Hello everyone,
The Open Knowledge Conference 2027 (OKC 2027)
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Open_Knowledge_Conference_2027> is now
accepting applications for scholarships and program proposals. Organised by
the Open Knowledge Initiatives (OKI)
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/IIITH-OKI> at IIIT Hyderabad, OKC 2027 is
a conference for technologists, knowledge contributors, policy advocates,
and community leaders working across the open knowledge ecosystem.
If you have been thinking about applying but haven't started yet, now is
the time. The form is a one-time submission for both scholarship
application and program submission. Please note that your responses cannot
be edited after submission, so we recommend preparing them in advance.
Key details:
→ Conference scheduled for 22–24 January 2027 (tentative) in Hyderabad,
India
→ Deadline: 31 August 2026, 23:59 UTC (In your local time
<https://zonestamp.toolforge.org/1788220740>)
→ Apply here: https://forms.oki-india.org/s/exuz4t
→ Scholarship covers travel, accommodation, food, visa, and insurance
→ Applicants who submit both a scholarship application and a program
proposal receive priority in scholarship selection
If you have already applied, thank you! If you know someone in the open
knowledge ecosystem who would benefit from attending, please forward this
to them.
We are organising a 30-minute open call for a quick walkthrough of the
application process and address if there are any queries around the process:
→ Date and Time: 22 August 2026, 14:00 UTC (7:30 PM IST)
→ Call link: https://meet.google.com/zdm-ienh-jpc
→ Add to your Google Calendar using this link
<https://calendar.google.com/calendar/render?action=TEMPLATE&text=OKC+2027+A…>
Read before applying:
→ Scholarships and Program submission information:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Open_Knowledge_Conference_2027/Scholarships…
→ Concept note:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Open_Knowledge_Conference_2027/Concept_Note
Questions? Reach out at contact.oki(a)research.iiit.ac.in or on the Meta-Wiki
talk page
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Open_Knowledge_Conference_2027/Scholar…>
.
Please share with anyone who might be interested!
Best regards,
Nivas
(On behalf of the Organising team, OKC 2027)
+mediawiki-india(a)lists.wikimedia.org <mediawiki-india(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Vasanth Gopa <gopavasanth1999(a)gmail.com>
Date: Tue, May 5, 2026 at 1:57 PM
Subject: Re: Introducing WISE: Semantic search for Commons (we’d love your
feedback)
To: Wikimedia developers <wikitech-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>, <
wikimediaindia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>, Wikimedia Mailing List <
wikimedia-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>, <wikidata(a)lists.wikimedia.org>, <
commons-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
Cc: <pinto(a)robots.ox.ac.uk>, Vasanth Gopa <gopavasanth1999(a)gmail.com>
Hello everyone,
Following up on the WISE <https://wise.wmcloud.org/> tool's announcement,
we wanted to briefly explain why we are seeking community interest and
support.
At the moment, WISE indexes only “Media of the Day” (~5,000 videos).
Expanding this to cover the full Wikimedia Commons collection (millions of
images) requires significant computational resources, especially
large-scale GPU processing, along with storage and ongoing maintenance.
Before moving in that direction, we want to understand:
- Is this tool useful for the community?
- Should we invest effort and resources to scale it further?
- Are there any concerns we should address first?
If you find WISE useful or promising, you can support or share feedback
here:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wise#Community_interest_and_supp…
You can:
- Add your support or comments on the page
- Share use cases or ideas
- Raise any concerns or suggestions
Your input will help guide whether and how we expand WISE further. Thanks
again for your time and feedback.
Wise Tool: https://wise.wmcloud.org/
Regards,
Gopa Vasanth
On Sun, May 3, 2026 at 2:09 AM Vasanth Gopa <gopavasanth1999(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> We would love to get your feedback on a tool we have been working on:
> https://wise.wmcloud.org/
>
> This is a search tool for images and videos on wikimedia. Currently is
> searching only on media of the day (approximately 5000 videos). It searches
> only the visual content of the file (not on metadata, filename, or
> structured data). It also does face detection and recognition.
>
> Please give it a go. Here's some examples:
>
> *Semantic example queries:*
> "man at a train station"
> "एक व्यक्ति रेलवे स्टेशन पर" (Hindi)
> "horse in an airplane"
> "విమానంలో గుర్రం" (Telugu)
> "man with a flower"
> "pirate with a pistol"
>
> *Face search (select "Faces"):*
>
> Click the green "Image" button and paste an image URL
>
> Example inputs:
> * https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Charlie_Chaplin.jpg
> *
> https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Neil_Armstrong_pose.jpg
>
> [warning: some videos are ogv videos and your brownser may not play them,
> so watch them on Commons, i.e., after clicking the search result, scroll
> down to the media metadata table, and follow the link to commons]
>
> *Key features include:*
>
> * Semantic search using natural language to find relevant images on
> Commons from the visual content only (not the structured data or
> description, only the image itself)
> * Face search: upload or paste a face image, and the tool will try to
> identify and locate that person across images and videos, including
> timestamps where they appear
> * Audio search: search within audio files to find relevant segments
> * Multilingual search: supports queries in multiple languages
>
> We are actively improving the tool and would really appreciate any
> feedback, suggestions, or ideas from the community. Here's some more
> immediate future plans:
>
> * Search on all wikimedia images (instead of only videos / media of the
> day)
> * Show similar images when uploading an image to suggest filenames,
> categories, and other relevant metadata
>
> More technical details and a place to share feedback at
> https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wise
> * Phabricator: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T424092
> * Announcement on Village pump:
> https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Village_pump#Introducing_WISE%3A…
> Regards,
>
> Gopa Vasanth <https://gopavasanth.github.io/>
> Twitter <https://twitter.com/gopavasanth1999> | LinkedIn
> <https://www.linkedin.com/in/gopa-vasanth/> | GitHub
> <https://github.com/gopavasanth> | Gerrit
> <https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/#/q/gopavasanth>
>
> “Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.”
>
>
--
Regards,
Gopa Vasanth <https://gopavasanth.github.io/>
Twitter <https://twitter.com/gopavasanth1999> | LinkedIn
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/gopa-vasanth/> | GitHub
<https://github.com/gopavasanth> | Gerrit
<https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/#/q/gopavasanth>
“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.”
--
Regards,
Gopa Vasanth <https://gopavasanth.github.io/>
Twitter <https://twitter.com/gopavasanth1999> | LinkedIn
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/gopa-vasanth/> | GitHub
<https://github.com/gopavasanth> | Gerrit
<https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/#/q/gopavasanth>
“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.”
Dear Community Members,
We are pleased to announce that self-funded registration and the Call for
Submissions for WikiConference India 2026
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2026> are now open.
WikiConference India 2026 will take place in Kochi, Kerala, from 4th to 6th
September 2026. The conference will bring together Wikimedians, community
leaders, developers, researchers, and open knowledge enthusiasts from
across India and South Asia to connect, collaborate, and share experiences.
The theme for WCI 2026 is “Reimagining the Knowledge Commons: Community
Leadership in an Evolving Wikimedia Ecosystem.” As the Wikimedia movement
navigates rapid technological changes, including the rise of AI and new
models of knowledge creation, the conference aims to create space for
conversations around community leadership, knowledge equity, regional
languages, open knowledge, and the future of Wikimedia in India and South
Asia.
Self-Funded Registration
The self-funded registration application is now live on Pretix.
-
Details and Eligibility: [Registration Meta Page Link]
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2026/Registration>
-
Registration Form: https://pretix.eu/wikimedia-events/WCI2026/
-
Last date for registration: July 15th, 2026
Call for Submissions
The Call for Submissions is now live on Eventyay.
We invite proposals for workshops, discussions, panels, interactive
sessions, lightning talks, and poster presentations. Whether you are an
experienced contributor or a newer community member, your ideas,
experiences, and learnings can help shape the conference program and
contribute to important conversations across the movement.
-
Details and Guidelines: [Link to Meta-Wiki Submission Page
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2026/Programme/Submiss…>
]
-
Submission Deadline: [July 15th, 2026]
For complete information about WikiConference India 2026, including
participation details, timelines, conference updates, and submission
guidelines, please refer to the official announcement:
-
Detailed Announcement: [Blog Post Link]
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/06/26/shape-the-future-call-for-submissions…>
We encourage community members to register, submit proposals, and share
this announcement within their networks.
Regards,
WikiConference India 2026 Organizing Team
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2026
[2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2026/Registration
[3] https://pretix.eu/wikimedia-events/WCI2026/
[4]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2026/Programme/Submiss…
[5]
https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/06/26/shape-the-future-call-for-submissions…
--
*WikiConference India 2026 Organizing team *
Hello everyone,
We are excited to announce that *WikiEval
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiEval_Tool>* is now live and available
for community testing and feedback.
WikiEval is a platform designed to support Wikimedia article-writing
contests, edit-a-thons, and community campaigns. It provides a complete
workflow for contest organizers, participants, and jury members from
contest creation and article submission to evaluation, scoring, and
leaderboard generation.
The platform includes features such as:
-
Wikimedia OAuth login
-
Contest creation and management
-
Role-based access (Organizer, Jury, Participant, Admin)
-
Article submission and validation
-
Multiple scoring mechanisms
-
Jury review and feedback system
-
Participant and organizer dashboards
-
Real-time leaderboard and rankings
Previously known as *WikiContest Tool*, the platform has now been renamed
to *WikiEval*.
We would love to hear your feedback on the overall experience, workflows,
features, usability, and any improvements you would like to see.
*Tool:* https://wikicontest.toolforge.org
*Phabricator Board:*http://phabricator.wikimedia.org/project/profile/8418/
*Feedback Form:* Link
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScs3HNRhv_35rILgAsOhZMQ9gLhDJQHQop…>
Your feedback will play an important role in shaping future improvements to
the platform.
Thank you for your time and support.
Best regards,
*Gauri Gupta*
On behalf of the WikiEval Development Team
Dear Wikimedians,
We would like to share a quick reminder that scholarship applications for
the Indic Wikimedia Hackathon Hyderabad 2026
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Indic_Wikimedia_Hackathon_Hyderabad_2026>
will be closing in the next 2 days.
We have received a strong number of applications so far, and this will be
the final call for anyone who is still planning to apply.
The hackathon is scheduled to take place in Hyderabad from 26–28 June 2026
(with 25 June as Day 0), organized by the Indic MediaWiki Developers User
Group
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Indic_MediaWiki_Developers_User_Group>
(Indic-TechCom), in collaboration with the Open Knowledge Initiatives
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/IIITH-OKI> team and OSDG club
<https://www.osdg.in/> at International Institute of Information
Technology, Hyderabad
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Institute_of_Information_Techno…>
.
Wikimedia hackathons bring together developers, designers, content
contributors, and other community members to collaborate on building and
improving tools, workflows, and technical solutions across Wikimedia
projects.
The hackathon is intended for:
-
Technical contributors in the Wikimedia ecosystem (developers,
maintainers, translators, designers, researchers, documentation writers,
etc.)
-
Content contributors with an understanding of technical challenges in
Wikimedia projects
-
Contributors from other open-source communities interested in engaging
with Wikimedia technical spaces
To support participation, scholarships are available for selected
applicants, covering travel, accommodation, food, and related expenses.
You can apply here:
Scholarship application form (Deadline: 2nd May 2026): Google form
<https://forms.gle/BDa8tKGh3yT9W4qd9>
If you have been considering applying, we encourage you to do so soon as
applications will be closing shortly.
Further details, including the venue and program schedule, will also be
shared soon. We encourage you to follow the essential details & updates on
Meta-Wiki regarding this event.
Event Meta-Wiki page: Indic Wikimedia Hackathon Hyderabad 2026
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Indic_Wikimedia_Hackathon_Hyderabad_2026>
If you have any questions, concerns, or need any support with the
application reach out via the Meta-Wiki talk page
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Indic_Wikimedia_Hackathon…>
or email at contact(a)indicmediawikidev.org
Best regards,
Indic MediaWiki Developers User Group
Hello Wikimedians,
We are excited to announce a Call for Female Mentors for the upcoming Indic
Wikimedia Hackathon 2026
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Indic_Wikimedia_Hackathon_Hyderabad_2026>,
which will be held at IIIT Hyderabad from June 25 to 28, 2026.
As part of our efforts to improve diversity and representation in the
open-source and Wikimedia community, we strongly encourage women
contributors, developers, and community members to participate as mentors.
Role of mentors:
-
Present their own technical projects and receive support to improve them
during the hackathon
-
Mentor participants contributing to various projects
-
Assist with coding and project development
-
Share experience in Wikimedia and open-source ecosystems
Why participate?
-
Project collaboration: Mentors are encouraged to bring tasks, ideas, or
improvements related to their own tools or projects. This enables
contributors to work on real, mentor-owned problems, while also helping
mentors advance and maintain their tools.
-
Formal recognition: Acknowledgment on Meta, event pages, and program
communications
-
Leadership roles: Opportunities to serve as speakers, facilitators, and
co-organizers in technical programs
-
Credentials: Certificates, badges, and letters of appreciation
-
Continued engagement: Opportunities to mentor across multiple programs
and grow into advanced roles
We will also be organizing mentor onboarding calls over the next 2 - 3
weeks to help mentors get started and aligned.
Application Submission Deadline: *May 11, 2026*
If you are interested, please fill out the application google form
<https://forms.gle/LhrqY3BymHF5c2HV9>. We encourage interested candidates
to apply at the earliest, as mentor slots are limited.
We look forward to your participation and support in making this hackathon
more inclusive and impactful.
Best regards,
Indic MediaWiki Developers User Group
Dear Wikimedians,
We are pleased to announce the upcoming Indic Wikimedia Hackathon Hyderabad
2026, organized by Indic MediaWiki Developers User Group
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Indic_MediaWiki_Developers_User_Group>
(aka Indic-TechCom). The hackathon is scheduled to take place in Hyderabad
from 26 - 28 June 2026 (with 25 June as Day 0), in collaboration with the Open
Knowledge Initiatives team <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/IIITH-OKI>and OSDG
club <https://www.osdg.in/> at International Institute of Information
Technology, Hyderabad
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Institute_of_Information_Techno…>
.
Wikimedia hackathons are spaces for developers, designers, content editors,
and other community stakeholders to collaborate on building technical
solutions that help improve tools, workflows, and overall user experience
across Wikimedia projects.
The hackathon is intended for:
-
Technical contributors active in the Wikimedia technical ecosystem,
which includes developers, maintainers (admins/interface admins),
translators, designers, researchers, documentation writers etc.
-
Content contributors having an in-depth understanding of technical
issues in their homes Wikimedia projects like Wikipedia, Wikisource,
Wiktionary, etc.
-
Contributors to any other open-source community or have participated in
Wikimedia events in the past, and would like to get started with
contributing to Wikimedia technical spaces.
-
Participants may work on curated hackathon tasks and are also encouraged
to propose their own ideas, supported by a clear problem statement and a
proposed approach.
To encourage participation and support promising contributions, we have
scholarships to support participants' related expenses.
You can apply by filling out the form below:
Scholarship application form (Deadline: 2nd May 2026): Google form
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSej8JvGsvQ7mYmkXdUDriMrKNPajCqH4e3…>
A curated list of hackathon tasks will be shared with the selected
participants once the application review is finalized.
Further details, including the venue and program schedule, will also be
shared soon. We encourage you to follow the essential details & updates on
Meta-Wiki regarding this event.
Event Meta-Wiki page: Indic Wikimedia Hackathon Hyderabad 2026
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Indic_Wikimedia_Hackathon_Hyderabad_2026>
If you have any questions, concerns, or need any support with the
application reach out via the Meta-Wiki talk page
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Indic_Wikimedia_Hackathon…>
or email at contact(a)indicmediawikidev.org
Best regards,
Indic MediaWiki Developers User Group
Greetings Everyone,
The theme for *WikiConference India* 2026 has officially been
revealed: "Reimagining
the Knowledge Commons." - Community Leadership in an Evolving Wikimedia
Ecosystem
As we gather at Kochi this September (4th-6th), this theme feels especially
meaningful. It’s not just about maintaining and contributing to knowledge.
It's more about rethinking how knowledge is created, shared, and sustained
in the rapidly changing world. This year, we will be gathering together to
reflect, discuss, and shape the conversations around:
-
Community Leadership in the trend of AI: In a time of declining trust in
online information and the rapid rise of AI-generated content,
strengthening community-led, human-created knowledge becomes more critical
than ever.
-
Empowering regional languages and local knowledge: Reimagining the
knowledge commons is not only about tools or platforms- it is also about
leadership. It is about ensuring that regional languages, local knowledge
systems and underrepresented histories remain at the heart of the global
movement.
-
Innovative models for open-access participation: It encourages us to
think beyond traditional editing and explore new ways of participation and
knowledge creation that reflect the diversity of India and South Asia.
Quick Reminder: Apply for the travel scholarship
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2026/Scholarship> [1]
before the deadline tomorrow.
Let’s come together and be a part of the movement that shapes what comes
next for the Wikimedia ecosystem in South Asia!
Read the full announcement on Diff: [Link
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/04/10/shaping-what-comes-next-reimagining-t…>
][2]
--
*WikiConference India 2026 Organizing team *
*[1] *https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiConference_India_2026/Scholarship
[2]
https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/04/10/shaping-what-comes-next-reimagining-t…
