Wiki Loves Earth (WLE) is an annual international photographic competition held throughout May and June, organised worldwide by the Wikipedia community members with the help of local Wikimedia affiliates across the globe. Participants take pictures of local natural heritage and scenic landscape in their countries and upload them to

Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons (or simply Commons) is a media repository of free-to-use images, sounds, videos and other media. It is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. Files from Wikimedia Commons can be used across all of the Wikimedia projects in ...

. The aim of the event is to highlight the

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

s of the participating countries with the goal to encourage people to capture pictures of these sights and to put them under a free license which can then be re-used not only on Wikipedia but everywhere by everyone. The first Wiki Loves Earth competition was held in 2013 in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, and the contest became international in 2014. In 2019, 37 countries participated in the contest. In 2020, the international contest was extended into July in response to the global

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. As of late June, 35 countries have declared their participation in the 2021 contest edition, with more than 63,000 photos uploaded to date.

History

The first Wiki Loves Earth competition was held in 2013 in

. Head of its organizing committee was ethnographer Yevhen Buket. In the next years the competition become international and spread to other countries.Guinness World Records
Largest photography competition
2012. In 2014, the competition was extended beyond Europe, with a total of 16 participating countries. The 2015 edition of Wiki Loves Earth has seen more than 8,500 contestants participating from 26 countries, with over 100,000 photo submissions. A photo from

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

won grand prize in 2015 edition of Wiki Loves Earth, depicting

Shangrila Resort Lower Kachura Lake ( ur, زیریں کچورا جھیل), also known as Shangrila Lake ( ur, شنگریلا جھیل, label=none), is a lake located near the city of Skardu in Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan. Situated at a height of , it has had ...

, located at

Skardu , nickname = , motto = , image_skyline = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan , pushpin_label_position ...

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

, Pakistan. Wiki Loves Earth 2016 saw more than 7,000 participants from 26 countries, with over 75,000 photographs submitted. In 2017, the contest expanded its geography more than ever before, with 36 countries participating that year and the contest reaching a record number of over 131,000 uploaded photographs. The number of participating countries slightly decreased in 2018, but the year of 2019 has again seen 37 countries taking part in the competition. Over the past several years, Wiki Loves Earth cooperated with

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

, holding special nominations for UNESCO biosphere reserves and UNESCO Global Geoparks. Wiki Loves Earth is a sister competition of

Wiki Loves Monuments Wiki Loves Monuments (WLM) is an annual international photographic competition held during the month of September, organised worldwide by Wikipedia community members with the help of local Wikimedia affiliates across the globe. Participants ...

, which is also an annual international photographic competition held during the month of September, organised worldwide by the Wikipedia community members and focus on local historical monuments and heritage sites. WLM according to the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

, is the world's largest photography competition.

Winners

The following is a list of international first prize winners of Wiki Loves Earth:

Statistics

References

External links

*
Statistics of Wiki Loves Earth
(general and per each participating country) {{Wikipedia Wiki communities Recurring events established in 2013