Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wiki Loves Bangla 2023 (ID: 22298128)/Final Report
Report Status: Draft
Due date: 2024-04-14T00:00:00Z
Funding program: Rapid Fund
Report type: Final
This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the grantmaking web service of Wikimedia Foundation where the user has submitted their midpoint report. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.General information edit
- Applicant username: RockyMasum
- Organization name: N/A
- Amount awarded: 4120.36
- Amount spent: 3856 USD, 424232
Part 1: Project and impact edit
1. Describe the implemented activities and results achieved. Additionally, share which approaches were most effective in supporting you to achieve the results. (required)
The implemented activities for "Wiki Loves Bangla" and the Amar Ekushey Article Contest 2024 were meticulously planned and executed to ensure maximum engagement and impactful results. The key activities included:
- Dedicated Event Page: We established a comprehensive event page containing all pertinent information about the contests. This page served as a central hub for participants to access guidelines, timelines, and updates.
- Active Promotion: We actively promoted the contests across various platforms. In addition to utilizing Wikipedia and Wikimedia mailing lists and on-wiki notifications, we leveraged social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to reach a broader audience. This multi-channel approach ensured widespread visibility and engagement.
- Press Release: A press release was issued to announce the contests, providing details about the objectives, participation process, and significance of the initiatives. This helped attract media attention and broader public interest.
- Esteemed Jury: The jury comprised esteemed photographers and experienced Wikimedians. Their involvement added credibility to the contests and inspired confidence among participants about the fairness and quality of the judging process.
Results achieved included:
- Wiki Loves Bangla: We received participation from 212 individuals, with 2107 images submitted focusing on Bengali food. Most participants and winners were new to Wikimedia Commons, indicating successful outreach to new contributors. The visual content contributed significantly enriched articles related to Bengali food on Wikimedia projects.
- Amar Ekushey Article Contest 2024: The contest saw over eight hundred participants, resulting in the acceptance of 200 translated articles and the addition of more than 355 thousand words to Bangla Wikipedia. This effort substantially expanded the content and accessibility of knowledge on the platform.
The most effective approaches that supported these results included:
- Comprehensive Event Page: Providing a centralized information hub facilitated easy access to contest details, ensuring participants were well-informed and engaged.
- Multi-Channel Promotion: Utilizing a combination of Wikipedia, Wikimedia mailing lists, on-wiki notifications, and social media channels significantly enhanced outreach and participant engagement.
- Media Outreach: The press release helped generate public interest and media coverage, further boosting participation.
- Credible Jury: The involvement of esteemed photographers and experienced Wikimedians lent authority to the contests, motivating high-quality contributions and ensuring a fair evaluation process.
These approaches collectively contributed to the successful implementation and impactful outcomes of both contests.
2. Documentation of your impact. Please use space below to share links that help tell your story, impact, and evaluation. (required)
Share links to:
- Project page on Meta-Wiki or any other Wikimedia project
- Dashboards and tools that you used to track contributions
- Some photos or videos from your event. Remember to share access.
You can also share links to:
- Important social media posts
- Surveys and their results
- Infographics and sound files
- Examples of content edited on Wikimedia projects
- Website of Wiki Loves Bangla: https://wikilovesbangla.org
- Event Page on Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Bangla_2024
- Amar Ekushey Article Contest Page: https://bn.wikipedia.org/s/pfsr
- Photos of Prize Giving Ceremony: https://w.wiki/A5xU
Additionally, share the materials and resources that you used in the implementation of your project. (required)
For example:
- Training materials and guides
- Presentations and slides
- Work processes and plans
- Any other materials your team has created or adapted and can be shared with others
- Promotional video for Wiki Loves Bangla: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Banglar_Preme_Wiki_promotional_video_193833.webm
- Video tutorial for Amar Ekushey Article Contest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtIaeTnshdI
3. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with this Rapid Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals. Required. Select one option per question. (required)
| A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups | Not applicable to your fund |
| B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community | Strongly agree |
| C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups | Agree |
| D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives | Agree |
| E. Encourage the retention of editors | Neither agree nor disagree |
| F. Encourage the retention of organizers | Agree |
| G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement | Agree |
| F. Other (optional) |
Part 2: Learning edit
4. In your application, you outlined some learning questions. What did you learn from these learning questions when you implemented your project? How do you hope to use this learnings in the future? You can recall these learning questions below. (required)
You can recall these learning questions below: Through our work on this project, we aim to gain valuable insights and answers to the following learning questions:
- Effectiveness of Cultural Preservation: We want to understand to what extent initiatives like "Wiki Loves Bangla" contribute to the preservation of Bengali culture and heritage. Our learning question is: "How does the documentation of cultural and traditional elements through photography impact the preservation of Bengali heritage?"
- Community Engagement and Growth: We are interested in assessing how participation in the contest affects community engagement and growth. Our learning question is: "To what extent does the 'Wiki Loves Bangla' contest foster engagement among Wikimedians and attract new contributors to Wikimedia projects?"
- Impact on Wikimedia Projects: We want to measure the impact of this project on Wikimedia projects, particularly Bangla Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. Our learning question is: "What is the quantitative and qualitative impact of the contest in terms of the quantity and quality of content contributed to Wikimedia projects?"
- Outreach Strategies: We aim to learn which outreach strategies are most effective in promoting cultural preservation projects like this. Our learning question is: "Which outreach methods, such as social media, press releases, or partnerships, yield the highest participant engagement and contribution rates?"
- Long-Term Sustainability: We want to explore the potential for the long-term sustainability of such initiatives. Our learning question is: "How can we ensure the continued documentation and preservation of Bengali culture and heritage beyond the scope of this project?"
- Community Feedback: We are keen to gather feedback from participants and community members about their experiences and suggestions for improvement. Our learning question is: "What are the key takeaways and recommendations from participants and the community that can enhance future iterations of 'Wiki Loves Bangla'?"
By addressing these learning questions, we aim to not only assess the impact of our project but also refine our approach for future endeavors in cultural preservation and community engagement within the Wikimedia movement.
Through the implementation of "Wiki Loves Bangla," our project provided valuable insights into several key learning questions outlined in our application.
Firstly, we learned that initiatives like "Wiki Loves Bangla" significantly contribute to the preservation of Bengali culture and heritage. The enthusiastic participation of 212 individuals and the submission of 2107 images focusing on Bengali food underscored a genuine interest in documenting and safeguarding elements of Bengali culinary traditions.
Secondly, the contest proved to be highly effective in fostering community engagement and growth within the Wikimedia movement. The majority of participants and winners being newcomers to Wikimedia Commons suggests that projects like "Wiki Loves Bangla" have a potent capacity to attract and integrate new members into the Wikimedia community, thereby enriching its diversity and vibrancy.
Thirdly, the impact of "Wiki Loves Bangla" on Wikimedia projects, particularly Bangla Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, was substantial. The wealth of images contributed not only enhanced articles related to Bengali food but also elevated the overall quality and comprehensiveness of content available on these platforms.
Fourthly, personal connections and influencer outreach emerged as effective strategies for promoting participation, as evidenced by the first prize winner being inspired by a judge of the contest. This highlights the importance of leveraging influential figures within the community to drive engagement in cultural preservation initiatives.
Looking ahead, we aim to utilize these learnings to refine our approach in various ways. This includes strengthening outreach efforts, implementing feedback mechanisms, expanding the scope of the contest, and fostering collaborations with other cultural preservation initiatives. By doing so, we aspire to sustain the success of "Wiki Loves Bangla" and make enduring contributions to the documentation and promotion of Bengali culture and heritage within the Wikimedia movement.
5. Did anything unexpected or surprising happen when implementing your activities? This can include both positive and negative situations. What did you learn from those experiences? (required)
We experienced unexpectedly high participation in Wiki Loves Bangla, almost double our initial expectations. Despite it being the first edition of the photo contest and facing promotional challenges due to time constraints, the community response was overwhelmingly positive.
6. What is your plan to share your project learnings and results with other community members? If you have already done it, describe how. (required)
We have already shared the learning and results with the community during the prize-giving ceremony. Now, I am planning to present these findings in a poster presentation at the next Wikimania in Poland, pending approval.
Part 3: Metrics edit
7. Wikimedia Metrics results. (required)
In your application, you set some Wikimedia targets in numbers (Wikimedia metrics). In this section, you will describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used.
| Target | Results | Comments and tools used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 100 | 212 | |
| Number of editors | 10 | 8 | |
| Number of organizers | 12 | 16 |
| Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 200 | ||
| Wikimedia Commons | 2000 | 2107 | |
| Wikidata | |||
| Wiktionary | |||
| Wikisource | |||
| Wikimedia Incubator | |||
| Translatewiki | |||
| MediaWiki | |||
| Wikiquote | |||
| Wikivoyage | |||
| Wikibooks | |||
| Wikiversity | |||
| Wikinews | |||
| Wikispecies | |||
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
8. Other Metrics results.
In your proposal, you could also set Other Metrics targets. Please describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used if you set Other Metrics in your application.
| Other Metrics name | Metrics Description | Target | Result | Tools and comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
9. Did you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results? (required)
Yes
9.1. Please state what difficulties you had. How do you hope to overcome these challenges in the future? Do you have any recommendations for the Foundation to support you in addressing these challenges? (required)
We had trouble using a tool called Wikiloves to track statistics for Wiki Loves Bangla. We tried to contact the tool's creator for help, but couldn't get through. We think it would be helpful if the Foundation could offer more support or resources for using technical tools like Wikiloves.
Part 4: Financial reporting edit
10. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency. (required)
424232
11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)
3856
12. Report the funds spent in the currency of your fund. (required)
Provide the link to the financial report https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Thk8w6Q1I5wUMLnun54wzFwFIuHLgz8_/
12.2. If you have not already done so in your financial spending report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal. (optional)
Some portion of the budget has been spent for Amar Ekushey Article Contest 2024, which mentioned earlier in Grants talk.
13. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?
Yes
13.1. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.
$ 366.13 has been unexpended. Because we are not able to organize the press conference and souvenir for journalists also not needed.
13.2. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?
A. Propose to use the underspent funds within this Fund period with PO approval
13.3. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.
We are planning to organize a workshop soon and intend to use the remaining funds for this event.
14.1. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?
Yes Your response to the review feedback. 14.2. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?
Yes
14.3. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.
Yes
15. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here. (optional)
Review notes edit
Review notes from Program Officer:
N/A
Applicant's response to the review feedback.
N/A