Wiki Science Competition
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The Wiki Science Competition (WSC) is a global science photography competition that evolved from the Estonian Science Photo Competition, and is held on Wikimedia platform. It first took place in 2017[1] and is held every two years.[2]. It occurs for most cuntries around November-December.[3]
It aims to improve under-sourced Wikipedia articles related to scientific topics by having students and researchers compete to contribute high-quality, well-sourced images and other media. The main organizer of the competition has always been Ivo Kruusamägi.
The first competition saw participation from over 2,200 contestants, with the number of images exceeding 10,000.[2] In 2017, there were five categories: People in Science, Microscopy images, Non-photographic media, Image sets, and General category. In 2019, a new category, Nature, was added and in 2021, Astronomy was added.[4] A special prize for "Women in STEM" is also offered.[1]
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.
A major motivation for the competition is addressing the lack of visual content, depth, detail, and accuracy on many Wikipedia science articles compared to leading encyclopedic sources. Tapping into the student/researcher community aims to improve science articles with expert-sourced images and media.
The competition has generated enthusiasm but also raised some questions. Participation has not always met expectations, leading to questions around how to best incentivize contributions. However, participating students have found value in gaining Wikipedia editing skills.
Among the countries were it has been launched there are Estonia, Switzerland, Ireland, United States, Poland, Ukraine, and Russia.
Winners
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Cross-section of the parasite Ascaris under 200x magnification. Winner of the Microscopy images category 2017, Massimo Brizzi, Italy
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A polar diver going through ice near the French Antarctica station. Winner of the People in Science category 2017, Erwan Amice, France
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Two LIGO scientists trying to detect what is causing laser technical issues. Winner of the People in Science category 2019, Nutsinee Kijbunchoo
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A birthing water flea under 100x magnification and polarized light. Winner of the Microscopy images category 2019, Marek Miś, Poland
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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
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Archaeological excavation of a Middle Paleolithic site in Tuscany, Italy. Winner of the General category 2019, Stefano Ricci Cortili, Italy
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A larva of a non-biting midge under polarized light, which brings out the muscles because depending on the density and direction of the tissue, light of different wavelengths is reflected back. Winner of the Microscopy images category 2021, Karl Gaff, Ireland
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A California red-sided garter snake in its natural habitat. Winner of the Nature category 2021, Jaden Clark, USA
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The supernova remnant Jellyfish Nebula (IC443) and its surroundings. Winner of the Astronomy category 2021, Ram Samudrala, USA
See also
References
- ^ a b Gorey, Colm (1 Nov 2017). "Irish Wikimedia community issues calls for best science photographers". Silicon Republic. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ a b "PHOTOS | See what are the best science photos in Estonia" Delfi Forte, 13 February 2018
- ^ 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.
- ^ https://www.tio.ch/newsblog/ated/1551089/wikimedia-wiki-concorso-competition-science-nazionale-svizzera-ch-foto
External links
[[Category:Wikipedia multimedia events]]