Wikimedia CH/Grant apply/Wiki Loves Folklore 2025

Infodata

• Name of the project:Wiki Loves Folklore 2025
• Amount requested:6270 Euros
• Type of grantee:Individual or the group of Individuals
• Name of the contact: Tiven2240 (Primary), Joy N. Y Agyepong (Secondary)
• Contact:wikilovesfolkloregmail.com, supportwikilovesfolklore.org
• Website: www.wikilovesfolklore.org Commons:Wiki_Loves_Folklore_2025
• Project Page:Wiki Loves Folklore 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
• Fiscal sponsor: Kiwix

In case of questions, please write to grantwikimedia.ch

The problem and the context

What is the problem you're trying to solve?

The vision of the project is to bridge the local folklore and cultural gap around the world on Wikimedia commons in free licence

Wiki Loves Folklore 2025 marks the seventh year of this international photography competition, which aims to preserve and showcase the rich tapestry of global folk traditions through media submissions on Wikimedia Commons. Participants are invited to share free-licence photos, videos, and audios that document their regional folk culture, making this content available for use on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia platforms. This competition covers a diverse array of cultural aspects, including dances, music, rituals, traditional performances, food, attire, legends, religious beliefs, and more.

In addition to the photography contest, we are also organising an international writing competition called Feminism and Folklore on Wikipedia projects. This initiative focuses on enhancing the representation of women, women in folklore and highlighting intangible cultural heritage from various regions. The goal is to create a more comprehensive record of global traditions, covering everything from folk dances and music to traditional foods, stories, and customs.

Despite the ongoing success of these initiatives, we face challenges that limit the full realisation of our mission to document and freely share cultural heritage. While the contest draws participation from regions with organised national competitions, there is currently no pathway for contributors in countries without such structures. This exclusion hinders the documentation and sharing of valuable media that would enrich the Wikimedia Commons' repository of global folklore.

Additionally, we face the recurring need to support national organisers and foster new communities to get onboard. While well-established, affiliate-backed organisers often require minimal intervention, emerging campaigns and those lacking formal backing would greatly benefit from more proactive support. This includes regular check-ins, infrastructure setup assistance, and strategic planning to ensure a successful competition each year. Addressing these gaps will empower us to better support cultural heritage enthusiasts worldwide and improve the overall quality and reach of the Wiki Loves Folklore initiative.

What is your solution to this problem (please explain the context and the solution)?

Context:

Wiki Loves Folklore aims to provide a comprehensive representation of global cultural heritage through media contributions on Wikimedia Commons. However, the absence of participation from countries without established national competitions results in a lack of documentation of their rich cultural traditions. This gap limits awareness of diverse folk customs, which are essential to preserving and sharing global heritage. Additionally, the Feminism and Folklore campaign seeks to address cultural and gender representation gaps by focusing on the roles of women and queer individuals in folklore traditions and mythologies.

Solution:

1. Empowering Local Organizers:

To bridge the participation gap, we will train local organizers, particularly from underrepresented countries. These organisers will receive the toolkits and knowledge necessary to coordinate the campaign effectively. Key initiatives include:

• Office hours and Advocacy Training: Providing training on running the campaign, building regional partnerships, and coordinating photowalks.
• Connecting with Regional Heritage Bodies: Guiding to establish partnerships with cultural organisations and heritage bodies to enhance campaign visibility and impact in their regions.

2. Expanding Participation through Photowalks and Partnerships:

We will promote local photowalks and collaborations with regional heritage organisations. These efforts will encourage broader participation and ensure that cultural traditions from lesser-known or remote regions are documented and shared. This will result in a richer and more diverse collection of cultural media on Wikimedia Commons.

3. Content Contribution and Sharing:

The campaign encourages local photographers to capture and share various cultural elements, from oral traditions to traditional crafts. By contributing their media under a free license on Wikimedia Commons, they help:

• Preserve their heritage for future generations.
• Make this content accessible globally for research, education, and general appreciation.

4. Expansion of the Feminism and Folklore Wikipedia Campaign:

Running alongside the photography contest, the Feminism and Folklore writing competition takes place from 1 February to 31 March. This initiative focuses on filling gender and cultural gaps, particularly highlighting the roles of women and queer individuals in folklore. By extending the campaign’s duration and providing sufficient resources, we aim to achieve comprehensive coverage of these critical themes.

5. Creation of a new tool:

With the ever increasing phase of the campaign the need for new tools for Wiki Campaigns has arised. We wish to cater to the need of the community and create a new tool for jury process of Wiki Loves Folklore.

By implementing these solutions, we hope to create a more inclusive and diverse representation of cultures on Wikimedia Commons. The project will contribute to documenting "intangible cultural heritage," encompassing areas such as:

(a) oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage;

(b) performing arts;

(c) social practices, rituals and festive events;

(d) knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe;

(e) traditional craftsmanship.

Project goals

Project Goals: A Vision for Global Heritage

1. Global Participation & Inclusion: - Bridging Gaps, One Culture at a Time

Our mission is to weave a rich cultural tapestry by bringing together photographers from around the world. We’re not just focusing on the usual hotspots; we’re turning our lens toward regions often overlooked – the tribal and indigenous areas in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This is a platform where voices that have remained silent for too long can now tell their stories.

2. Empowering Local Photographers: - Your Culture, Your Voice

Why rely on outsiders to document a community's legacy? Our approach puts the camera in the hands of local photographers. We're inviting them to capture the heartbeat of their culture – the dances, rituals, oral traditions, and crafts – and share it with the world. This project celebrates authenticity, where the community itself becomes the storyteller.

3. Contribution to Wikimedia Commons: - A Living Archive for the World

This is more than just documentation; it's a global open-source treasure trove. When locals contribute their heritage media under a free license, they’re preserving their stories for generations to come. The knowledge shared here isn’t locked away – it’s meant for researchers, educators, and anyone with a passion for culture to explore and appreciate.

4. Building the Infrastructure: - Laying the Foundation for a Cultural Movement

• Country Coordinators Framework: We’re establishing a grassroots network by empowering country coordinators to lead local Wiki Loves Folklore events. It’s a localized effort with a global impact.
• Safe Photowalks: Health and safety come first. We’re providing clear guidelines for conducting photowalks that respect current health protocols, ensuring that participants can safely capture their heritage.
• Training Modules and Advocacy: Knowledge is power. We’re crafting comprehensive training – in text and video – to walk participants through every step: from uploading media to understanding licensing. This makes participation accessible, regardless of technical expertise.
• Article Illustration: Our project doesn’t stop at collecting media. We’ll be using these contributions to breathe life into relevant Wikipedia articles, adding layers of depth and diversity to the platform.

Unique Achievements & Participation Overview: Making Waves Across the Globe

1. Engaging Underrepresented Communities: - Preserving Legacies, One Community at a Time

We’re making an effort by focusing on the voices that have often been sidelined. By empowering indigenous tribes and marginalized communities to document their rich cultural heritage, we’re not just preserving their legacy – we’re enriching the world’s cultural canvas. It’s a bold step toward ensuring that every story, no matter how remote, finds its place in the global narrative.

2. Expanding Geographic Reach: - From Oman to Tajikistan – A Global Showcase

Our reach extends far and wide, encompassing countries and cultures that have little to no formal Wikimedia presence. Whether it’s the traditional dances of Serbia or the intricate crafts of indigenous tribes in Asia, our project is a testament to the power of inclusivity and diversity in capturing the world’s heritage.

3. Empowerment Through Resources: - Tools, Tutorials, and Triumphs

Understanding that new contributors might face challenges, we’re providing a comprehensive toolkit. Our tutorials demystify the process, ensuring that even those new to Wikimedia can register, log in, and upload with confidence. We’re leveling the playing field so that anyone, anywhere, can contribute to this global archive.

In Essence:

We’re not just documenting culture; we’re creating a movement. By building an inclusive platform and equipping communities with the tools they need, we’re fostering a global network of cultural preservationists. This project is a vibrant mosaic – one where every piece contributes to the richness of our shared human heritage.

Project impact

How will you know if you have met your goals?

Measuring Success: How We Will Know If We've Met Our Goals

To ensure we meet our goals, we will employ a multi-faceted tracking and evaluation approach using various tools and metrics. Here’s how we plan to measure our success:

1. Tracking Tools:

• "Uploader in Cat": This tool will help us monitor the number and variety of media uploaded to specific categories on Wikimedia Commons, ensuring that diverse aspects of cultural heritage are being documented.
• Campwiz and Fountain: For the writing competition, Campwiz and Fountain will enable us to track submissions, participation rates, and the quality of content contributed to Wikipedia articles, especially in the Feminism and Folklore campaign. Campwiz is our own indigenous developed tool which received the Coolest Tech Award of the year 2024
• Dashboard and Wikimedia Commons Tracking Categories: Using the Wikimedia Dashboard, we will track overall participant engagement, new user contributions, and the diversity of cultural media uploaded. Additionally, tracking categories on Wikimedia Commons will allow us to monitor the thematic areas we aimed to cover (e.g., oral traditions, performing arts).
• Wiki Loves Campaigns Dashboard: This dashboard will provide an overview of campaign participation at a global level, including metrics like the number of contributors, uploads, and regional participation.

2. Progress Against Grant Objectives: We will continuously measure our progress against the specific objectives outlined in our grant proposal. This includes tracking:

• The number of new regions and communities participating in the project.
• The volume of media contributions and their alignment with targeted cultural/folklore theme.
• The engagement and empowerment of local photographers and organizers.
• We will also gather qualitative feedback from participants and organizers to assess how effectively we have empowered local communities and enhanced cultural representation on Wikimedia platforms.

By utilizing these tools and benchmarks, we will not only track quantitative metrics like participation rates and media uploads but also gain insights into the depth and diversity of cultural heritage documentation, allowing us to adjust our strategies as needed to achieve our overarching goals.

Do you have any goals or metrics around participation or content?

Goals for Success in 2025

1. Increased Country Participation:

• Active Involvement: Engage at least 20 country teams in the competition.
• Outreach Expansion: Onboard 5 new country editions to broaden participation.

2. Image Submissions:

• Submission Target: Aim for the submission of at least 6,000 images from national activities during 2025.
• Enrichment: Enhance the regional representation on Wikimedia platforms through these submissions.

3. Feminism and Folklore Competition Engagement:

• Team Participation: Encourage at least 12 local teams to actively participate in the Feminism and Folklore competition.
• Tracking: Measure success by monitoring activities, campaigns, and initiatives undertaken by these teams.

4. Content Creation:

• New Articles: Generate at least 600 new articles in various languages in 2025 to further the comprehensive documentation and representation of global folklore.

5. Reuse of Content:

• Utilization Rate: Achieve a reuse rate of at least 10% for the submitted content on other Wikimedia projects within a year of submission, indicating the relevance and utility of the media in the broader Wikimedia ecosystem.

6. Feedback and Analysis:

• Survey: Conduct a comprehensive survey with team organizers, competition winners, and jury members to assess the campaign's effectiveness and gather insights for future improvements.

7. Creation of a new judging tool:

• New tool: After feedback from jury members throughout the past 6 years we wish to create a tool for jury process of Wiki Loves Folklore international Photography contest. This tool will be released and made public for all other media campaigns.

7. Documentation and Advocacy Training:

• Best Practices: Curate and document best practices, especially for the Feminism and Folklore initiative.
• Empowerment: Develop training modules and a toolkit to support participants and organizers.

8. Transparency and Reporting:

• Final Report: Publish a detailed report on the campaign’s activities, achievements, challenges, and learnings.
• Public Access: Make the report publicly available to maintain transparency and community engagement.

Achieving these goals will signify the project's success in 2025 and set a strong foundation for continued growth and impact in the years to come.

Project plan

Activities

Project Plan Activities for Wiki Loves Folklore 2025

1. Partnership Development:

• Foster strong relationships with local country organizers to boost regional participation and ensure a diverse range of content.
• Develop partnerships with cultural heritage organizations, museums, and folklore enthusiasts to enhance the quality and reach of the campaign.

2. Communication Management:

• Oversee communication before, during, and after the competition, ensuring participants, organizers, and stakeholders remain well-informed throughout the process.
• Manage messaging across various platforms, including social media, email newsletters, and Wikimedia community channels.

3. Social Media Engagement:

• Drive awareness and participation through active social media campaigns using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Wikimedia Commons.
• Share success stories, updates, and promotional content to keep the community engaged and motivated.

4. Prize Administration:

• Manage the selection, procurement, and distribution of prizes for winners, ensuring timely and smooth delivery.
• Collaborate with the jury to set prize criteria and select winners in a transparent and fair manner.

5. Support and Mentorship:

• Provide continuous support, coaching, and mentorship to local groups, helping them overcome challenges and maximize their contributions.
• Offer training sessions and toolkits to empower new organizers and contributors.

6. Post-Contest Activities:

• Coordinate with volunteers for post-contest cleanup, including reviewing submissions for quality and adherence to Wikimedia Commons guidelines.
• Oversee the categorization of contributions and nominate quality images for further recognition.

7. Jury Management:

• Coordinate the jury selection process, ensuring a diverse group of experts to evaluate the submissions.
• Facilitate the jury’s deliberations, compile results, and manage the announcement of winners in a well-communicated manner.

8. Documentation:

• Prepare comprehensive reports detailing the project’s activities, achievements, challenges, and feedback from participants and organizers.
• Document best practices and learnings to improve future iterations of the competition.

9. Technical Tools & Platforms:

• Develop and maintain key project pages, templates, UploadWizard, SiteNotice, CentralNotice, Dashboard, and the Fountain tool tailored for the project.
• Regularly update these tools to support organizers and participants in effectively contributing to the campaign.

10. Outreach and Promotions:

• Utilize various outreach channels such as mass messaging, mailing lists, paid and organic social media campaigns, blogs, and media partnerships (internet, mass media, and radio) to recruit more language coordinators and national organizers.
• Engage in targeted campaigns to promote participation in regions with limited representation on Wikimedia platforms.

11. Communication Materials:

• Create or supervise the development of communication materials and toolkits for national organizations, ensuring they have standardized resources to promote the event.
• Provide templates, banners, and guides to maintain a consistent and professional campaign image.

12. Digital Updates:

• Regularly update the official website and social media channels with the latest information about the project, events, deadlines, and results.
• Ensure all stakeholders have easy access to up-to-date details through a central, well-organized platform.

13. Role of the Project Administrator:

• Act as a liaison with country coordinators, ensuring the project plan is followed and goals are accomplished.
• Handle general administrative tasks, provide strategic planning, and facilitate outreach efforts in various capacities.

14. Creation and maintaining project tools:

• Maintaining the Campwiz tool.
• Creation of new Wiki Campaigns Jury Tools for Wiki Loves Folklore.

By systematically executing these activities, the "Wiki Loves Folklore 2025" and "Feminism and Folklore" campaigns will achieve their objectives, maximize global participation, and enrich the Wikimedia platform with diverse, valuable content.

Budget

Sr no	Items	Description	Amount (Euros)
1	Internet support for 3 interns	Internet support for three interns during the (100 dollars for 2 months each)	600 Euros
2	Souvenirs for workshop organisers and conferences	T shirts, stickers, pens, keyholders etc for Wikimedia events locally and internationally.	850 euros
3	Internet support for office hours interpreters	Interpretation for international office hours and advocacy campaigns of Wiki loves folklore and feminism and folklore. (100 each for 2 months) 100*3	300 Euros
4	Graphic designer fees	Graphic designer fees to create images/promotional materials to promote WLF and FNF online & offline.	500 Euros
5	Tool Developer stipend	Tool maintenance and enhancement for Campwiz tool (Feminism and Folklore) as well as creation of new tool for jury process for Wiki Loves Folklore and other media campaigns.	2000 Euros
6	Special souvenirs for top 3 contributors from Wiki Loves Folklore in Switzerland.	Special souvenirs for top 3 contributors from Wiki Loves Folklore in Switzerland.	400 Euros
7	Project Administrator	Staff management cost 20% of the total budget	1000 Euros
8	Bank fees	Currency conversion and bank transfer contingency	50 Euros
			5700 Euros
9	Fiscal sponsor fees	Fiscal sponsor to manage finances (Kiwix) fees of 10%	570 Euros
	Total		6270 Euros

Answer from Wikimedia CH

Thank you for your request. The grant request is accepted with its full amount. Please reach out to the WMCH Community Team to coordinate about the communication and the required payments around the event. Aldéric Stähli (WMCH)