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Wikimedia Foundation elections/2024/Candidate application

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Candidate criteria

Minimum qualifications

  • English fluency (required)
  • Previous experience serving on a collective decision-making body, especially Boards or committees
  • Significant experience in Wikimedia (or equivalent) movement building and organizing

Candidate eligibility requirements

Note: these are legal / project requirements

[Note after end of application phase: ElectCom forgot to copy the following phrase from last years eligibilty criteria: The eligibility requirements for candidates are the same as for voters with these additional requirements: As only the voter requirements contain a minimum edit count for editors, this time candidates did not have to fulfill a minimum edit count.]
  • You must not have been convicted of a serious crime or any crime involving dishonesty or deception. You do not have to provide any documentation for this at this time;
  • You must not have been removed from a position at a non-profit organization or company because of mismanagement or misconduct;
  • At the time of nomination or election, you may not be banned or blocked from any Wikimedia project for a period of 30 days or longer;
  • If you only meet the voter eligibility requirements as an editor, your first edit must have been before May 8, 2022;
  • You must disclose your real name on your Candidate Application;
  • You must be at least 18 years old and of legal age in the country where you hold permanent residence;
  • You must submit proof of your identity and age to the Wikimedia Foundation; and
  • If you are selected and appointed to the Board of Trustees, you must resign from any other board, governance, or paid positions at the Wikimedia Foundation, chapters, thematic organizations, and user groups within two weeks of the appointment.

The Wikimedia Foundation runs a background check and a media check on all selected candidates before they are appointed to the Board. Trustees are also required to complete an orientation and onboarding process. In addition, all appointed Trustees must be willing and able to uphold their legal and fiduciary duties and follow Wikimedia Foundation policies, including:

Resources for candidates

Video about the work of the trustees and the relationship between the Board and the communities

Resources are available to support candidates during the 2024 election.

Candidate application

Applications accepted between May 8, 2024―May 29, 2024. You can only change your application by the close of the nomination period at 23:59 UTC, May 29, 2024.

You must submit proof of your identity to the Wikimedia Foundation before 23:59 UTC, May 29, 2024. The Election Committee will contact you about this after you apply.

How to submit proof of identity

Candidates for this position must submit proof of identity and evidence of age of majority as a condition of candidacy. A copy of one of the following documents fulfills this:

  • Driver's license
  • Passport
  • Other official documentation indicating real name and age

This may be provided to the Wikimedia Foundation via email at secure-info@wikimedia.org.

If you are one of the selected candidates, the Wikimedia Foundation may need to request additional information to run a candidate's background check prior to your appointment to the Board.

Candidates who fail to meet the above requirements and deadlines will be disqualified.

Submitting your candidacy

If you are eligible, you can Apply to be a Candidate.

Please follow these steps:

  1. Enter your name in the field below and click on the button
  2. Fill all the requested information and publish the page
    • There are three (3) required questions for all candidates to answer. The support team will coordinate its translation to a select number of languages.


All candidate subpages

This automatically generated list includes all candidate pages, both eligible and ineligible.