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]
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 |
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 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.[10] 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,[11] Ukraine, and Russia (where it is held in Spring).[12]
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