Grants talk:PEG/MEDASSET/Wiki Loves Sea Turtle Monuments

Evaluation by the GAC

Comments

Comments by MADe

I like this. I watched an w:en:Leatherback sea turtle struggle to get back into sea. So I'm sold!

Even more, the foundations also look good. I heard about the contest some time ago, it has a dedicated website, a properly written proposal. I have some smaller remarks I'll share later on, but you have my support! I would look for a new 'catchy' name however, this is not a heritage competition. MADe (talk) 20:30, 24 June 2014 (UTC)

Comments by Emmaplatoff

Thanks MADe! We'll definitely think about the name--let us know if you have any ideas!

Comments by Ilario

I would compare the costs with the benefits. To be clear I agree that the topic is interesting, but I would support it if the focus is the sea turtle itself and not the monuments. Basically I don't see a scientific value in the topic of the project considering the high costs of the organization. --Ilario (talk) 07:25, 27 June 2014 (UTC)

Much of what environmental NGOs do is not scientific. While some of MEDASSET’s work is intended to carry scientific value, this project instead aims to use art to raise public awareness. This technique has been proven successful time and time again, notably in graphic arts, nature photography, graffiti, animation, and fashion. The fact that sea turtles have been “worshipped” by so many cultures since the beginning of time—and that this has been commemorated in permanent standing monuments—is a testament to their uniqueness and another reason why people should care to save them.

Your comment about sea turtles being the focus and not the monuments echoes one written byMADe, so we are rethinking the name of the project. --Emmaplatoff (talk) 12:29, 30 June 2014 (UTC)

Comments/queries from Tony1

Thank you very much for making this application! Looking at the previous comment—yes, I'm a little puzzled at the narrowness of the target. My questions thus far are all of the "please provide more details" category.

• What is the relationship of the two named contacts to MEDASSET; and do you have academic qualifications in the area (just wondering, not contingent)?

JennyMed is a member of MEDASSET staff, holding the position of Head of Communications (gr.linkedin.com/pub/jenny-ioannou/4/9a/500/

Emmaplatoff is currently an intern at MEDASSET, and is also a student at Yale University

• How is MEDASSET funded?

MEDASSET is funded through international grants, corporate sponsorships and individual donations.

Measures of success

• Tripling means going from what baseline?

We hope to triple the number of contributions from the number we currently have on our category page, which is 33.

• To me, measures of success, like hypotheses, need to be testable, and passed or failed in the end (fails can be very useful in terms of lessons learned)—so how do you pass or fail "high-quality artistic photographs"? What do you mean by artistic (as opposed to technical)?

There are a number of criteria used to evaluate the quality of an artistic photograph. We plan to establish- with input from the contest judging panel (which will include a professional photographer)-our own set of qualifications based on common guidelines and also on our own priority of sea turtle focus.

Some tentative criteria:

• Lighting. Is the picture overexposed? Are the colors realistic and accurate?
• Clarity and sharpness; i.e., any blur, softness, or lack of focus is obviously intentional. Are details easy to discern?
• Creativity, originality and artistry. Is the image unique? Is there an interesting take or angle? Does it reveal something unexpected?
• Sea turtle focus. Is the sea turtle the obvious focus of the image? Are there any distractions?

• "Press coverage" in what type of outlet—can you provide an idea based on what coverage the organisation has had already? (Do you have skills in writing press releases?).

MEDASSET has been working since 1988 for the protection of sea turtles in the Mediterranean. The Press always plays an important role in the promotion of a project or event. For this particular case we will focus on getting coverage from travel media, i.e. airline magazines and travel websites.

Please look at Resources in our grant proposal for more details on our experience in promoting projects.

We have both skills and experience in writing press releases (view past press releases on our website).

• How many new contributors? When you say Greece has three chapter members ... which chapter? Why is it a chapter and not a user group, in that case? Sounds like it's died, like the Australian chapter. May I suggest that grantmaking staff be asked for advice about your strategy there. They're very approachable and helpful.

We misspoke—Greece is indeed a User Group, not a chapter (this error has been amended on the grant page) with only three members. Because MEDASSET is based in Greece, this project may be a good opportunity and reason to raise interest in Wikimedia through our various events throughout the country and help the Greece User Group attract more members.

Scope, activities, budget

• I'd be more comfortable if you already had draft contest rules, especially for this amount of cash.

We have experience in setting up online competitions and rules. We cannot provide final rules for this project right now as they will take a while to be developed properly and we will need the input of professionals in the fields of photography and art history to do so. A draft of the contest rules has been developed to reply to your comment. Please alert us if you require us to submit the final rules.

Tentative Rules:

• Photographs must feature a sea turtle monument—a permanent, outdoor, three-dimensional statue. Ornaments, like part of a fountain or gate, are acceptable. Mosaics are eligible, but not photos of posters or graffiti. Size does not matter.
• Monument should feature sea turtles, not land turtles (see our website for information on how to tell the difference)
• Photograph should focus on the sea turtle, not people or other features
• Photograph must include monument’s location (longitude/latitude coordinates)
• Photograph must be freely licensed under Creative Commons
• Photographs must be uploaded to Wikimedia in the proper category
• Photographs MUST be taken by a named individual. Copied photos will not be eligible

• What type of people will be on the judging panel?

Professionals (with proof of academic credentials) in the fields of art history, photography and fine arts.

• First prize: winner might prefer the cash, which second and third place-getters receive. I like fat prizes, cash, but 3,500 euros is quite a lot.

A 3,500 euro cash prize is not an option. Since there is no way of knowing the first place winner’s city of origin, we opted to err on the higher side of potential travel expenses. We will, of course, only spend as much as is absolutely necessary.

• Don't like the gift of frames to Medasset.

After being used in the contest as indicated, the frames will be reused in similar awareness-raising projects. MEDASSET is a charity and often accepts donations of materials like these in order to support the work we do to protect the environment.

• Video of what?

A video of sea turtle specialists we will meet at the International Sea Turtle Symposium in Turkey in April 2015, talking about the significance of sea turtles in their respective cultures.

• Why is item 13 zero euros? Please remove it.

Expert knowhow/consulting is often paid for. We will reach out to these professionals to help us on a volunteer/ probono basis.

Removed.

• Project manager: needs to be done in a shorter period. Nine months? What about three months 0.4 FTE and one month 1.0 FTE?

An individual experienced in carrying out similar projects presented a detailed list of the Project Manager’s tasks and timeline to the Grant Committee. If the project manager’s work time needs to be reduced, deliverables and goals will need to be cut as well.

• 50 entries means 420 euros per entry. Value for money?

The exhibition constitutes a significant portion of the budget, but will guarantee extensive exposure—50 entries at a 3-4 month exhibition with 50,000 visitors (should it be held at the Athens International Airport) based on our previous experience, this is feasible, with full press coverage. If we remove the exhibition from the proposal, the budget will shrink. Would that be preferable?

• Who will do the on-wiki documentation and categorisation?

MEDASSET volunteers will be responsible for on-wiki organization.

• Pity it can't be widened in theme to more than just sea turtles. Are there not other endangered species that might be included?

It certainly is a pity that no work like this has been done before, but we think it’s exciting that Wikimedia will finally be used to raise awareness about a global issue, i.e. biodiversity loss.We also recognize the importance of other endangered species, but we are a sea turtle organization, and so our project is geared towards them. Sea turtles are a flagship species, meaning that their conservation status is representative of other endangered marine wildlife and also of the health of the habitat itself; by improving the sea turtles’ conditions, we also improve the conditions of other animals and the ocean habitat. Additionally, we hope and expect that our project will inspire similar ones, perhaps focusing on other species.

--Emmaplatoff (talk) 12:43, 30 June 2014 (UTC)

Please interpolate responses above for your convenience, if you wish. Tony (talk) 14:22, 28 June 2014 (UTC)

Not Funded

Thank you for offering us an opportunity to consider funding your proposed project and for your engagement with the Grant Advisory Committee. I am afraid we are declining to fund it. MEDASSET's mission, and that of WLM Sea Turtles, is a noble one. However, the project goal to raise awareness about the conservation of sea turtles is not well aligned with the mission of the Wikimedia Foundation. The projects we fund have the direct goals of adding significant content to wiki projects, increasing content quality, and recruiting new users. Unfortunately, the project as it is currently framed does not add significant value to our wiki projects for the costs.

We wish you great success! Alex Wang (WMF) (talk) 22:18, 2 July 2014 (UTC)