ITEA is the Eureka Cluster on software innovation
ITEA is the Eureka Cluster on software innovation
12 September 2019 · Source: mediamatters.vc · Download PDF

Innovation Challenge around Eurovision Song Contest is great success

The innovation challenge around the Eurovision Song Contest has led to an overwhelming response from the international tech world. A total of 209 solutions from 39 countries have been submitted for the '2020 Dutch Eurovision Song Contest Innovation Challenge'. The solutions of 10 of these companies have now been selected for the final on September 30.

The entries vary enormously in terms of services and technology: from URL-shorteners and hashtag generators to 8K virtual reality and AI. There are also a number of event and location based solutions.

On Monday 30 September, the 10 finalists will have the opportunity to present their solution to a team of experts. This will take place in VondelCS in Amsterdam. During the event a maximum of 3 winners will be chosen. They may actually build their solution for the Eurovision Song Contest. The companies will receive € 35,000 as a contribution to the development costs.

Calling card

Martijn van Dam, member of the board of the NPO and responsible for innovation, is very pleased with the large number of entries. "The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 is intended to be a calling card for Dutch creativity and media innovation. The Challenge fits in perfectly with our aim to connect with innovative technology companies and smart startups. The large number of entries from all over the world already make this a success. There are innovative solutions among them, so the preliminary result is promising."

Bert Kok and Rick van Dijk of MediaMatters, responsible for the scouting and organization of the Challenge, are also very satisfied with the result so far. "We had expected a lot of entries because of the theme, but more than 200 was a surprise. The quality of the solutions is also quite high", says Bert Kok. Rick van Dijk adds to that: "Most of the entries also came from companies that have long since passed the startup stage. This is the category that can quickly deliver a lot of added value. MediaMatters focuses on this group in particular."

Finalists

These are the 10 finalists:

The Challenge is an initiative of the NPO together with AVROTROS, NOS and the European broadcaster EBU. The organization is in the hands of MediaMatters, a project of Media Perspectives. For years, MediaMatters has been committed to more cooperation between innovative tech companies and media companies.