GLAM/Case studies/Wiki Loves Food 2017 in Macedonia

Summary

This case study describes the development, implementation and execution of Wiki Loves Food photographic competition organized in 2017 in Macedonia. The primary aim was to take photographs of traditional cuisine traditional dishes from the Macedonian and regional cuisines.

Background

Following the preparations during the autumn months, on the 1st of November, we opened Wiki loves photographic contest, that we decided to focus on the food, especially on traditional Macedonian and regional dishes and cuisines. In previous years, Shared Knowledge have organized Wiki Loves Earth and Monuments photographic contest with significant success and this year it was decided that Shared Knowledge will organize Wiki Loves Food competition for the first time, which is in fact only the second Wiki Loves Food contest organized world wide, after its establishment by Wikimedia India in 2015.

Goals

The focus of the activities was to:

• Create content on Wikipedia through uploading images on Wikimedia Commons

• Building information and digital literacy skills in the broader public

• Add community created content to Wikipedia

• Increase knowledge, information and public awareness about Wikipedia in Macedonia

• Improve Wikipedia skills of the participants of the competition and the organizers which were on different level and contributed in creating content on different ways

Implementation/Steps

This topic, traditional cuisine, led us to the collaboration with the Slow Food organization whose members wholeheartedly helped us in the promotion and judging of the contest as well as the organization of the award ceremony which at the same time was celebration of their Terra Madre day. One week prior the start of the competition we sent announcements to several media (news agencies, newspapers, web portals) which reported and attracted significantly large attention in the public.

Outcomes

• The Wiki Loves Food 2017 photographic competition lasted for 30 days from 1 ^st to 30^th of November 2017.

• 67 registered competitors

• 916 uploaded images

• over 100 traditional dishes photographed

• instructional video-tutorial was made. It will be used further in the future in all other activities where newly registered members should upload images and files on Wikimedia Commons.

• Editing day on the topic "Food" was held where this topic was chosen in order to use as much as possible of the pictures uploaded within the contest Wiki Loves Food 2017 in Macedonia.

Reflection and lessons learned

What worked:

• The contact and cooperation with the Slow Food Vodno organization showed as a tremendously useful step regarding the help in the organization of the entire contest: finding members for the jury; promoting the competition and drawing number of competitors; organizing the ceremony.

• Creation of the instructional video-tutorial for uploading images showed as useful, as 54,5% answered from the participants who completed the survey after the end of the competition

What did not work so well:

• Some of the contestants were confused whether the competition is just for professional photographers or it is widely open for everybody as well as some of them have sent pictures to the promotional pages on the social media not uploading them to Wikimedia Commons