in the Knight News Challenge. And please spread the word about the extension and get your ideas in by December 15!