The U.S. National Summit on Arts Journalism is calling for entrepreneurial ideas on how to revive arts journalism, as dedicated newspaper art critics go the way of the dodo. The conference will be held in Los Angeles, sponsored by USC Annenberg School for Communication and the National Arts Journalism Program, and it will be webcast worldwide on 2nd October 09.

“There are many ideas currently buzzing for attention. Our intention here is to try to identify some of the most promising and give them wider circulation. […] We’re looking for sustainable new models […] These can be established projects or startups, but must already be launched or on a clear trajectory to launching. Size of the project is not necessarily a factor, but impact is.”

Projects can be submitted online and will be public, and they’re not looking for blogs or other media made viable only by unpaid work. Five will be picked to receive $2,000 expenses to attend the conference, and (potentially) one of the three cash prizes ($7,500 / $5,000 / $2,500). Sadly, only projects in Canada or the USA are eligible for entry.