Wiki Loves Monuments


Wiki Loves Monuments is an annual international photographic competition held during the month of September, organised worldwide by Wikipedia community members with the help of local Wikimedia affiliates across the globe. Participants take pictures of local historical monuments and heritage sites in their region, and upload them to Wikimedia Commons. The aim of event is to highlight the heritage sites of the participating countries with the goal to encourage people to capture pictures of these monuments, and to put them under a free licence which can then be re-used not only in Wikipedia but everywhere by everyone.
The first Wiki Loves Monuments competition was held in 2010 in the Netherlands as pilot project. The next year it spread to other countries in Europe and according to the Guinness Book of Records, the 2011 edition of the Wiki Loves Monuments broke the world record for the largest photography competition. In 2012, the competition was extended beyond Europe, with a total of 35 participating countries. During Wiki Loves Monuments 2012, more than 350,000 photographs of historic monuments were uploaded by more than 15,000 participants. In 2013, the Wiki Loves Monuments competition was held across six continents including Antarctica and had official participation from more than fifty countries around the world. The 2016 edition of WLM was supported by UNESCO and saw 10,700 contestants from 43 countries who submitted 277,000 photos.

History

WLM is the successor to Wiki Loves Art, which was held in the Netherlands in 2009. The original WLM contest for "Rijksmonuments" encouraged photographers to seek out Dutch National Heritage Sites. The Rijkmonuments include architecture and objects of general interest recognized for their beauty, scientific, and/or cultural importance. Such locations as the Drenthe archeological sites, the Noordeinde Royal Palace in The Hague, and the houses along the canals of Amsterdam were part of the more than 12,500 photographs submitted during the first event.
This success generated interest in other European countries, and through a collaboration with the European Heritage Days, 18 states with the help of local Wikimedia chapters participated in the 2011 competition, uploading nearly 170,000 images by its conclusion. The Guinness Book of Records recognizes the 2011 edition of Wiki Loves Monuments as the largest photography competition in the world with 168,208 pictures uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by more than 5,000 participants. In total, some 171,000 photographs were contributed from 18 participants countries of Europe. Germany, France and Spain contributed highest number of photographs. Photo from Romania won the first international prize, whereas Estonia secured second and Germany third position in WLM 2011.
In 2012, the Wiki Loves Monuments competition had official participation of more than thirty countries and regions around the world: Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Catalonia, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Panama, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United States. In total 363,000 photos were contributed from 35 participants countries. Germany, Spain and Poland contributed highest number of photographs. A picture of Tomb of Safdarjung from Delhi, India, won the contest which saw more than 350,000 contributions. Spain secured second and Philippines third position in 2012 edition of annual WLM photo contest.
In 2013, the Wiki Loves Monuments competition had official participation of more than fifty countries from all six continents including Antarctica. Among the new participant nations were Algeria, Chine, Azerbaijan, Hong Kong, Jordan, Venezuela, Thailand, Taiwan, Nepal, Tunisia, Egypt, the United Kingdom, war-torned Syria and many others. In total, some 370,000 photos were contributed from more than 52 participating countries. Germany, Ukraine and Poland contributed highest number of photographs. Switzerland won the first international prize, whereas Taiwan secured second and Hungary third position in the 2013 edition of WLM.
The 2014 version of the contests saw more than 8,750 contestants in 41 countries across the globe, who submitted more than 308,000 photographs. Pakistan, Macedonia, Ireland, Republic of Kosovo, Albania, Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq made their debut in 2014. From Pakistan, more than 700 contestants from across the country submitted over 12,000 photographs.
The 2015 edition saw more than 6,200 contestants participating from 33 countries, with over 220,000 photo submissions throughout the month of September.
The 2016 edition of WLM was supported by UNESCO and saw 10,700 contestants from 43 countries who submitted 277,000 photos.

Winners

The following is a list of international first prize winners of Wiki Loves Monuments:
PhotoYearPhotographerCountryDescription
2010 NetherlandsVijzelstraat 31 in Amsterdam
2011 RomaniaWinter picture of Chiajna Monastery. The monastery is situated on the outskirts of Bucharest.
2012 IndiaTomb of Safdarjung, New Delhi, India
2013 SwitzerlandA RhB Ge 4/4 II with a push–pull train crosses the Wiesen Viaduct between Wiesen and Filisur, Switzerland.
2014 UkraineHoly Mountains Monastery, Sviatohirsk, Ukraine.
2015 GermanyWesterheversand Lighthouse
2016 GermanyThe entrance hall of the Regional court in Berlin, Germany
2017 IndiaThe Khandoba Temple in Pune
2018 IranSheikh Lotfollah Mosque
2019Marian Naworski PolandAbandoned Evangelical Church

Spin-offs

Several spin-offs based on Wiki Loves Monuments are organised within the Wikimedia movement locally and internationally. They generally follow the basics of Wiki Loves Monuments and mostly differentiate in their scope and changes in some of the rules.