Macrogrants/WLM prize fund

Objective

Wiki Loves Monuments (http://www.wikilovesmonuments.org) is the world's largest international photography contest and crowdsourcing event in which participants photograph and upload images of historic monuments to Wikimedia Commons. These images are then available for free use on Wikipedia and beyond. The UK is participating this year for the first time: see Commons:Wiki Loves Monuments 2013 in the United Kingdom. WMUK has already agreed to provide some staff support, and this application is for limited funding.

Goals

WLM helps fulfil our mission not only by providing more content but also by increasing editor engagement and diversity (age profile likely to be older than typical Wiki editor; more women; and in all areas of the UK including areas where we currently have little traction; competitors will be able to take part in Welsh). General exposure for the charity, and potential increase in member signups.

Resources

A prize fund of around £650 is requested. The prizes have yet to be finalized by the community, but may be along the following lines:

Awards

• Best image (1st prize) £100
• Best image (2nd prize) £75
• Best image (3rd prize) £50
• 7 other Highly Commended images £25
• Best architectural/documentary image £75
• Most comprehensive survey of a single building [prize for image collection] £75
• Most comprehensive collection of an area [prize for image collection] £75

Trophies

• In addition, 13 x £10 = £130

Host awards ceremony

Unsure of costs, but perhaps venue, drinks/snacks unless we can persuade English Heritage or one of the other listing organizations to host it (Richard N is progressing that option).

Constraints

• Organization must be complete by 31st August in time for the competition to start on 1st Sept. A decision is requested in principle by early/mid August as at present we have no fallback position on prize funding (and few volunteers are willing to spend the time talking to potential sponsors)

Outcomes

• New content on Commons [metrics: number of new images; number of buildings photographed for the first time]
• Increasing editor engagement [metric: number of competitors]
• Increasing local diversity [metric: number of linked local events; geographic spread of competitors]
• Language diversity [metric: number of competitors who upload using the Welsh interface]
• Age/sex diversity [Probably no metric, as it would be intrusive to ask about this]
• General exposure for the charity and open content movement [no metric]
• More members [metric: number of new members]

Risks

• Unavailability of sufficient volunteers and/or staff time to meet the 1st Sept deadline for organization to be complete. Low/medium risk, but likely to be OK now with a head of steam. Should the risk transpire, no funding would be needed.
• Lack of competitor interest. Risk low with good PR and decent prizes (as above)