Big global reunion! The 19th Wikimania is coming!

The motto of the 19th edition of Wikimania is “Collaboration of the Open”. One focus will be on contributions and presentations on open data, open research and open government. Wikimedians from all over the world are to connect even more closely with projects and initiatives outside the Wikiverse in order to make Free Knowledge more visible and thus even more accessible! That’s why people who are involved in Free Knowledge beyond Wikimedia projects are also guests at Wikimania.

In addition to a wide range of presentations and events, Wikimania also offers internationally active community co-operations a great opportunity to meet in person. One special event, for example, is the Wiki-Women Summit, which is now an integral part of Wikimania. In a series of events, women from the Wiki communities exchange ideas on how they can empower other female authors to contribute their voices more to Wiki projects.

A hackathon will also take place throughout the conference. The resulting projects will be presented on the last day of Wikimania and form an important pool of new ideas that enrich the technical infrastructure of Free Knowledge. Another special meetup is GLAM Global. This format is aimed specifically at people who work with both GLAMs (Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums) and Wikis as part of their professional activities. They can exchange ideas on challenges and learnings here.

In addition, sessions and panel discussions with influential speakers are planned, such as a keynote speech by philosopher and researcher Aleksandra Przegalińska on 8 August, who will talk about the future of AI. And because Free Knowledge knows no borders, there will once again be the opportunity to join some sessions virtually this year – anyone can register here free of charge at any time. The full programme also provides information on which events will be broadcast virtually.

Once a spontaneous idea of Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, it is now indispensable: the Wikimedian of the Year awards. Since 2011, at each Wikimania, volunteers who have made a special contribution to Wikimedia projects such as Wikipedia, Wikidata or Wikimedia Commons have been honoured – whether as authors, organisational talents or programmers. This year, Jimmy Wales will once again present the award in person. Find the Wikimedian of the Year 2023 here.

The first Wikimania took place in Frankfurt am Main in 2005. It was a historic moment, as most of the volunteers had previously only known each other online by their user names. The event was quickly taken to heart by the Wiki communities and affiliates worldwide and it became clear that a personal exchange enriches the projects for Free Knowledge immensely. Since then, Wikimania has been an indispensable platform for mutual inspiration and new collaborations. The event has so far taken place in more than 15 countries on six continents and has attracted up to 2,800 people from over 142 countries. You can find out more about the history of Wikimania in the Wikimedia Deutschland Milestones, which we have compiled to mark our 20th anniversary.

Wikimania took place in Singapore last year. Wikimedia Deutschland was also on site and held interviews with committed Wikimedians from different parts of the world during the conference. In these videos, they talk about their motivation, their experiences and their enthusiasm for Free Knowledge.