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Wikimania
The Wikimania is the annual main conference of the Wikimedia movement, which brings together volunteers from Wikimedia projects, employees of Wikimedia organizations and other people interested in Free Knowledge. It takes place physically at a different location every year, but has also included online participation opportunities since 2021. The conference is an opportunity to get to know colleagues from all over the world, their motivations, activities and projects, to learn from each other and bring new ideas for the Wikimedia projects and adjacent initiatives into the public. The current German-language Wikimania portal can be found on Wikipedia:Wikimania.
This year, Wikimedia Deutschland, Wikimedia Österreich and Wikimedia CH are providing a fixed number of scholarships for participation in the conference and travel to the venue. In a defined scholarship awarding process, a jury will determine the successful applications. Additional scholarships for special activities are offered. The scholarship application form of Wikimedia Deutschland will also be available in English. |
What is covered by a Wikimania scholarship?
A fixed number of full scholarships will be offered each year, depending on the current budget and the expected costs (esp. travel expenses).
A full scholarship always covers the following costs:
- travel and transportation costs
- accommodation costs
- registration fees for the main conference
- public transportation fees for on-site travels, round trips to the airport/railway station if required
- visa costs if required
Travel and accommodation for scholarship recipients with residence in the sphere of the Wikimedia chapter is usually managed by the respective Wikimedia chapter itself. Please reach out to your Wikimedia chapter for individual travel plans.
For additional scholarships please have a look below.
How do I apply for a Wikimania scholarship?
Applicants must fulfill the following formal requirements:
- submit a fully and truly completed application form
- show activity in the Wikimedia projects
- reside in the sphere of the Wikimedia chapter (exceptions are possible for the additional scholarships)
- have good communication skills in English
- for previous scholarship recipients: have fully submitted scholarship reports for all previous scholarships
- age of majority in the country of residence, the country of the Wikimedia chapter in charge, and the country of the upcoming Wikimania conference; resp. permanent escorted by parent/legal guardian
- commit to
- submit a report in the given format
- mark all media files which have been created during Wikimania and uploaded to Wikimedia Commons as per specification of the respective Wikimedia chapter ([[Category:Supported by Wikimedia Deutschland|2024]])
Applications have to be submitted by the published deadline through a standardized form of the respective Wikimedia chapters with questions about activity and motivation for the attendance , which are explained in more detail below. Both Wikimedia chapters which offer these scholarships have identical questions. Additional questions for one of the additional scholarship types will be marked separately.
Which questions do I have to expect?
The jury decision will be based on the answers on these two subjects in the application form:
- activity: What are your activities in the Wikimedia projects and around them, with a focus on the last 12 months? A list of notes is sufficient and it’s also fine to provide links for your activities and documentations.
- motivation: What do you expect from your participation in Wikimania? Do you also intend to participate actively there (e.g., submitting a presentation, organizing a meetup, maybe participating in the hackathon, helping out as a local volunteer)?
For each subject of questions we expect between 1000 and 1500 characters, including spaces.
For submitting your application, the only personal data which you have to transfer are your real name, user name, email address, country of residence. In case of a successful application, further private data is required: real name, residential address, phone number, contact data for your emergency contact and, in case your travel is booked by the Wikimedia chapter, additional information like date of birth or bank account data for reimbursements. For further information, please have a look at the data protection regulations of Wikimedia Deutschland (https://www.wikimedia.de/datenschutz#datacollection).
Who will decide on my application?
Each Wikimedia chapter will have an own jury for the decision on the applications which will be composed of members of the German-language Wikimania community, staff members of functionaries of the Wikimedia chapters and, ideally, international Wikimedia community members. The majority of members will be among the first group. The names of the jury members will be announced every year on the bottom of this page.
The jury receives a collection of all applications from the respective Wikimedia chapter and judges them. The final decisions will be made in a final jury meeting. The results, including waiting slots, are forwarded to the Wikimedia chapter. The result of the application process will be communicated by the respective Wikimedia chapter.
What is expected from me after Wikimania?
As one of the requirements for a scholarship, a written report has to be published at the end of the next month after Wikimania. For every Wikimania, a joint place for collecting the reports will be provided.
Each report has to consist of two parts:
- a statement to a single session of 1500 to 2000 characters, including spaces
- an answer to the question How did my attendance push me forward and have I been able to share something with others afterwards? of 1500 to 2000 characters, including spaces
Beyond these formal reports, scholarship recipients are encouraged to voluntarily share their experiences and learning on other platforms like writing blog posts for the special edition of the Wikipedia:Kurier, sharing stories at local roundtable discussions or holding workshops back home which can get support from the Wikimedia chapters.
- Scholarship for covering the registration fee
- Main conference
- Hackathon
- Specific full scholarships
- Full tandem scholarship by Wikimedia Deutschland
Conference fee scholarships
- Main conference
Every resident in the spheres of the respective Wikimedia chapter can request a scholarship for covering the Wikimania registration fee via e-mail. These scholarships will be distributed independently from the full scholarship application process by the respective Wikimedia chapter’s staff members without involvement of the jury. This scholarship covers only the participation fee for Wikimania and, if applicable, the hackathon. All additional costs have to be covered by the individuals and the journey managed by themselves. The same documentation guidelines as for full scholarship recipients apply for this kind of scholarship.
- Hackathon
- An attendance of the Hackathon can be requested for all kinds of Wikimania scholarship recipients from Wikimedia Deutschland by email after the confirmation of their scholarships. An additional question in the application form is not planned. A scholarship for covering the registration costs only of the Hackathon is not planned.
Specific full scholarships
- Full tandem scholarship by Wikimedia Deutschland
To promote international exchange, Wikimedia Deutschland offers the possibility of tandem applications: Engaged community members from Germany, both first-time and returning applicants, can apply for a Tandem Scholarship together with international community members in addition to their normal application. These scholarships are organised in cooperation with the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) and the international scholarship process.- International Tandem Partners residing outside these regions are preferred, as chapters in Northern, Western, Southern, and Central Europe often have their own scholarship processes, making participation easier. Applicants living in Germany are asked to find their own partner. Both potential tandem partners must complete the application form independently and outline the planned joint activities at Wikimania in the fields provided.
- It is possible that not all tandems will receive a scholarship, depending on the number of tandem applications. In this case, the German-based applicants in the tandem are automatically eligible to apply for scholarships in the other categories. This means that all applicants from Germany have an equal chance of being granted a scholarship, regardless of whether they apply alone or as a tandem.
You can borrow a laptop from Wikimedia Deutschland or Wikimedia Österreich for the Wikimania period for digital participation in the conference. In addition or instead, smaller technical devices such as headsets and/or webcams can be purchased for you to facilitate your participation in video conferences. You can continue to use these after Wikimania as a permanent loan until revoked. See the related Support programme ”Loanable equipment”.
If there are other forms of support that would make it easier for you to participate in Wikimania, please contact the Wikimedia association responsible for you. For a subsidy for care work, see for example the related Support programme “Reimbursements for care work“.
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Deadlines
Number of scholarships
Jury 2024
Scholarships 2024
Info: Due to several applications of equal value, the jury asked the Wikimedia Deutschland Communities and Engagement team to consider granting another individual scholarship. Following a budgetary review, this scholarship was granted. Contact details if you have further questions: wikimania The support guidelines of Wikimedia Deutschland are valid for this program. |
Deadlines
Number of scholarships
Jury 2024 Scholarships 2024 Contact details if you have further questions: verein The support guidelines of Wikimedia Österreich are valid for this program. |
Deadlines
Number of scholarships
Jury 2024 Further information Contact details if you have further questions: Lantus (WMCH) The support guidelines of Wikimedia CH are valid for this program.
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