Press:Wikimedia DC announces winning submissions to Wiki Loves Monuments 2013 in the United States

  November 21, 2013—Wikimedia District of Columbia and the Wiki Loves Monuments 2013 United States organizing team are pleased to announce the winning photographs from Wiki Loves Monuments 2013. The winning images represent the diversity of our national historic places in the United States.

In first place is a photograph of the eastern span of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge in Yerba Buena, Calif., submitted by Frank Schulenburg. In second place is a picture of the eastern façade of the Mount Vernon Estate in Fairfax County, Va., submitted by Martin Falbisoner, and in third place is a picture of a lighthouse along Lake Michigan in South Haven Harbor, Mich., submitted by Marlene Calderon.

Wikimedia DC will award cash prizes of US$500, $300, and $150 for the top three winners. These photographs, along with seven other finalists, were submitted as finalists in the international Wiki Loves Monuments contest. The top prize in the international contest is a free trip to the Wikimania 2014 conference in London, with additional prizes for runners-up. The ten finalists are displayed below.

Participants in the United States uploaded 10,191 photographs of sites on the National Register of Historic Places during September. Volunteers selected approximately 500 photographs among these for review by our jury, which includes professional photographers and representatives from cultural institutions.

Worldwide, Wiki Loves Monuments remains the world's largest photography contest, with more than 11,000 people in 53 countries uploading nearly 370,000 photos throughout the month of September. The photographs were uploaded under a free license, meaning that people everywhere can use these photographs.

The United States edition of the contest was made possible by Wikimedia District of Columbia, as well as sponsor Freestock.ca, a free stock photography website. The US organizing team thanks all those who submitted photographs to Wiki Loves Monuments 2013 and our jury. Wiki Loves Monuments is scheduled to return in September 2014.

About Wikimedia District of Columbia: Wikimedia District of Columbia is an official affiliate of the Wikimedia Foundation, serving Washington, D.C., and the surrounding states of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware. A nonprofit educational organization, Wikimedia District of Columbia is dedicated to the advancement of general knowledge and the collection, development, and dissemination of educational content under a free license or in the public domain. Our projects seek to benefit Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, as well as other projects of the Wikimedia Foundation. To learn more about Wikimedia District of Columbia, visit www.wikimediadc.org.

Top 10 Finalists
The finalists below after third place appear in no particular order. Click on an image to see a higher resolution version and licensing information.