Grant application: WLM-US Prizes

Status: Approved

Personal information

Retired, Wikipedia contributor since 2005, working in several areas but mainly with Wikproject:NRHP. Presented on this at this year's Wikimania

(1) What is your name?

Peter Ekman

(2) What is your email address?

pdekman@gmail.com

(3) Do you currently reside in the United States? If not, please specify your country of residence.

yes, Philly area

(4) Are you requesting this grant on behalf of an organization or group? If so, please provide the name of the group.

Wiki Loves Monuments - United States

Description of purpose

Please tell us a little about the project or activity for which you are requesting funding. Please provide enough detail to allow us to evaluate how your request aligns with our charitable mission.

WLM-US is currently going on during September. It is a photo contest which helps illustrated Wikipedia articles and lists, but its main purpose is to attract new photographers and editors to Wikipedia.

Over 10,000 photos have been submitted so far, from hundreds of mostly new contributors. Very roughly 1,500 of these photos are for sites not previously photographed for our articles and lists, and many of them are in geographical areas that are poorly covered by WP:NRHP. There is also some strength in historic districts and interior photos that may have been weak in earlier WP:NRHP contributions. Surprisingly, the contest is opening up WP:NRHP a bit, leading to discussions on issues such as quality vs. quantity, originality in photos vs. straight reportage, coverage of historic districts, etc.

The final prizes will be judged by a very distinguished jury, from 500 photos selected by the WP:NRHP community. See http://wikilovesmonuments.us/judging/

The WMF also introduced its Android app September 1, which is being used by photographers in the contest.

(5) What is the purpose for which the funding will be used?

Prizes

(6) How does this purpose align with our mission?

1. Recruiting new editors

2. Increasing mobile awareness and usability.

Grant financials

Please tell us a little about the funding you need. To expedite review of your application, please provide as much detail as possible.

(7) How much funding do you need?

$1,500

(8) When will you need funding?

mid-November - probably best if you send the funds to the winners directly. The jury will supply the usernames, I can track down the proper names and addresses (forwarding the correspondence to you)

(9) What specific costs will the funding cover?

Prizes $700 for 1st place, $500 for second, $300 for third