We’re proud to present you Wiki Loves Earth, an international photographic competition. It promote natural heritage sites around the world through Wikimedia projects (mainly Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons).
United Arab Emirates is the only one Gulf country that have already confirmed its participation this year.
Everybody can participate! You can be a citizen of any country, not only UAE. There are a lot of natural heritage sites in Emirates. The goal of Wiki Loves Earth is to encourage people to take pictures of those natural sites, and to put them under a free license so that others may access them through the Internet.
Wiki Loves Earth 2021 in UAE is the first edition of Wiki Loves Earth in UAE. The contest is currently taking place from 1 May 2021 to 15 June 2021.
In May and June, you may upload as many pictures as you want of natural sites that you have visited. The pictures don’t have to be taken in May, but must be uploaded during that month to be considered.
Find a natural heritage or monument site from the given list, take a photo and upload it to Wikimedia Commons.
At the end of the month, the contest jury will begin evaluating the photographs and will choose the best 10 pictures of the natural sites in United Arab Emirates, and ultimately in the world.
About competition
Wiki Loves Earth is an annual international photographic competition. Participants take pictures of local natural heritage in their countries and upload them to Wikimedia Commons, a sister project of Wikipedia. In 2021, the contest is held for the 9th time.
In each country, the contest is organized by separate local teams. In 2020, 34 countries participated in the contest. The contest runs throughout May – June and other dates suitable for local teams close to this timeline, with different dates for each country. Check detailed rules and FAQ, as well as Blog for news and stories about the contest.
This year, the international winning photos will represent two categories — landscapes (including individual trees, if it’s a nature monument) and macro/close-up (animals, plants, fungi).
The international jury will choose up to 20 photos, not more than 10 photos from each category.
On the local level, there are up to 15 winners with not more than 10 from each category. Local organizers can choose not to divide local winners into categories and/or can submit fewer photos (such as 10).
Every year participants compete for prizes on the local level (each local team determines their own rewards) and get a chance to win an award on the international level. The overall winner gets a fully funded scholarship to attend Wikimania or an Amazon voucher for the same value; other international-level winners get Amazon vouchers as well.
Due to the pandemic, it is not certain when the next Wikimania will take place. Therefore an Amazon voucher is the prize for the firstst place winner.
How to participate?
Check if your country is taking part in the contest and its specific timeline.
Register on Commons or login, using your personal account.
Find the lists of natural objects for your country.
Check eligibility criteria for your pictures, prepare your submissions and upload your photos from protected areas!
The Emirati Jury will select up to 10 images, and the winners will participate in the international selection. The Jury also awards national prizes.
It’s fun! By photographing and sharing images of protected areas nearby you, you can explore more about United Arab Emirates and learn about its immense natural heritage. It’s a nice challenge to improve your photography skills, and you can of course win some nice prizes.
All pictures have to be uploaded from the 1st of May to the 15th of June. You can also upload images that you may already have taken in the past, for example during one of your travels to the country, but you can upload them only during the indicated period.
Contact the organizing team
There are Wikimedians of United Arab Emirates User Group:
Please visit organizers Facebook page for updates and other news.
Follow them on social media to stay updated: Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
