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Campaign runs through month of September
By Nsikan Ikpe
Wikimedia, the Wikipedia affiliate, has flagged off the 2019 edition of its annual Wiki Loves Monuments (WLM) campaign.
The annual international photographic competition which is normally held during the month of September, is organised worldwide by Wikipedia community members with the help of local Wikimedia affiliates across the globe.
As part of the schedule, participants take pictures of local historical monuments and heritage sites in their region, and upload them to Wikimedia Commons.
A statement from Olushola Olaniyan, President, Wikimedia Nigeria, outlines that the aim of the annual fare is to highlight the heritage sites of the participating countries with the goal being to encourage people to capture pictures of these monuments, and to put them under a free license which can then be re-used not only in Wikipedia but everywhere and by everyone.
The first Wiki Loves Monuments competition was held in 2010 in the Netherlands as a pilot project. The following year it spread to other countries in Europe and according to the Guinness Book of Records, the 2011 edition of the Wiki Loves Monuments broke the world record for the largest photography competition.
In 2012, the competition was extended beyond Europe for the first time, with a total of 35 nations participating.
Growing from strength to strength, during Wiki Loves Monuments 2012, more than 350,000 photographs of historic monuments were uploaded by more than 15,000 participants.
History was also made in 2013 when the Wiki Loves Monuments competition was held across six continents, including Antarctica, and had official participation from more than fifty countries around the world.
On its part, the 2016 edition of WLM was supported by UNESCO and saw 10,700 contestants from 43 countries who submitted 277,000 photos.
In his statement, Olaniyan also noted that Wikimedia Nigeria Foundation joined the competition series in 2016 with the primary aim of creating visibility for Nigerian monuments.
As of 2014, according to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, there were 65 declared monuments in Nigeria and 100 proposed monuments. Unfortunately, less than 35% of the declared monuments in Nigeria are covered in the database of ‘the world’s largest photographic database,’ as affirmed by the Guinness Book of records. Indeed, none of the 100 proposed monuments is featured in this database. This is notwithstanding the fact that, in reality, there are uncountable monuments that are scattered throughout the length and breadth of Nigeria.
Olaniyan therefore urges that, starting from 1st-31st December, submissions would be accepted on monuments in Nigeria.
To submit your photo go to URL- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Monuments_2019_in_Nigeria and then follow the instructions to upload your photos. Beautiful prizes await the best 5 photos.
You may also contact the organizers via GSM; 08167352512/08166620737 or email info@wikimediang.org
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