Wikipedia has recently launched a pretty interesting contest. Wiki Loves Monuments invites you to take photos of historic sites and upload them to Wikimedia Commons. In return, you can get a $500 prize if you win, and there are consolation prizes for nine other photographers, too.
Wiki Loves Monuments is directed towards photographers from all over the world. Its goal is to document and preserve historic sites, both on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. Although, the October contest is focused on the United States and the monuments across them. “A monument” may sound a little vague, but thankfully, the contest lines pretty clear guidelines on what to photograph.
“A ‘monument’ refers to a protected historic site that is recognized by a governmental body or other organization, such as a historical society,” the contest description reads. “In the United States, this primarily consists of places listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which is the United States federal government’s official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance.” It’s important to note that you can also upload photos of “historic sites that are recognized by tribal, state, and local governments, as well as historical societies and related organizations.” To submit your photos, you should first create a Wikimedia Commons account. If you already have it, skip to the next step – find registered historical sites near you. Go out and take photos, give them a description, and upload them to Commons. As I mention, you get $500 if you win. The prize for second place is $350, the third-place gets $200, and the fourth to tenth place get $50 each. This contest will probably be particularly interesting to you if you already are a contributor to Wikimedia Commons. But even if you’re just thinking of becoming one, now is probably the right time. Take a look at the contest details here and if you decide to participate – I wish you good luck! [via Light Stalking]
