Wiki Loves X campaigns

Wiki Loves X is general format for naming various sorts of Wikimedia community outreach campaigns. In general, the campaigns share a few clear characteristics:

  • Campaign: a clearly marked period of activity, with a start and an end.
  • Outreach: the campaign aims to engage a general audience (not a specialized community) to contribute to Wikimedia projects.
  • Scope: there is a topical theme to the campaign, which is clearly defined.
  • Specific: it is clear what specific data/media/knowledge the participants are asked to contribute.

In such campaigns, anyone who wishes to organize Wikimedia community events may call their campaign "Wiki Loves X", where X is an appropriate description of what knowledge participants are asked to contribute.

History edit

The first "Wiki Loves X" event was Wiki Loves Art on English Wikipedia in 2009, followed in 2010 by Wiki Loves Monuments, an international photo scavenger hunt to ask people worldwide to photograph heritage sites. From an organizational perspective, these campaigns set the precedent of using the word "Wiki" to describe Wikimedia community projects and also established the general model "Wiki Loves X" for community organized events. By using the term "Wiki" and designing their own logo, they branded the campaign and avoided any need to secure trademark permission for their outreach.

Trademarks and branding edit

"Wiki" is a general term for the wiki style of web application, and there are no trademark restrictions. "X" is a common symbol for any variable, and can mean anything a person wishes for it to mean or be replaced with anything. However, when you create a new project, please consider if it would be the most appropriate name, given the precedents.

For anyone who wishes to use the trademarks owned by the Wikimedia Foundation, including logos and words such as "Wikipedia" or "Wikimedia", please refer to the Trademark policy. Using such trademarks is often not part of a "Wiki Loves X" campaign.

"Wiki Loves X" campaigns historically have been grassroots community projects with no deep planning or formal affiliation with the Wikimedia Foundation or any Wikimedia movement affiliate.

Starting a Wiki Loves X campaign edit

Anyone can start a Wiki Loves X campaign at any time. One model for setting up a campaign is to follow guidelines for setting up WikiProjects, such as those at English Wikipedia's WikiProject Council.

There is no standard system or guidelines for managing or promoting Wiki Loves X events. For tutorials and some records of what has worked in the past, the "Learning Patterns" project at Grants:Learning patterns documents some outreach styles.

Common strategies for promoting any kind of outreach project on English Wikipedia include making a request at Mass message senders or the Geonotice notice to get a message to a new audience.

To add the campaign to the Wikimedia Commons mobile app, see their Github repository.

Resources edit

Examples edit


List of Wiki Loves X competitions edit

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items.

Please add any additional "Wiki Loves X" competitions you may be aware of to this list. Inclusion on this list helps support communications efforts by the Wikimedia Foundation, affiliates, and others within the movement. Thank you!

Overview of Wiki Loves X campaigns
Campaign name
(Active in bold)
Target project(s) Dates Status Notes
Wiki Loves Africa Wikimedia Commons March–April Active as of 2023
Wiki Loves Art Central Bikol Wikipedia Active as of 2023
Wiki Loves Bangla Wikimedia Commons January–February Active as of 2024
Wiki Loves Butterfly Wikimedia Commons
Wiki Loves Children Bengali and English Wikipedias and Wikibooks Active as of 2022
Wiki Loves Classics Wikimedia Commons September Inactive as of 2021
Wiki Loves Cultural Heritage Wikimedia Commons Inactive as of 2013
Wiki Loves Earth Wikimedia Commons May–July Active as of 2023 External website
Wiki Loves Folklore Wikimedia Commons February Active as of 2023
Wiki Loves (French) Translations French Wikipedia November Inactive as of 2017
Wiki Loves Monuments Wikimedia Commons September–October Active as of 2023 External website
Wiki Loves Music German Wikipedia September Inactive as of 2022
Wiki Loves Music Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese Wikipedias May–June Inactive as of 2019
Wiki Loves Public Art Wikimedia Commons May Inactive as of 2014
Wiki Loves Pride Multiple June and October Active as of 2023
Wiki Loves Renewables TBD TBD Inactive as of 2022
Wiki Loves Science TBD TBD Inactive as of 2018
Wiki Loves Scientists English Wikipedia Ongoing Active as of 2022 External website driven
Wikipedia Loves Art English Wikipedia Various Inactive as of 2016
Wiki Loves Muslim Academia Multiple Wikis January-February 2024 Active

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