FAQ – SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR

FAQ & GENERAL TERMS

When does SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR take place this year?

SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR is an initiative of DW Akademie dedicated to strengthening quality journalism in North Africa through two complementary programs: MEDIA LOVES TECH (incubation) and MEDIA PARCOURS (acceleration).

MEDIA LOVES TECH takes the form of a competition and takes place from June to November  2026. 

MEDIA PARCOURS consists of a 9-month program that takes place from May 2026 to January 2027.

What do the programs look like?

MEDIA LOVES TECH (North Africa)

The registration for MEDIA LOVES TECH is open from 24 March to 15 April 2026 on medialovestech.com.

You can follow us on our Facebook page “SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR” to get informed about the latest news of the program and potential info sessions.At the date of submission, the projects that are submitted must be at least in the design phase and, or at most, in the pre-marketing phase.

The 3 stages of the competition:

Stage 1: Application and qualification phase
In 2026, MEDIA LOVES TECH will train a ‘North Africa’ cohort, which will bring together teams from Morocco and Tunisia, .

Apply by 15 April 2026 using the SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR 2026 application form. The best teams will receive notification that they have access to the SMAx e-learning platform.

Stage 2: Pre-incubation journey
From May to July 2026, teams have the opportunity to take online courses and sessions on the platform and provide the necessary deliverables. The three-months pre-incubation journey is divided into three phases: “user desirability”, “technical feasibility” and “business viability”. At the end of this first journey, the deliverables are evaluated and the best projects are continuing the competition.

Stage 3: Incubation journey
Before starting the incubation stage, the cohorts will attend an online bootcamp moment.

Then, from September to November 2026, teams have the opportunity to have tailored and personalised coaching and mentoring via the “Experts on-demand” sessions and the available online courses and sessions. The three-months incubation journey is divided into the three same gates as for the pre-incubation stage: “user desirability”, “technical feasibility” and “business viability”. At the end of every gate, a strict assessment of the deliverables and the team progress is conducted ahead of continuing the incubation journey. 

During the incubation stage, each team achieving a gate will receive EUR 500. The best project will receive EUR 10,000 in funding, which will be awarded to the winning team at the closing ceremony on 27 November 2026.		MEDIA PARCOURS (Morocco & Tunisia)

MEDIA PARCOURS consists of a call for entries and an acceleration programme lasting 9 months.

The call runs from 24 March to 15 April 2026. 

You can follow us on our Facebook page “SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR” to get informed about the latest news of the program and potential info sessions.

At the date of submission, the media organisation must have been in operation for at least one year and be able to demonstrate that it is engaged in economic activity. 

MEDIA PARCOURS runs from 1 May 2026 to 31 January 2027 (at the earliest) and consists of 3 main stages:

Stage 1 – Application and qualification phase
From 24 March to early May 2026.
Submission of the application by 15 April 2026 at the latest. The steps for applying are as follows:
– Go to Mediaparcours.com
– Fill in the SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR 2026 application form (deadline: 15 2026!)
– Book an interview
– Fill in a second form if your application is successful after the interview

The selected organisations will be announced by e-mail by late April 2026.

Stage 2 – Phase 1: “The Gate”.
Needs assessment and roadmap development
May-July 2026.
Once officially selected, each  organization undergoes a “needs assessment”-phase. This crucial step enables us to prioritize the objectives to be achieved and the actions to be implemented during the program.

“The Gate” is a selection phase. At the end of this phase, two teams per country (Morocco & Tunisia) will be selected based on the following criteria: the quality of the deliverables, the team’s availability and motivation, the suitability of the media for the programme, and the media’s growth potential.

A roadmap is then jointly established for selected teams.

Stage 3 – Phases 2 & 3: Program development
Phase 2: August-October 2026
Phase 3: November 2026-January 2027
During these 2 phases, the actions are carried out according to the roadmap based on these 3 following defined pillars : “Journalistic & Content quality”; “Audience & Business Development”; “Finance & Business Operations”.

Who is eligible?

The MEDIA LOVES TECH competition is open to everyone over 18 years old at the time of their registration (hereinafter “eligible participants”). Journalists, developers, designers, data scientists, creative minds, techies, individuals or representatives of organizations, are invited to submit their concepts or apply to become part of a team. 

At what stage do my projects have to be in order to participate?
The projects must also be in the pre-marketing phase (from the idea to the creation of a prototype solution), which means that they have not recorded any sales and/or have no registered customers. 

What if I don’t like working in a team, I’d rather take part on my own?
MEDIA LOVES TECH is based on the spirit of collaboration and teamwork. And that’s what we want to reinforce through this initiative. Participating teams must therefore be made up of at least 2 people.

The following are not eligible as participants: the directors of DW Akademie, the members of the jury and the people with whom they are living, the mentors and the people with whom they are living. 		MEDIA PARCOURS’s call for entries is open to all non-public Moroccan and Tunisian media structures: community, private and associative media; radio, television, newspapers and online media are invited to respond to the call.The applicant organisation must be established in Morocco or in Tunisia and develop a media activity, in whole or in part, in Morocco or in Tunisia.

The following are not eligible as participants: the directors of DW Akademie, the members of the jury and the people with whom they are living, the mentors and the people with whom they are living. 

I’ve already taken part, but I want to try my luck again.

The entrepreneurial spirit means knowing how to challenge yourself and start again. If you’ve already taken part in a previous competition, you have every right to try again. With the same project (improved!) or with a different idea.

How to participate?

To participate between 24 March and 15 April 2026, eligible persons must:
– Join medialovestech.com
– Fill in the SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR 2026 application form
– Form a team of at least 2 participants
– Propose a project that will work, in part or fully, in one or more of the targeted countries for 2026 (Morocco, Tunisia)		The call for entries is open from 24 March to 15 April 2026.

To take part, eligible organisations must :
– Go to Mediaparcours.com
– Complete the SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR 2026 application form (deadline: 15 April 2026!)
– Book an interview slot
– Fill in a second form if your application is successful after the interview

Selected applicants will be announced by e-mail in late April 2026.

What is there to gain?

MEDIA LOVES TECH gives you access to a quality ecosystem:flexibility with different knowledge inputs such as online trainings and masterclasses ;experts on demand ;networking opportunities, even after the end of the program ;a community of entrepreneurs and experts.During the incubation stage, each team achieving a gate will receive EUR 500.

The winner of the cohort receives an award of EUR 10,000.		MEDIA PARCOURS offers access to a whole range of resources:
– online courses on journalism, entrepreneurship and much more
– contributions from international consultants and experts
– capacity-building and production support activities
– networking and opportunities

Please note: the MEDIA PARCOURS support programme does not provide for funding during the programme.

What you gain with MEDIA PARCOURS is access to genuine expertise.

What are the criteria?

We pay particular attention to the problem framing phase and the solution design you carefully craft to help your target users and customers.

For a proper evaluation, we keep in mind the following items:
– Innovation: What is the level of innovation of the concept in solving the problem?
– Market-fit: Why is the concept interesting and relevant, have you identified a target audience that would like to use your product? How does it work? What features are at the heart of your product? What roadmap is there for the implementation?
– User experience: Is the interface user-friendly and easy to use (depending on the target audience of the product)?
– Functionality: Are the prototype and level of technological innovation operating and functional?
– Implementation: What is the plan for the implementation and promotion of the product in the future (roadmap)?
– Business model: Which business model secures the sustainability of the project?
– Project team: Is the team able to test and implement the innovation as suggested? What is the level of collaboration within the team, their capacity and what is their motivation to ensure the sustainability of the project (during open-innovation challenges that may come along. Developing a concept is not only a question of creating new ideas, and in fact collaboration and co -creation are also crucial)
– Feasibility: Is the proposed concept feasible and can be implemented in the available time considering the available resources?		After sending in the application by the deadline of 15 April 2026, followed by an interview, the DW Akademie reserves the right to decide whether the applicant organisation can continue with its application on a more detailed form.

A jury will make the final selection of beneficiaries by assessing the following criteria:
– Quality of content produced and broadcast;
– Economic viability of the medium;
– Audience strategy, management of communication channels and exchanges with the community;
– Digital presence and maturity;
– Commitment and coachability of the team;
– Relevance of the challenges and needs expressed by the organisation;
– Potential for organisational involvement and progress.

How is the data sent to DW processed?

All data communicated by SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR’s beneficiaries is strictly confidential and is not shared with third parties.

All work (documents for internal use, audiovisual productions, external communication, reports, etc.) produced by the beneficiaries as part of SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR is the property of the teams. No company, organisation or entity other than the members of the beneficiary organisation may claim any rights over the intellectual property developed within SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR.

Personal information, digital data and works will be used solely for management purposes within the SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR programme.

Who owns the product and its intellectual property?

All of the work done by the teams belongs to the teams. No company, organization or entity apart from the registered members of the team can claim any prerogative on the intellectual property developed in SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR. All previous intellectual property that SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR’s participants bring with them or which might be a product of or linked to their employment status must be declared to the other team members and to the organizers of SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR. 

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE MEDIA LOVES TECH’S COMPETITION

A: The MEDIA LOVES TECH’s competition is organized by DW Akademie (subsequently named DW), in cooperation with Al Khatt, and will run from 1 May 2026 to 27 November 2026.

The competition is open to everyone over the age of 18 years at the moment of registration (hereafter referred to as “eligible people”). Journalists, developers, designers, data scientists, creatives, techies, as well as individuals and representing organizations are invited to participate, submit concepts or be part of a team.

DW managers, jury members and the people they live with, the mentors and the people they live with are not eligible to participate.

MEDIA LOVES TECH is an incubation competition, from the idea to the creation of a solution prototype. All projects at this entrepreneurial stage are accepted. Projects must also be in the pre-marketing stage. This means that they have not been offered for sale and do not have any registered customers.

B: In order to participate, eligible persons must:

C: Registrations are open from 24 March to 15 April 2026

  • You follow us on our Facebook page “SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR” to get informed about the latest news of the program and potential info sessions
  • At the date of submission, the projects to be submitted must be, at a minimum, in the design phase (pre-prototyping) and, at most, in the pre-marketing phase.

The 3 stages of the competition:

Stage 1: Application and qualification phase

In 2026, MEDIA LOVES TECH will train a ‘North Africa’ cohort, which will bring together teams from Morocco and Tunisia.

Apply by 15 April 2026 using the SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR 2026 application form. The best teams will receive notification that they have access to the SMAx e-learning platform.

Stage 2: Pre-incubation journey

From May to July 2026, teams have the opportunity to take online courses and sessions on the platform and provide the necessary deliverables. The three-months pre-incubation journey is divided into three phases: “user desirability”, “technical feasibility” and “business viability”. At the end of this first journey, the deliverables are evaluated and the best projects are continuing the competition.

Stage 3: Incubation journey

Before starting the incubation stage, the cohort will attend an online bootcamp moment.

Then, from September to November 2026, teams have the opportunity to have tailored and personalised coaching and mentoring via the “Experts on-demand” sessions and the available online courses and sessions. The three-months incubation journey is divided into the three same gates as for the pre-incubation stage: “user desirability”, “technical feasibility” and “business viability”. At the end of every gate, a strict assessment of the deliverables and the team progress is conducted ahead of continuing the incubation journey. 

During the incubation stage, each team achieving a gate will receive EUR 500. For each cohort, the best project will receive EUR 10,000 in funding, which will be awarded to the winning team at the closing ceremony on 27 November 2026.

D: Who owns the product and its intellectual property?

All work carried out by the teams is the property of the teams. No company, organization or entity other than the registered members of the team can claim prerogatives on the intellectual property developed at MEDIA LOVES TECH. Any prior intellectual property that the MEDIA LOVES TECH participants bring with them or by which they are linked because of their professional status must be declared to the other team members and to the organizers of MEDIA LOVES TECH.

E: Competition procedures:

Steps to follow:

Stage 1: Application and qualification phase

In 2026, MEDIA LOVES TECH will train a ‘North Africa’ cohort, which will bring together teams from Morocco and Tunisia.

Apply by 15 April 2026 using the SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR 2026 application form. The best teams will receive notification that they have access to the SMAx e-learning platform.

Stage 2: Pre-incubation journey

From May to July 2026, teams have the opportunity to take online courses and sessions on the platform and provide the necessary deliverables. The three-months pre-incubation journey is divided into three phases: “user desirability”, “technical feasibility” and “business viability”. At the end of this first journey, the deliverables are evaluated and the best projects are continuing the competition.

Stage 3: Incubation journey

Before starting the incubation stage, the cohorts will attend an online bootcamp moment.

Then, from September to November 2026, teams have the opportunity to have tailored and personalised coaching and mentoring via the “Experts on-demand” sessions and the available online courses and sessions. The three-months incubation journey is divided into the three same gates as for the pre-incubation stage: “user desirability”, “technical feasibility” and “business viability”. At the end of every gate, a strict assessment of the deliverables and the team progress is conducted ahead of continuing the incubation journey. 

F: The steps for applying are as follows:

RULES OF THE MEDIA LOVES TECH’S COMPETITION

1. In order to be declared a winner, the selected winning team must meet the following conditions:

Each of these members must have signed the contract of engagement for the submission of prototypes; 

Confirm that they meet the eligibility conditions and other requirements of these rules.

Failure to comply with one of the conditions mentioned above or any other condition mentioned in these rules, the selected team will be disqualified and at the discretion of the organizers, the price will be canceled or this price will be awarded to another team in accordance with these participation rules. The same conditions will then remain applicable, making the necessary adaptations, if necessary. 

2. Award ceremony:

In the event of refusal to receive its award by the selected participant, DW Akademie, named DW thereafter, will be released from any obligation relating to the awarding of this prize and may proceed, at its discretion, to the cancellation of this prize or to a new draw as described in the previous paragraph. 

3. Verifications:

All registrations and declaration forms are subject to verification by DW. Those which are incomplete, inaccurate, illegible, mechanically reproduced, fraudulent, filed or submitted late, contain an invalid or otherwise non-compliant telephone number, may be rejected and will not be entitled to the prize. 

4. Participate:

Any person participating in MEDIA LOVES TECH or attempting to participate by a means contrary to these regulations and of a nature to be unfair to other participants (example: computer hacking, non-declaration of previous intellectual property) will be automatically disqualified and could be referred to the competent judicial authorities. Likewise, projects that have not respected the pre-incubation (prototyping) and pre-commercialization (priming) statutes will be disqualified. 

5. Intellectual property:

The intellectual property of the prototype produced during the MEDIA LOVES TECH belongs to the entire team. It is the responsibility of the teams, if they use pre-existing intellectual property elements, to ensure that they have full ownership of them before using them within the framework of MEDIA LOVES TECH. 

6. Competition procedures:

Any attempt to sabotage the legitimate conduct of the competition constitutes a violation of civil and criminal laws. If such attempts are made, DW reserves the right to reject the participant’s registrations and obtain redress under the law. 

7. Acceptance of rewards:

The prices must be accepted as described on the MEDIA LOVES TECH website and may in no case be wholly or in part transferred to another team, replaced by another price or exchanged for money, subject to what the organizers could decide, at their discretion. 

By accepting the prize, any winner authorizes DW to use, if necessary, their names, photographs, images, voices, places of residence and declarations relating to the prize for advertising purposes, without any form of remuneration. 

8. Limitation of liability:

If DW cannot award the prize as described on the MEDIA LOVES TECH website, it reserves the right to award a prize of the same kind and of equivalent value or, in its sole discretion, the value of the prize as indicated in these regulations. 

Limitation of liability – Use of the prize

The winner releases DW from all responsibility for damages that may arise from participation in MEDIA LOVES TECH, acceptance and use of the prize. The winner acknowledges that upon receipt of the prize or the letter confirming his prize, the performance of the obligations related to the prize becomes the sole and exclusive responsibility of the various suppliers of products and services. The winner undertakes to sign a declaration and exemption from liability form to this effect. The winner of a prize recognizes that the only warranty applicable to it is the usual manufacturer’s warranty. 

Liability limit – exceptional situation

DW will not assume any liability of any kind in all cases where its inability to act results from a fact or situation beyond its control or from a strike, lockout or any other labor dispute in the establishments of organizations or companies whose services are used for the holding of this competition. 

Limitation of liability – participation in MEDIA LOVES TECH

DW will not be responsible for lost entries for any failure of the website for any reason during the duration of this contest, including any damage to a participant’s computer or mobile device. 

9. Modification of the competition:

DW reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend, in whole or in part, this contest in the event of any instance or any human intervention that may alter or influence the administration, security, impartiality or running of the competition as provided for in these rules cannot be held responsible. 

10. End of participation in the competition:

In the event that, for any reason whatsoever, participation in the competition should end in whole or in part before the end date provided for in these rules, the award may be made, at the discretion of DW , among the registrations duly recorded and received until the date of the event that ended participation in MEDIA LOVES TECH. 

11. Limitation of liability – Participation in the concept:

By participating in or attempting to participate in the competition, any person releases DW from any responsibility for any damage that they may suffer as a result of their participation or attempted participation in the competition. 

12. The paragraphs:

If a paragraph of this regulation is declared or deemed illegal, unenforceable or anywhere by a competent court, then this paragraph will be considered to be null, but all the other paragraphs which are not affected will be applied within the limits permitted by law. 

13. These rules are available on the site.

14. The competition is subject to all applicable laws in Germany.

15. Personal information:

The personal information collected from the participants will be used only for the purposes of managing MEDIA LOVES TECH. 

16. Decisions:

Anyone who participates in MEDIA LOVES TECH agrees to comply with these regulations and the final and final decisions of the organizers who administer MEDIA LOVES TECH. 

The SMART MEDIA ACCELERATOR is an initiative of the DW Akademie, Deutsche Welle’s center for international media development, journalistic training and knowledge transfer,in cooperation with the Tunisian media NGO Al Khatt. Al Khatt aims to be a think tank and a space for reflection on the future of journalism in the Internet age. 

This program is funded by the European Union, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).