Wiki Loves Earth

Wiki Loves Earth (WLE) is an annual international photographic competition held throughout May and June, organised worldwide by the Wikipedia community members with the help of local Wikimedia affiliates across the globe. Participants take pictures of local natural heritage and scenic landscape in their countries, and upload them to Wikimedia Commons.

Wiki Loves Earth
Official logo of Wiki Loves Earth
GenrePhotography
BeginsMay 1
EndsJuly 31
Frequencyde
Location(s)Worldwide
Years active8
Inaugurated2013
Most recent2020 (operating)
ParticipantsPhotographers
Organised byWikipedia community members
Websitehttp://wikilovesearth.org
Infographic on how to take part in Wiki Loves Earth

The aim of the event is to highlight the conservation areas of the participating countries with the goal to encourage people to capture pictures of these sights, and to put them under a free license which can then be re-used not only in Wikipedia but everywhere by everyone.[1][2]

The first Wiki Loves Earth competition was held in 2013 in Ukraine, and the contest became international in 2014. In 2019, 37 countries participated in the contest.

In 2020, the international contest has been extended into July as a response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.[3] As of late May, 32 countries have declared their participation in the 2020 contest edition, with more than 31,000 photos uploaded to date.

History

The first Wiki Loves Earth competition was held in 2013 in Ukraine. Head of its organizing committee was ethnographer Yevhen Buket.[4][5] In the next years the competition become international and spread to other countries.[6] In 2014, the competition was extended beyond Europe, with a total of 16 participating countries.[7] The 2015 edition of Wiki Loves Earth has seen more than 8,500 contestants participating from 26 countries, with over 100,000 photo submissions.[8] Pakistan won grand prize in 2015 edition of Wiki Loves Earth with the photo of Shangrila Resort, located at Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.[9]

Wiki Loves Earth 2016 saw more than 7,000 participants from 26 countries, with over 75,000 photographs submitted.[10] In 2017, the contest expanded its geography more than ever before, with 36 countries participating that year and the contest reaching a record number of over 131,000 uploaded photographs. The number of participating countries slightly decreased in 2018, but the year of 2019 has again seen 37 countries taking part in the competition. Over the past several years, Wiki Loves Earth cooperated with UNESCO, holding special nominations for UNESCO biosphere reserves and UNESCO Global Geoparks.[11]

Wiki Loves Earth is sister competition of Wiki Loves Monuments, which is also an annual international photographic competition held during the month of September, organised worldwide by the Wikipedia community members and focus on local historical monuments and heritage sites. WLM according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the world's largest photography competition.[12][13]

Winners

The following is a list of international first prize winners of Wiki Loves Earth:

Photo Year Photographer Country Description
2013 Krasnickaja Katya Ukraine Dawn in the Ai-Petri Yaila nature reserve (zakaznik).
2014 Balkhovitin Ukraine View of Carpathian National Park from Hoverla, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.
2015 Zaeem Siddiq Pakistan Shangrila resorts, Skardu. This lake is also known as Lower Kachura lake. Central Karakoram National Park, Gilgit–Baltistan.
2016 Cedomir Zarkovic Serbia Stopića cave is a limestone cave near Sirogojno, on the slopes of Mount Zlatibor in the Dinaric Alps.
2017 Sergey Pesterev Russia Ogoy Island in winter, Lake Baikal, Pribaikalsky National Park.
2018 Ekaterina Vasyagina Russia Cape Stolbchaty at the Kunashir Island after sunset. Kurils Nature Reserve, Russia
2019 Sven Damerow Germany Banded demoiselle hovering near a dandelion's seedhead at Gülper See lake in Brandenburg, Germany
2020 Touhid biplob Bangladesh Chestnut-tailed starling (Sturnia malabarica) in Satchari National Park, Bangladesh

Statistics
Year Countries Uploads Participants
2013 1 9,695 346
2014 14 62,541 2,889
2015 25 104,201 8,837
2016 24 109,936 13,187
2017 36 130,482 15,074
2018 32 89,683 7,645
2019 37 94,699 9,699
2020 34 106,240 9,095

References
  1. "Wiki Loves Earth Competition to Showcase Natural Scenes of Morocco". Morocco World News. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  2. "Wiki Loves Earth 2015, concours international de photographie, de retour pour une deuxième édition en Algérie". Huff Post Maghreb. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  3. "Wiki Loves Earth 2020 starts!". Wiki Loves Earth official website. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  4. Стартував фотоконкурс «Вікі любить Землю»
  5. Семенюк Віктор. В авангарді Європи // Культура і життя. – 2015. – 1-9 січня. - №1-2 (4624-4625). – С. 4.
  6. Guinness World Records, Largest photography competition, 2012.
  7. "Wikipedia's second international photo contest "Wiki Loves Earth" to start on May 1". Kyiv Post. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  8. SAQIB, QAYYUM (4 June 2015). "Wiki Loves Earth: Top 10 pictures from Pakistan". Dawn. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  9. "Pakistani photo wins first place in Wiki Loves Earth contest 2015". Dawn. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  10. "Wiki Loves Earth shortlists top 10 photos in Pakistan round". DAWN.COM. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  11. "WLose yourself in our planet's beauty with the winners of Wiki Loves Earth". Wikimedia Foundation. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  12. Saqib Qayyum (25 October 2014). "Wiki Loves Monuments: Top 10 pictures from Pakistan". Dawn. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  13. Sheharyar, Rizwan (21 September 2014). "Awaiting images worth a thousand words!". Dawn. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
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