By Iminza Keboge
Published February 19, 2020
An annual competition of photographs and audiovisual media that celebrates African diversity on Wikipedia invites.
Known as Wiki Loves Africa and organised by Wiki In Africa, the theme for the contest in 2020 is Africa on the Move and runs February 15 through March 31,
2020.
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“Photographs, audio and videos that capture this theme are welcomed from anywhere on the continent, and beyond,” the organisers say in a statement to the
media.
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They say the theme, Africa on the Move, “encourages the submission of visual representations of movement, migration or transportation, whether local or regional, by path, road, sea, or air, be it self-propelled or by animal, natural or mechanical means. Submissions could also capture the historical or
contemporary structures that have been created to facilitate movement or the transportation of people, goods, or animals.”
Saying there are three main prizes and two additional ones for photos and media, Wiki in Africa says it invites ‘photos from anywhere on Earth, but to be selected for prizes, the images must show a place in, or people related to, Africa’.
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The prizes to be awarded are:
- 1st prize: US$1000
- 2nd prize: US$800
- 3rd prize: US$500
Additional categories are:
- Culturally specific or traditional representations of transport or structures that facilitate transportation: US$500
- The prize for best quality video: $500
Each winner, Wiki in Africa says, will also receive a Wiki Loves Africa branded power pack and other merchandise.
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“For the last five years, the Wiki Loves Africa contest has encouraged the donation of nearly 50,000 photographs to Wikimedia Commons for potential use on
Wikipedia. In the first year, under the theme Cuisine, 873 people contributed 6,116 photographs. Cultural fashion and adornment was the theme for the next
year, 2015, which saw 722 people contribute over 7,500 photographs. In 2016, Music and Dance contributed 7917 files from 836 people. In 2017, under the theme
People at Work, 18,294 photographs were entered by 2,473 people. Last year, under the theme of PLAY!, 8,800 images were uploaded by 1350 contributors,” Wiki in Africa says.
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Wiki in Africa says Florence Devouard and Isla Haddow-Flood manage the competition as a ‘fun and engaging way to rebalance the lack of visual representations
and relevant content that exists about Africa on Wikipedia’ and that the ‘images donated are available for use on the internet and beyond, under the Creative
Commons license CC BY SA 4.0’.
