Genre Photography Ends May 31 Inaugurated 2013 Years active 4 | Begins May 1 Location(s) Worldwide Most recent 2016 (operating) | |
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Wiki Loves Earth (WLE) is an annual international photographic competition held during the month of May, 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. The aim of event is to highlight the conservation areas of the participating countries with the goal to encourage people to capture pictures of these sights, and to put them under a free licence which can then be re-used not only in Wikipedia but everywhere by everyone.
The first Wiki Loves Earth competition was held in 2013 in the Ukraine as pilot project. Its head was ethnographer Yevhen Buket. In the next years the competition become international and spread to other countries. 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. Pakistan won grand prize in 2015 edition of Wiki Loves Earth with the photo of Shangrila Resort, located at Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.
Wiki Loves Earth 2016 seen more than 7,000 participants from 26 countries, with over 75,000 photographs submitted.
Wiki Loves Earth is sister competition of Wiki Loves Monuments, 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 is according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the world largest photography competition.