Wiki Science Competition

Wiki Science Competition
Official logo of Wiki Science Competition
Genre	Scientific photography, Nature photography, Scientific illustration
Begins	1-15 November [1]
Ends	1-15 December [2]
Location(s)	Worldwide
Years active	6
Inaugurated	2017
Most recent	2023
Participants	Photographers, researchers, students
Organised by	Wikipedia community members
Website	wikisciencecompetition.org

The Wiki Science Competition (WSC) is a global science photography competition for students, researchers, and others to contribute freely licensed high-quality, well-sourced images and other media to Wikimedia Commons.^[3][4]

It evolved from the Estonian Science Photo Competition. The first global competition took place in 2017^[5] and is held every two years,^[6] occurring for most countries around November or December.^[7][8] It has been called one of the most important photo competitions in the world.^[9] The main organizer of the competition is Ivo Kruusamägi.

The first competition saw participation from over 2,200 contestants, with the number of images exceeding 10,000.^[4][6] In 2023 there were more than 7,500 photos submitted.^[10]

In 2017, there were five categories: People in Science, Microscopy images, Non-photographic media, Image sets, and a General category. In 2019, a new category, Nature, was added; in 2021, Astronomy was added.^[11] A special prize for "Women in STEM" is also offered.^[5]

Media are evaluated based on the detail of their description, with sources from high-impact journals, datasets, and other reliable third-parties being prioritized. This incentivizes expert-driven contributions backed by verifiable materials.

Among the countries were it has been launched and regularly held there are Estonia, Switzerland, Ireland, United States, Poland,^[12] Ukraine, and Russia (where it is held in Spring).^[13]

Winners

• 
  Cross-section of the parasite Ascaris under 200x magnification. Winner of the Microscopy images category 2017, Massimo Brizzi, Italy
• 
  A polar diver going through ice near the French Antarctica station. Winner of the People in Science category 2017, Erwan Amice, France
• 
  Two LIGO scientists trying to detect what is causing laser technical issues. Winner of the People in Science category 2019, Nutsinee Kijbunchoo, USA/Thailand
• 
  A birthing water flea under 100x magnification and polarized light. Winner of the Microscopy images category 2019, Marek Miś, Poland
• 
  The simulated polarization of the Milky Way's dust as microwave radiation in the sky. Winner of the Non-photographic media category 2019, Uroš Seljak
• 
  Archaeological excavation of a Middle Paleolithic site in Tuscany, Italy. Winner of the General category 2019, Stefano Ricci Cortili, Italy
• 
  A larva of a non-biting midge under polarized light. Winner of the Microscopy images category 2021, Karl Gaff, Ireland
• 
  A California red-sided garter snake in its natural habitat. Winner of the Nature category 2021, Jaden Clark, USA
• 
  The supernova remnant Jellyfish Nebula (IC443) and its surroundings. Winner of the Astronomy category 2021, Ram Samudrala, USA
• 
  Macrophotography of the eggs of a fire salamander taken a few days after laying. Winner of the Wildlife and Nature category 2023, Pablo Jimenez Velayos, Spain
• 
  Blastula-stage sea urchin embryo. Winner of the Microscopy images category 2023, Aude Nommick, France
• 
  Wildlife photographer wearing a ghillie suit. Winner of the People in Science category 2023, Giles Laurent, Switzerland

See also

• Wiki Loves Monuments
• Wiki Loves Earth

References

1. most common starting date
2. most common ending date
3. Graziosi, Roberto (21 March 2018). "Scienze Wiki Science Competition: i vincitori". Focus (in Italian).
4. Fuoco, Michele (10 November 2018). "Le foto a muffe e batteri di Stefania Rizzelli diventano opere d'arte". Gazzetta di Modena (in Italian). Retrieved 21 September 2023.
5. Gorey, Colm (1 Nov 2017). "Irish Wikimedia community issues calls for best science photographers". Silicon Republic. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
6. "PHOTOS | See what are the best science photos in Estonia" Delfi Forte, 13 February 2018
7. Nüesch, Danja (6 November 2017). "Wikimedia-Fotowettbewerb - So wunderschön kann Wissenschaft sein" [Wikimedia Photo Contest - How beautiful science can be]. Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (in German). Retrieved 6 August 2023.
8. Lausson, Julien (October 26, 2019). "En novembre, sortez vos smartphones pour photographier la science et aider Wikipédia". Numerama (in French). Retrieved August 15, 2023.
9. Paolo Riva; Elisa Manca (22 May 2022). "Istituto Dalle Molle in Fotografia e a cosa serve la Realtà Virtuale (1./3)". RSI Rete Uno (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-08-16.
10. Oidermaa, Jaan-Juhan (December 18, 2024). "Estonian scientific photographers nab several recognitions at Wikipedia contest". ERR Novaator. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
11. "SVIZZERA Wikimedia CH lancia un concorso internazionale di fotografia scientifica" (in Italian). Retrieved August 17, 2023.
12. Ratković, Nebojša; Jerchel, Paul; Hsing, Pen-Yuan; Sielicka-Baryłka, Klara (2020). "Wikipedia and Its Sister Projects as Important Elements of the Teaching and Learning Process – a Review of the Global Situation". Łódzkie Studia Etnograficzne. 59: 107–126. doi:10.12775/LSE.2020.59.07. ISSN 2450-5544.
13. "Объявлен старт конкурса «Снимай науку!»" [The start of the contest "Shoot Science!" has been announced.]. Nauka i Zhizn (in Russian). 2 April 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2023.

External links

• Competition website