This blog post was written by Wikimedia UK volunteer and event organiser, User:Rock drum
On Saturday 1 September, local Wikimedians organised the first “Wikipedia Takes…” event in the UK, in the city of Coventry (which, contrary to popular belief, is home to many historic or otherwise interesting buildings and structures).
In the latest event in Wikimedia UK’s ongoing partnership with Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, 51 photographers, almost exclusively non-editors, descended upon the city for the one-day photo scavenger hunt. Over the course of the five and a half hours, over 2,000 photographs were taken and uploaded, making an invaluable contribution to open culture and the historical record about the key areas of Coventry.
Many articles to do with the history of Coventry and the surrounding area are now illustrated by lots of high-quality photographs.
Prize-winners
There were five prizes on offer for participants; for best photos, most points and a “judges’ choice”.
Best photo
The three best photographs, as chosen by the judges, were all printed on canvas and presented to the winners.
The first prize winner was the photo called Man’s Struggle by Team Mattley. The judges said: “A masterpiece that captures the mural beautifully and makes it somehow more real, like a Picasso painting come to life.”
The second prize went to Phil Radbourne for his photo of Allesley Walled Garden. Here’s what the judges thought: “A quirky, playful photo that has colour, depth and texture. Good composition and it made us smile.”
A photo of the Reconciliation Statue, Coventry Cathedral, taken by Julia, was awarded the third prize. In the view of the judges: “This photo that shows what you can do when you have a feel for your subject. We felt that this image of the Reconciliation statue in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral successfully captured the spirit of the city.”
Most points
Every target on the list was given a points value based on its distance from the starting point and how important it was. The prize for most points was won by Team Wormova with a stunning 167 points.
Judges’ choice
The final prize on offer was the “judges’ choice”, the winners of which would be given a selection of Wikimedia merchandise. This prize was won by the Nicholson Family. The judges said: “The Nicholson Family win the judges’ choice award. They approached the event as a fun day together as a family, captured some excellent photos and got involved in the event with smiles on their faces – and to us, that’s what it’s all about.”
The organisers would like to thank all those who participated for making the day fun and memorable. All photos uploaded from the event can be found here on Wikimedia Commons.
These are excellent events, but one of the noticeable things about them is that the proportion of photographs that actually end up being used in Wikipedia articles is very low. It would be great if there could be some structured follow up done – perhaps in conjunction with WikiProject_Coventry [1] that could ensure that these great resources are fully used.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Coventry