Wiki Loves Earth 2016

What is Wiki Loves Earth 2016?

Wiki Loves Earth (WLE) is an annual international photographic competition held during the month of June, organized worldwide by the Wikipedia community members with the help of local Wikimedia affiliates across the globe. Wikimedia India? is conducting this competition in India. 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.

Who can apply for this scholarship ?

Any person who do photography are eligible to apply.

Rules

• two megapixel minimum image
• must be self-taken
• must be of a protected area (or its flora or fauna) in India
• must be appropriately described and categorized
• must be uploaded during 1st June -30th June 2016
• there is no age criterion

Not eligible

• Pictures with Watermark or image credits on the picture itself or any other kind of editing which associates the image with the uploader
• Non-photographic works such as drawings or entirely computer-generated works
• Photographs that are already on Commons (i.e., re-uploading is not allowed)
• As the images will be hosted on Wikimedia Commons, all entries must fall within Commons scope. Any that do not will be disqualified and may be deleted without notice.

How can you apply ?

Application can be done online only.

FAQs

Is there a limit on the number of photos I can submit?

No, you can submit as many as you like. Some people are uploading photos of hundreds of sites. However, we recommend you upload your best and quality photographs and increase your chances of winning.

Can I use Photoshop or a similar program to post-process my photos before submitting them?

Yes of course. The photos can be edited or processed by using any software. But please avoid the temptation to over-process: this is a photographic and not a computer art contest.

What are the guidelines on image size?

Please submit images that are as large as possible and do not “downsize for the web”. We value high resolution images for many purposes including print. While images below 2 megapixels may be accepted for the national contest, they will not be considered for a prize as they lack usability at larger sizes, especially in print. Please note we won't contact you and ask you to submit larger resolution photos.

Can I edit Wikipedia myself to add my photo to an article that doesn’t have images?

Yes, we’d be delighted! As your competition entry is already on Wikimedia Commons, it can easily be re-used on Wikipedia just by adding a link to the page.

I am not the world’s best photographer. Do you still want my images?

Yes please! Even if you may not be entering in the expectation of winning one of the prizes, your entry can still give you the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped to document your local built environment and natural heritage, and that you have made your images freely available for future generations. That you have contributed to or even become part of a growing community (Wikipedia) that believes in making knowledge freely available to all.

Areas are too large, how to focus what to photograph?

The most useful pictures are those of wide views and representative biotopes. You can also submit photos of representative or rare species (animals, plants etc.) taken in protected areas, but these photos should be properly identified. If you submit such photos, it is up to you to describe them so that we know that a photo was taken in a nature reserve (and not on somebody's own balcony).

What shall we do if some areas have an entrance fee?

Nothing bad about that. We are not going to force someone to pay for a chance of taking photos. On the contrary, people who are going to pay for entrance will do this anyway, and we encourage them to take pictures there.

Terms and Conditions

Rules

To take part in Wiki Loves Earth contest, a submission should:

• Be self taken

  All entries must be original photographs uploaded by their authors. Photos uploaded by anyone else other--43.225.0.215 07:02, 7 June 2016 (UTC) than author (even with permission) are not accepted.

• Be self uploaded during the contest period (May/June 2016);

  You are also welcome to submit photos you may have taken in the past. What matters is that photos must be uploaded during the contest period (in May/June 2016, exact dates listed on the contest page)

• Be under a free license;
• Contain an identified natural monument / natural park / protected area etc.;

  Lists of eligible sites are published by each participating country. Photos of representative species (animals, plants etc.) taken in an eligible site also qualify if they are properly identified.

• Be nominated through a national contest;
• Have at least 2Mpx.

  Photos under 2Mpx can be accepted in local contests, but should such photo be nominated for the international part the author will have to upload higher resolution or the photo will be disqualified.

• A participant should have an activated e-mail address via Preferences of his/her account.

Protected Areas in India

All protected or listed areas along with its natural Flora or Fauna in India are within the scope of this competition.

• List of protected areas
• List of Tiger Reserves in India
• List of Biosphere reserves in India
• Potential Biosphere Reserve sites in India
• List of Reserve Forests of India
• List of waterfalls of India
• List of national parks of India
• List of botanical gardens in India
• List of aquaria in India
• List of zoos in India
• List of rivers of India
• List of Elephant Reserves
• List of mountains in India
• List of endangered animals in India
• List of birds of India
• Wildlife of India

Important Links

• Original website
• Apply online link
• Ask question