In an era where digital manipulation and the erosion of shared facts threaten democracy and public well-being, rebuilding trust has never been more urgent. To address this, Media Party and the World Bank have launched the Data 360 Global Challenge, inviting journalists, developers, and technologists to design the next generation of verification tools.
By bridging a global network of innovators with the World Bank’s Data360 API, this initiative leverages verified development data as a cornerstone for authenticating narratives and safeguarding information integrity.
Introducing the Finalist Projects
Following an extensive evaluation of conceptual proposals, we are proud to unveil the finalists selected to advance.
The challenge invited participants to explore six distinct paths of innovation: Data Dialogue, Instant Visual Stories, Shielding the Pipeline, A Digital Passport for Facts, Permanent Source Seals, and The Wildcard. Here is a look at the projects categorized by the strategic paths they are bringing to life:
1. Data Dialogue
Exploring new ways for newsrooms and citizens to interact with data.
- Anchor Journalism — Independent (Brazil & UK)
Integrating Data360 as a structural backbone for modern newsroom operations.
- Verifacta — Independent (Argentina)
Innovating workflows for data verification and journalistic inquiry.
- ContextClimate — InfoAmazonia (Brazil)
Providing deep regional context for environmental storytelling in the Amazon.
- Claimate (India)
Fostering data-driven dialogues on climate vulnerability in South Asia.
- Overtone – WAVE — Overtone (UK, Belgium & Thailand)
Visualizing the emotions and human impact behind complex analytics.
- The Robot Collective — Independent (USA)
An exploration of automated data interaction and AI-driven insights.
- Chequea360 — Ecuador Chequea (Ecuador)
Connecting public data with local fact-checking processes.
2. Instant Visual Stories
Making complex data visible and easy to share.
- Chequeado (Argentina)
Scaling trusted data by making Data360 assets easily embeddable for media and education.
- Unequal Scenes / Unequal World — Unequal Scenes + africanDRONE (South Africa & Germany)
Visualizing global inequality through the intersection of drone imagery and data.
3. A "Digital Passport" for Facts
Infrastructure for verification and information provenance.
- Hashmark (Kenya)
A forward-looking project focused on evidence standards and digital authenticity.
- RealPix 2.0 — Impacto Digital Asociación Civil (Argentina)
A digital passport to ensure the integrity of visual facts across platforms.
- Veritas ID — Code for Africa (Kenya)
Using decentralized provenance to create permanent source seals for information.
4. The Wildcard
Unique proposals with high ambition.
- Abrimos.info (Mexico & Guatemala)
Turning verified data into public narratives to shape regional agendas.
What 's Next?
Phase 1 focused on vision; now, we enter Phase 2: Prototype Development. For the next two months, these 13 teams will transform their ideas into refined, functional tools, supported by specialized API access, technical mentoring, and a global network of experts.
Stay tuned as we follow their journey from concept to code!
