This press release is also available online here:
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Wikipedia_receives_Spai…
And as a blog post here:
https://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/06/17/princess-of-asturias-award/
Wikipedia receives Spain’s Princess of Asturias Award for International
Cooperation
- Prestigious award recognizes contributions to universal human heritage
The Princess of Asturias Foundation has announced that it is awarding
Wikipedia the 2015 Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation
<http://www.fpa.es/en/princess-of-asturias-awards/laureates/2015-wikipedia.html?especifica=0>.
The Princess of Asturias Awards (English
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_of_Asturias_Awards>, Spanish
<https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premios_Princesa_de_Asturias>), previously
known as Prince of Asturias Awards, recognize scientific, cultural and
social achievements that form part of the universal heritage of humanity.
“On behalf of our global community of Wikimedians, we are deeply honored to
accept this prestigious award,” said Jan-Bart de Vreede, Chair of the
Wikimedia Foundation’s Board of Trustees. “The Princess of Asturias Awards
recognize achievements and organizations that celebrate and advance our
shared human heritage. As a collective project of shared human knowledge,
we are honored Wikipedia has been recognized today.”
Presented in eight different categories ranging from Arts to International
Cooperation, the Princess of Asturias Awards are considered to be amongst
the most important honors in the world, especially in the Spanish-speaking
world. These awards are intended to acknowledge exemplary and
internationally recognized cultural, scientific and social achievements.
“Wikipedia is an incredible project that has been created by millions of
people from around the world. We are honored to be recognized in the
category of international cooperation, which is at the heart of our
mission,” said Lila Tretikov, executive director at the Wikimedia
Foundation. “This award honors those volunteers—the editors, photographers,
writers, and developers—who make Wikipedia possible.”
Wikipedia is one of the most popular knowledge resources in the world and
is read by nearly half a billion people every month. Today, it offers more
than 35 million articles in 288 languages, including a number of indigenous
languages, all written by volunteers around the world. It represents nearly
fifteen years of cooperation, more than by millions of people around the
world,
According to the jury
<http://www.fpa.es/en/princess-of-asturias-awards/laureates/2015-wikipedia.html?texto=acta&especifica=0>
of the Princess of Asturias Awards, Wikipedia is an “important example of
international, democratic, open and participatory cooperation—to which
thousands of people of all nationalities contribute selflessly—that has
managed to make universal knowledge available to everyone along similar
lines to those achieved by the encyclopedic spirit of the 18th century.”
"Cooperation is what Wikipedia is all about, and it is a tremendous honor
to be recognized by the Princess of Asturias Awards,” said Jimmy Wales,
founder of Wikipedia. “I hope this inspires more people to become involved
in the mission to share in the sum of all knowledge with the world."
Previous recipients of the Princess of Asturias Award for International
Cooperation include the Fulbright Program, the International Red Cross, the
World Health Organization, Al Gore, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and others.
The ceremony of the Princess of Asturias Awards will take place in Oviedo,
Spain, on the 23rd of October, under the presidency of H.M. King Felipe VI
of Spain. The Prize comprises a Joan Miro sculpture symbolizing the award
and a cash prize of 50,000 euros.
About the Wikimedia Foundation
-
https://wikimediafoundation.org
-
https://blog.wikimedia.org/
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia consists of more than 34
million articles in 288 languages. Every month, tens of thousands of active
volunteers contribute to Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects. With
nearly half a billion monthly users, projects operated by the Wikimedia
Foundation are one of the most popular web properties in the world. Based
in San Francisco, California, the Wikimedia Foundation is a 501(c)(3)
charity that is funded primarily through donations and grants.
Wikimedia Foundation Press Contact
Katherine Maher
-
+1 415-839-6885 ext 6633
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press[image: @]wikimedia.org
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*Juliet Barbara*
Senior Communications Manager I Wikimedia Foundation
149 New Montgomery Street I San Francisco, CA 94105
jbarbara(a)wikimedia.org I +1 (512) 750-5677