WikiConference India 2011/Scholarship Coordination/Terms and Conditions

By applying for a Scholarship to attend WikiConference India 2011 you automatically agree to all the following Terms and Conditions:

Scholarship Selection

• The applications are open to Indian residents currently residing in India only.
• Minimum age of applicant is 7 years (in case the applicant is below 18 years of age they can apply only under special Category and will need their guardians consent before applying/accepting the scholarship)
• Any active contributor to a Wikimedia project and/or Wikimedia volunteer and/or regular Wikipedia user/reader in any other capacity, from India, is considered eligible. Participants in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative and/or educational initiatives are also encouraged to apply.
• No set number of scholarships are awarded; rather, the Foundation has a set amount of scholarship funding available.
• There are four types of scholarships - Full (Travel and accommodation), Special (Travel and Accommodation for minors or disabled plus one), Partial - Travel only, Partial - Accommodation only, 50% of Travel and Accommodation costs (Scholar bears the rest), 75% of Travel and Accommodation costs (Scholar bears the rest). The applicant can apply under any one category only and cannot apply under another category if his/her application is unsuccessful.
• In case of 50% and 75% scholarships, persons chosen for the same will need to remit their part of the cost to the organisers within 14 days of notification of their application being accepted. Failure to do so will result in acceptance being withdrawn.
• Incomplete applications and applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered under any circumstances.
• Those whose Scholarship applications are successful will still need to register for the event and are liable to pay the full Registration Fees due and obey the registration rules and guidelines, failing which the Scholarship will be withdrawn.
• Answers to questions in the Scholarship application will be accepted in good faith. If however it is later found that the applicant provided misinformation, the acceptance will be withdrawn
• The Organising Committee reserves the right to withdraw any acceptances for any reason and will inform the applicant of the same via email.
• Local Mumbai travel and travel within home city and other incidental expenses are not included in the scholarship and will have to be borne by the applicant.
• The Scholarship covers travel by 2 A/c or A/c Chair Car by rail (or lower class or Air where travel of more than 30 hours is involved by rail) and accommodation in Mumbai only in the case of full scholarships (and 50% or 75% in that proportion). In case of part scholarships, they cover only the said part. Those bearing part cost will have to bear the part in proportion to the total actual rail or airfare. A cap of maximum of INR 9000 will be borne by the organisers for return travel, anything more than that will have to be borne by the applicant.
• Accommodation will be provided at Chateau Windsor Hotel or Sea Green Hotel or Sea Green South Hotel or similar on basis of four persons of the same sex sharing a room and includes Room Rent and breakfast only (for two or three nights as per approval). Anything else will have to be borne by the applicants. Rooms will be allotted on random basis by organisers and will have to be adhered to. Those bearing part of the accommodation costs will have to bear the same in proportion to the total cost which is expected to be aprox. INR 1500 per person per night (on basis of four persons sharing a room).
• Persons whose application has been successful will be notified of the same and will have to confirm acceptance of the scholarship within 14 days of the said notification. Failure to do so will mean withdrawal of the application. The said scholarship may then be offered to another individual
• Persons applying for the scholarship confirm that they are medically and physically fit to travel and do not have any illness that may hamper their trip.
• Although the Organising Committee will take full precautions and safety and security of the applicants will be paramount to the Organising Committee, the organisers shall not be liable for the personal well being of any individuals or for any injury or medical condition or illness that they may sustain during their trip (nor will the organisers bear any medical bills of any sort) or stay in Mumbai or be responsible for any cancellations or any other issues that may come up.
• The Scholarship applicant will be liable to pay cancellation costs themselves in case he/she is unable to make the trip for any reason.
• The Scholarship applicants will need to carry a valid photo ID Card (Passport, Driving License or Voter ID. Minors may carry their student photo ID’s issued by the educational institute they study at. In case of persons above the age of 18, student ID’s will not be accepted as valid photo proof nor will ID’s issued by employers be accepted as a valid photo ID) and a recent passport sized photograph of themselves to Mumbai, failing which they will not be given access to accommodation or the venue.
• The organisers reserve the right to change these terms and conditions without prior notice.
• The scholarships applicants will need to follow guidelines and instructions from the Organising Committee during the trip.
• The applicants are coming to Mumbai for purpose of this conference and will not be allowed to do something else and not attend the conference when in Mumbai. The scholarship may be withdrawn if they do not attend the conference at any time.
• Decision of the Organising Committee of WikiConference India in case of dispute or any other matter will be full and final and no review requests will be entertained.
• Any disputes will be subject to Mumbai, India jurisdiction only

Process

The Scholarship Coordination Team rates scholarships applicants based on a standardised set of criteria. The anticipated timeline for the scholarship program is as follows:

July 15 - August 15, 2011 – Scholarship application open September 2011 – Scholarship committee reviews applications and rates based on selection criteria and special considerations September 15, 2011 – Applicants will begin to be notified about final decisions

A note about Special Considerations: Following the committee rating process, special consideration will be factored in for 1) Organising Team Volunteer Applicants; 2) WikiConference India 2011 Speakers 3) Female Applicants (an under-represented editing demographic); 4) Minors and Persons with Disabilities (persons needing caregivers).

Selection Criteria 2011

Applicants will be rated on the three dimensions: A) Current/historic level of participation in Wikimedia (50% of total score), B) Current/historic level of participation in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative and/or educational initiatives (15% of total score), and C) Future goals for participating in the Wikimedia movement (35% of total score)

Active within Wikimedia (50%)

Applicants active within Wikimedia are those highly engaged participants in the Wikimedia Projects: editors, Wikimedians, and community members who will add value to WikiConference India 2011 through their experience, knowledge, and dedication in online and/or offline activities, like involvement with chapter activities, meetups, etc.

4 = Very high level participant, defined by continued involvement and high impact in two or more projects, chapter or Wikimedia initiative (or as the reviewers judge "very high level")

3 = High level participant, defined by continued involvement and high impact in one or more projects, chapter or Wikimedia initiative (or as the reviewer judge "high level")

2 = Mid level participant, defined by continued involvement and average impact in one or more projects, chapter or Wikimedia initiative (or as the reviewer judge "mid level")

1 = Low level participant, defined by relatively new account, few edits, and little or no involvement in any Wikimedia project or initiative.

0 = Not a participant, defined by a brand new account, or almost no edits, and no involvement in any Wikimedia project or initiative.

Activity outside Wikimedia (15%)

Activity outside of Wikimedia measures applicants relevant activity outside of the Wikimedia movement. These participants may exhibit qualities of innovation, participation in other aspects of the free culture/open source movement. It is a measure for those who have shown potential to add value to the Wikimedia projects and movement, who can enhance and build on this potential at/by WikiConference India 2011, and who can disseminate what they learn at Wikimania to their respective communities.

4 = High level participant, defined by involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiative with very high potential to benefit Wikimedia.

3 = Mid to high level participant, defined by involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiative with high potential to benefit Wikimedia.

2 = Mid level participant, defined by involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiative with some potential to benefit Wikimedia.

1 = Low level new participant, defined by involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiative with low potential to benefit Wikimedia.

0 = Not a participant, defined by no involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiatives.

Future goals for participating in the Wikimedia movement (35%)

Applicants are expected to have concrete goals for how attendance at WikiConference India 2011 will impact their future involvement in the Wikimedia movement.

4 = Very strong desire to be involved with the Wikimedia movement going forward; specific, concrete ideas for how applicant's unique skills, styles, and interests can be incorporated into and enhance the Wikimedia movement

3 = Strong desire to be involved with the Wikimedia movement going forward; a few less developed ideas about how applicant's unique skills, styles, and interests can be incorporated into and enhance the Wikimedia movement

2 = Some desire to be involved with the Wikimedia movement going forward; vague and under-developed ideas for how applicant's unique skills, styles, and interests can be incorporated into and enhance the Wikimedia movement

1 = Low or unclear desire to be involved with the Wikimedia movement going forward; unclear and non-thoughtful ideas for how applicant's unique skills, styles, and interests can be incorporated into and enhance the Wikimedia movement

0 = No anticipated involvement with Wikimedia in the future