Dear Wikimedians,

I hope this email finds you well.

I am excited to share with you the amazing results and statistics of the 2023 Wiki Loves Africa contest. Wiki Loves Africa https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Africa_2023 aims to celebrate the richness, diversity and beauty of Africa by encouraging participants and contributors to upload their media to Wikimedia Commons for subsequent use on Wikipedia.

The 2023 iteration of the project, which ran from 1st March to 30th April with the theme *Climate & Weather*, received an overwhelming response, with a total https://ptools.toolforge.org/uploadersincat.php?category=Images+from+Wiki+Loves+Africa+2023 of *13,385* submissions from* 785* uploaders representing *53 African countries https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Images_from_Wiki_Loves_Africa_2023*. It's been truly inspiring to witness the continental response to the concept of climate and weather as it concerns Africa through this initiative.

Today, we are excited to announce the *winning media entries https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Africa_2023/Winners*, which were selected by our esteemed panel of judges. Also, this year, we introduced a Video jury (first ever in the Wikimedia space) to help us select the winning uploads for the various video categories.

*The International prizes:*

*Photography:* *1st prize:* US$2000 - Auyo village flood by Sani Maikatanga https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Auyo_village_flood_06.jpg (Nigeria) *2nd prize:* US$1500 - Stormy day in somalia by Mohamed Nasr https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stormy_day_in_somalia.jpg (Somalia) *3rd prize:* US$1000 - Kids and the river by Mohammed Osman https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kids_and_the_river.jpg (Sudan)

*Media (Video, Audio, Graphics, Photo Essays):* *Best audio :* US$ 750 - Change Immersion by Abdullahi Tanimu Abubakar https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Change-immersion.ogg (Nigeria) *Best video prize :* US$ 1,000 - GOOD YESTERDAYS WIKI LOVES AFRICA 2023 by Green Wilfred Somoni https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GOOD_YESTERDAYS_WIKI_LOVES_AFRICA_2023_By_Green_Wilfred_Somoni.webm (Nigeria) *Africa Environment Video Prize* (Best video representation of the impact of climate change) : US$ 2,000 - Last Stand by Alamin Mohammed https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Last_Stand.webm *Africa Environment Special Collection Prize:* Collection of 13 videos by Wiki Loves Africa Fan Club Cote d'Ivoire https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wiki_Loves_Africa_2023_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire_Fan_Club

*Useful links:*

Click to see best photos from the contest https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Best_images_from_Wiki_Loves_Africa_2023 .

Click to view Quality photos from the contest https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Quality_images_from_Wiki_Loves_Africa_2023 .

Click to see the Top 20 photo considerations from the contest. https://youtu.be/njrJyQwLeBI?feature=shared

Click to view the National winners from several local contests. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Africa_2023/National_winners

On a final note, we would like to acknowledge the support of all our partners, jury, organizers and volunteers whose tireless efforts, assistance and contributions made this year's contest a success. We are immensely grateful for your dedication and passion to supporting Wiki Loves Africa. We look forward to your continued participation in future endeavors.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please do not hesitate to reach out via wilson@wikiinafrica.org. Thank you once again for your interest and support.

Warm regards,

*Wilson*

On behalf of the International team Wiki Loves Africa