This year’s Knight Batten Awards for Innovation in Journalism are now open for entries.

According to guidelines from organiser the J-Lab Institute for Interactive Journalism, the awards recognise “pioneering approaches to news and information” and those entering can submit “journalism content, new journalism processes or ideas, or tools or new applications that promote the information needs of communities and/or enhance digital engagement”.

The contest is open to all news efforts originating between 1 May  2010, and 6 June 2011.

The winners will be announced at the Knight-Batten Awards Symposium in September 2011, at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Last year’s grand prize was won by Sunlight Live, an offshoot of US non-profit and think tank the Sunlight Foundation, after it was used to livestream video and aggregate content around a major US healthcare summit.