The Keystone News Summit and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism invite news organizations, journalists, entrepreneurs, researchers, and community leaders to submit proposals for the Keystone News Summit Big Idea Competition—a Shark-Tank–style pitch competition designed to surface bold, practical experiments that strengthen Pennsylvania’s local news ecosystem.

The Big Idea Competition is part of the 2026 Keystone News Summit, whose overarching goal is to strengthen, connect, and future-proof local journalism across Pennsylvania. The competition is designed to spotlight ideas that can move quickly from concept to action and generate learning that can inform others working in the state’s news ecosystem.

They are seeking big, testable ideas that address one or more of the following focus areas:

• Revenue generation and financial sustainability for local news
• Policy and systems change that support journalism at the local or state level
• Mapping and understanding Pennsylvania’s local news ecosystem, including gaps, assets, and opportunities
• Community engagement and trust-building that strengthens the relationship between news organizations and the communities they serve

Proposals should be framed as experiments—projects that test a clear idea, try something new, and generate practical learning.