Introducing the 2025 Innovation Challenge selection committee
The independent selection committee for the JournalismAI Innovation Challenge, supported by the Google News Initiative, is instrumental in selecting the final 12 organisations that will be awarded grants to experiment with AI
The selection committee of the 2025 JournalismAI Innovation Challenge
The JournalismAI Innovation Challenge, supported by the Google News Initiative, aims to help publishers experiment and innovate with AI technologies. This year, the theme selected for the programme is “audience intelligence and revenue growth”. Selected organisations will receive grants of either $50,000 or $100,000 to help them achieve their goals.
The selection process will include two primary steps: administrative compliance or initial screening by the JournalismAI team, followed by detailed selection by an independent panel, led by an independent advisor.
They will select organisations based on several criteria including feasibility, evidence of innovation, and scalability of submitted project proposals. All entries will be anonymised before being shared with the selection committee to ensure fair selection based on project ideas.
Today, we’re happy share more information about the panel for the selection phase. We’re pleased to welcome, among others, former alums and allies of JournalismAI to be a part of the selection panel for the JournalismAI Innovation Challenge.
Meet the selection committee
Mariah Craddick,
Executive Director of Product, The Atlantic
Mariah Craddick is a product strategist with deep experience in the news and media industry. She’s currently leading product strategy at The Atlantic with a focus on driving subscription growth and enabling retention through feature adoption and delightful subscriber experiences.
Previously, she led teams as product manager at The Wall Street Journal, McClatchy, and Crain Communications, playing a key role in building features that drive readership and engage subscribers. Prior to her product management career, she held several roles across the newsroom – from writing for the legendary Ebony and Jet magazines to executing social media strategy at Crain’s Chicago Business.
She’s a fierce advocate for mentoring and training the next generation of media and product professionals and offers mentorship through organizations like the Online News Association, the News Product Alliance, and The 19th. She also teaches product-focused programs at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
Pedro Henriques,
Co-founder & CTO, The Newsroom
Pedro Henriques is Co-founder and CTO of The Newsroom, leading work on Responsible and Explainable AI for Journalism, supported by Google.org, Horizon Europe, and others. Formerly a team lead for LinkedIn’s global Data Science and AI team, he blends strong academic credentials (University of Porto, HEC Paris, CEMS) with hands-on data and AI expertise. As an AI educator he has trained over 500 media professionals across Europe. His work developing AI for journalism earned recognition among Europe's top 15 Social Entrepreneurs by EIB.
Bernice Marie S. Sibucao,
Senior Manager and Deputy Head of GMA Integrated News’ Digital Strategy and Innovation Lab
Bernice Sibucao is a newsroom strategist and innovation leader helping shape the future of Philippine media. She is the Senior Manager and Deputy Head of GMA Integrated News’ Digital Strategy and Innovation Lab, where she leads digital transformation efforts for the country’s largest news organization. Her work has helped launch award-winning programs and products that have reached billions of views and driven audience growth across platforms.
A recognized global media fellow, Bernice was part of the London School of Economics’ JournalismAI Fellowship, where she co-developed an AI-powered document comparison tool for newsrooms. She was the only Filipino chosen for The Poynter Institute’s 2022 Leadership Academy for Women in Media and is an alumna of the Asian American Journalists Association’s Executive Leadership Program. She currently serves as Secretary of AAJA-Asia.
Bernice recently completed the Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership at the City University of New York, where she led a pioneering study on the news habits of Filipino Gen Zs. Her research continues to inform GMA’s content and audience strategies.
Chitranshu Tewari
Independent Consultant & former Director - Product + Revenue, Newslaundry
Chitranshu has over a decade of experience in product and subscription roles in media. In his most recent role, he led the product and subscription business at Newslaundry—one of India’s leading reader-funded independent media organisations—where he oversaw teams that designed, built, and scaled forward-thinking products, including podcast players, bundled subscriptions, mobile apps, AI-powered tools, and accessible news products.
Earlier this year, he led a two-person team to build an AI-powered RAG tool that saved critical senior resource hours and helped teams upskill. His work was recognised with the WAN-IFRA Global Media Award for Best Innovative Digital Product. He has received fellowships from Columbia University and Bucerius School. In 2024, he was among 25 media leaders globally selected for the AI Journalism Lab at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.