The scholarships are what they are: scholarships, not ticket to heaven.

Many factors go into approving an application for scholarships. Plus, hundreds if not thousands apply for the scholarships every year. NOT everyone can be accepted. Neither will everyone be rejected.

Some will need to go this year. Others will have to wait on the turn (assuming they check all the application requirement boxes) Unfortunately, this year, Nigeria couldn't win a scholarship slot. That's unfortunate but NOT demoralising, I think. It's not as if anyone promised you a scholarship...

To say it's 'demoralising' is a strong word to use here. How is it demoralising? No one has guaranteed anyone of a scholarship should they edit Wikipedia or not.

If because you didn't get the scholarship, and you think that's demoralising and wish to stop contributing to Wikipedia, that's in your hands. However, such an approach will defeat the whole purpose behind contributing to Wikipedia.

We don't contribute to Wikipedia because we want scholarship. Rather, it's primarily for the love of contributing to the freeness and openness of knowledge globally.

Nigeria isn't the only country in the world, nor the country without a representation this year at wikimania. That doesn't mean a country representing is better than Nigeria. It simply means, there're fewer slots than the scholarship grant can handle.

Forget about demoralisation! Help improve knowledge freely and openly. I find that to be of more concern than anything at the moment.

I'll recommend we work on meeting the application criteria from now until next year and hope to be called for scholarship. Even if then we're still not called, keep making the world a better place with free knowledge.