Wiki Loves Monuments 2024 in Iran

Overview

Wiki Loves Monuments is an international photography competition organized annually to promote the documentation of cultural heritage sites across the globe. This event, recognized as the largest photography competition in the world, is particularly significant in Iran, a country rich in historical and cultural landmarks. By engaging photographers to capture these iconic sites, the competition supports the creation of a comprehensive visual record on Wikimedia Commons, contributing to the preservation and appreciation of our shared cultural heritage.

Objectives

The main objectives of the 2024 competition were to:

• Encourage the capturing and sharing of high-quality images of Iran's cultural heritage sites.
• Enrich Wikimedia Commons with diverse images for educational use.
• Foster community and appreciation for Iran's historical landmarks.
• Recognize and reward contributors’ efforts and talent.

Organization and Planning

The Iranian Wikimedians User Group (Wikimedia Iran) organized this year's competition. With a fresh team of volunteers, planning began in early September 2024. Despite time constraints, innovations such as a public Call to Action published on major photography websites and social media helped reach a broader audience.

Participation

In 2024, the Wiki Loves Monuments competition in Iran attracted the participation of 205 users, who collectively uploaded 2,729 photos. Notably, 166 of these participants were first-time uploaders, highlighting the competition's ability to engage new contributors to the Wikimedia Commons platform. Despite these efforts, the total number of uploaded photos saw a decrease compared to the previous year. This reduction can be attributed to limited advertising due to time constraints and several unforeseen setbacks encountered during the planning phase. Nevertheless, the competition successfully managed to capture a diverse range of images, contributing significantly to the documentation of Iran's cultural heritage.

Submission Details

The 2024 competition did not impose any specific themes or categories, allowing photographers the creative freedom to capture a wide array of cultural heritage sites throughout Iran. This year, a notable trend emerged with a significant number of nighttime photographs being submitted. This unique focus added a new dimension to the documentation of monuments, highlighting their beauty and significance under different lighting conditions and offering fresh perspectives for viewers and the Wikimedia community at large.

Judging Process

The evaluation of the 2024 Wiki Loves Monuments entries was carried out by a distinguished panel of five judges, comprising a blend of expertise in photography and Wikimedia contribution. This year's jury included three acclaimed photographers—Mehdi Nazeri, Mohsen Kaboli, and Vahid Momenzadeh—all of whom have received multiple awards for their work. Complementing their professional acumen were two dedicated Wikimedians: Mahak and Amin Noubahar, with Amin also being a skilled photographer.

The jury assessed the submitted photographs based on the following criteria:

• Technical Quality: This criterion focused on the image’s sharpness, resolution, and adherence to technical excellence, ensuring that photos met Wikimedia Commons' standards for featured pictures.
• Originality: Judges considered the innovative approaches photographers took to capture monuments, evaluating the creativity and uniqueness of each perspective.
• Usefulness on Wikipedia: A pivotal goal of the competition was to enhance the visual resources available on Wikipedia. Thus, images were judged for their encyclopedic utility, ensuring they accurately represented the monuments and were free from distracting elements.

This comprehensive judging process ensured that the selected photographs not only demonstrated technical prowess but also offered valuable educational and cultural insights to the Wikimedia community.

Winners and Recognition

• 
  Gate of All Nations, Ancient city of Persepolis, Iran.
  Photographer: Masoud Ghadiri
• 
  Baqerabad Castle, Iran
  Photographer: Shahram Salimi
• 
  Star trail over the Hall of a Hundred Columns, Persepolis
  Photographer: Masoud Ghadiri
• 
  Seyed Abad Ribat, Khorasan Razavi.
  Photographer: Hadi Dehghanpour
• 
  Mehrpadin Castle, Yazd
  Photographer: Shahram Salimi
• 
  Jameh Mosque of Ardestan, Isfahan
  Photographer: Shahram Salimi
• 
  Naqsh-e Rostam, Fars Province
  Photographer: Masoud Ghadiri
• 
  Aerial view of the Tabas-e Masina Castle, South Khorasan
  Photographer: Shahram Salimi
• 
  Jameh Mosque of Varamin, Tehran
  Photographer: Hamed.gisoo
• 
  Jameh Mosque of Isfahan
  Photographer: Ali Alirezaei

Impact and Outcomes

The 2024 Wiki Loves Monuments competition has played a significant role in enriching the visual documentation of Iran's cultural heritage on Wikimedia Commons. By encouraging contributors to submit a diverse range of photographs, the competition has enhanced public access to high-quality images of Iran's historical sites. This initiative not only serves as a digital archive preserving the nation’s cultural landmarks but also fosters a greater understanding and appreciation among global audiences.

For the Wikimedia community, the influx of new contributors, particularly first-time uploaders, signifies an expanding base of volunteers dedicated to sharing freely accessible knowledge. The addition of unique nighttime photographs further diversifies the repository, providing fresh perspectives and settings that can be utilized in various educational and informational contexts.

By elevating awareness and engagement with cultural heritage documentation, the competition ultimately contributes to the broader movement of open knowledge, inspiring future efforts to document global cultural identities.

Future Plans

As we look to the future, there are some exciting ideas on the horizon for Wiki Loves Monuments Iran. We'd love to kick off the planning process earlier to spread the word far and wide, hopefully getting even more people involved and boosting the number of photo submissions. Partnering with schools, cultural groups, and photography circles throughout Iran could help us reach new audiences and make an even bigger impact.

We're also toying with the idea of introducing some themed categories next time around. Imagine diving deep into different architectural styles or focusing on monuments that haven't received as much attention yet—it could bring a whole new flavor to our collection and reflect even more of what makes Iran's heritage unique.

And of course, growing our community of contributors is still at the heart of everything we do. We’re thinking about offering workshops or maybe some seminars to help participants sharpen their photography skills and better understand the ins and outs of documenting culture.

Overall, we're excited to continue celebrating Iran’s rich history and culture while fostering a community that values the free sharing of knowledge. Here's to even more successful competitions in the years to come!

Acknowledgments

We are incredibly grateful for the efforts of the volunteers who made this competition a success:

• Arian Ardeshiri
• Mohammad Heidarzadeh
• Alireza Pourabedin
• Amin Noubahar
• Mahya Jahangir
• Saeid Sorkhi
• Shahryar Saheb Ekhtiari

Their dedication was crucial in preserving and sharing Iran's cultural heritage.

Competition Timeline

• Upload Window: October 1st - October 31st, 2024
• Jury Process: November 8th - November 20th, 2024
• Results Announcement: November 30th, 2024