FAQs

How can I improve my chances of success?

Be original. Avoid taking standard tourist shots of well-known buildings or sites – we already have plenty of tourist shots of London’s Tower Bridge for example.   See our tips page for more interesting angles.

What are the guidelines on image size?

Please submit images that are as large as possible and do not “downsize for the web”. Wikimedia Commons is a media repository that values high resolution images for many purposes including print. As a guide, images below 5 megapixels are less likely to be considered for a prize as they lack usability at larger sizes, especially in print.

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 a prize, your entry can still give you the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped to document your immediate surroundings and cultural heritage, and that you have made your images freely available for future generations.

Can I enter as professional photographer?

Yes, professional entrants are very welcome.

Do I have to give up the copyright in my entries?

No, as photographer you still retain copyright and moral rights in your submissions. However, as we want to encourage wide re-use of the images, we ask that you release your entries under a free licence (typically CC BY-SA 4.0).  That means that while you retain copyright of your photograph, you can’t charge people a fee for re-use, whether on Wikipedia or elsewhere. However re-users do have to attribute or credit you as the photographer – and they have to share the results under the same licence. If you want to know more about Creative Commons licences, you can find out more here: https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/

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

No, you can submit as many as you like. Some people are taking photos of hundreds of different subjects, and they will all be considered.

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

Yes of course: minor post-processing is encouraged. Images can often be improved by cropping, rotating, colour correction and so on. In some cases correction of converging verticals can also improve an image. But please avoid the temptation to over-process: this is a photographic, not a computer art, contest.

I don’t live in Africa, but I have some photographs that I have taken when I was on holiday. Can I enter them as well?

Yes, if the images illustrate the theme of People at Work and were taken in Africa and you own the copyright, then you can enter them. The competition celebrates Africa but is open to people from around the world.

I’ve got some photos that would be great for Wikipedia, but they aren’t eligible for this competition. Do you still want them?

Yes please.  This particular contest is targeted at getting images that relate to the theme People At Work in Africa, but there are many other subjects that the Wikimedia community would welcome photographs of. You can upload them via this link.

I’ve taken a much better photo than the one in the Wikipedia article. Can I replace the image in the article with mine?

If yours is quite clearly much better in all respects, then yes. But if there is any doubt at all it’s polite to post a message to the article’s talkpage and say something to like “I think this photo is better than the current one. Does anyone mind if I replace the one in the article?” Add a link (using the format below) so that people can see your suggested image. Then come back a week later and make the change if no-one has objected.

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

Yes, we’d be delighted! If you are not already a Wikipedia editor, see here to get started. Don’t forget to log in – see the very top right corner of your browser screen.

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 in the format.

How to I add a video image to Wikimedia Commons?

To submit  a video file, it has to be submitted in the following formats:

• .ogg
• .ogv
• .webm

Due to complex intellectual property rights issues, Wikimedia Commons can not accept video content submitted in any other format. A helpful ‘how to’ guide on how to convert video media into these formats can be this helpful guide or this manual  if you are using VLC Media Player. There are two handy conversion tools available here:

• Videoconvert
• Video2Commons

It is suggested that you upload video content one video at a time.

I’d like to submit a photo essay but how can I make sure they stay together?

To find out more on how to do that, go to this page where we have detailed what a photo essay involves and how to upload your images so that we can see them.

When uploading your photos to the Wiki Loves Africa competition using the Upload Wizard, please make sure that the photos are numbered sequentially –

• Kisra Maker , Photo 1
• Kisra Maker, I Photo 2
• Kisra Maker, Sudan Photo 3, etc.

Remember to make full use of the description box to make sure that the full story is told correctly!

Using google slides or other presentation methods is not compatible with the licences, unless you download or save it as a pdf and then submit the pdf to the competition. But this is not ideal … as, additionally, all images will then have to be submitted separately.

Credit: This page has been thankfully adapted from the Wiki Loves Monuments UK website. Information on videos adapted from Wiki From Above page.