Wiki Loves Monuments 2023

Let's start the next edition of “Wiki Loves Monuments” in Poland. Wiki Loves Monuments (WLM) is a public photo competition around cultural heritage monuments, organized by Wikimedia chapters, groups and local Wikipedia volunteers. The public takes photos of monuments, upload those to Wikimedia Commons, and then they can be used in Wikipedia and elsewhere. The goal is to make the world's heritage monuments visible for the world wide public.

The goal of the competition is to photograph and preserve for future generations the monuments of Poland and the world. The idea is to gather documentation of Poland's material heritage and make it available for free to anyone in the world.

Competition photographs will become part of Wikipedia's multimedia resources and will be able to illustrate entries in its nearly 300 language versions. The photographs will also be able to be used - completely free of charge - for educational or promotional purposes, among others.

„Despite the fact that the contest is extremely popular every year, we should remember that there are almost 80,000 immovable monuments in Poland, so the work of documenting our heritage is still endless, as is the accumulation of the sum of human knowledge. Photos of our country's most famous sites are eligible to participate in the contest. But we are even more curious to see photos of less obvious and well-known buildings that need the eye of a good photographer to reveal their beauty to us. In Wiki Likes Monuments, the opportunity to demonstrate photographically and show the world the beauty of Poland's cultural heritage is truly unique. The best photographs will be submitted to an international jury, and the awarded photos will be seen by the whole world, like Marian Naworski's 2019 photo of the Evangelical Church in Stawiszyn! Many monuments are still waiting to be discovered photographically, so cameras in hand and get to work.”

- says Kamila Neuman, Open Culture Manager of the Wikimedia Poland Association, about last year's contest.

The contest is part of the global Wiki Loves Monuments initiative.

The idea for the contest was born in 2010 in the Netherlands. A year later, 5,500 photographers from 18 European countries (including Poland) had already participated in the competition for prizes, sending a total of more than 168,000 photos - thanks to which Wiki Loves Monuments 2011 made it to the Guinness Book of World Records in the "Largest Photo Contest" category. The third edition of the contest, which took place from September 1-30, 2012, has already covered the whole world: 15,000 people from 35 countries sent more than 365,000 photos.

„We are committed to ensuring that the acquired photos have not only aesthetic value, but also encyclopedic value. They are to delight, but also educate, the monuments captured must be in the register of monuments. That's why our jury is made up of people who are not only in the field of photography, but are also Wikipedians and Wikipedianists. They will evaluate not only the technical and aesthetic qualities of the photographs, but also whether they will also serve Wikipedia, its readers and female readers well.”

- Kamila Neuman adds

Summary of Wiki Loves Monuments 2023 Contest Rules

This document outlines the key aspects of the Wiki Loves Monuments 2022 contest:

Organizer and Terminology:

The contest, called Wiki Loves Monuments, aims to enrich online projects with images of Polish historical monuments.
The organizing entity is Wikimedia Polska Association, registered in Poland, and the contest regulations are referred to as the Wiki Lubi Zabytki contest rules.
The contest is a Polish edition of the international Wiki Loves Monuments contest.
The contest runs from September 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023, for a total of 30 days.
Participants must upload their photos to Wikimedia Commons according to the rules.

Participant Eligibility:

Contestants must be individuals of legal age or minors with their guardian's consent.
Participants must accept the regulations and have an active Wikimedia Commons account with email communication enabled.
A Polish Personal Identification Number (PESEL) or Tax Identification Number (NIP) is required.
Certain individuals, such as members of the Organizer's management, employees, and those connected by marriage or kinship, cannot participate.

Photo Submission Rules:

Photos must not have been awarded in other contests before or during the Wiki Loves Monuments contest.
Participation in local contests related to the event requires Organizer's approval.
Participants must take the photos themselves.
Photos should be submitted through a provided form on the contest page or by uploading to Wikimedia Commons under the contest category.
Submissions must include the monument's registry number or a unique identifier.
Photos not meeting specified criteria will not be considered.

Contest Jury and Prizes:

A contest jury evaluates the submissions, and its decisions are final.
Prizes include 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Prizes, Honorable Mentions, and special awards for participant engagement.
Photos fitting specified themes may receive awards.
Prizes are gift cards for online and physical stores.

Participant Data and Privacy:

Participants can remain anonymous, but personal data is required for prize collection.
The provided personal data will be processed by the Organizer according to privacy laws and contest-related purposes.

Organizer Responsibilities and Liabilities:

Inquiries about the contest should be directed to the Organizer within 7 days of the contest's end.
Participants cannot raise legal claims against the Organizer concerning prizes, which are awarded at the Organizer's discretion.
The Organizer is not responsible for the availability of websites where photos are uploaded.

Final Notes:

The information on the contest website is for informational purposes, while the binding rules are outlined in the regulations.

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