(This release is also posted at https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Wikimania_comes_to_Washi... )

*Wikimania, the global Wikimedia/Wikipedia conference, comes to Washington, DC, July 12-14, 2012*

WASHINGTON, DC -- May 30, 2012 -- Wikimania 2012 is coming to Washington, DC, this summer. Wikimania has been, since 2005, the premier annual international gathering of the Wikimedia community, including experts, academics, and enthusiasts whose vision is to empower people around the world through free access to global knowledge. Wikimania has been previously held in Frankfurt, Germany; Boston, Mass.; Taipei, Taiwan; Alexandria, Egypt; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Gdańsk, Poland; and Haifa, Israel. Expected attendance this year is 1000+ global participants.

*WIKIMANIA’S OPENING SESSION* On July 12, Wikimania’s opening session will feature Mary Gardiner, co-founder of the Ada Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing participation among women in open technology and culture; and Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, the world’s largest online encyclopedia with over 21million articles in 285 languages.

*WIKIMANIA PROGRAM* The theme this year is “Explore. Engage. Empower.” More than 100 presentations out of 400 global submissions have been selected. Presentations are divided into five categories: Wikis, Collaboration, and the Public Sector; GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, & Museums); Culture & Community; Research, Analysis, and Education; and Technology & Infrastructure. More information is available at www.wikimania2012.org.

*WHERE*

George Washington University, Foggy Bottom Campus

Plenary Sessions: Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St NW

Breakout Sessions: Marvin Center, 800 21st St NW

*WHEN* Wikimania Hackathon: July 10-11,

Conference: July 12-14,

Unconference: July 15

*PARTNERS & COLLABORATORS* Wikimania 2012 is organized by Wikimedia District of Columbia in partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia Deutschland. Collaborators for Wikimania 2012 include the US Department of State, Office of eDiplomacy; the Library of Congress; and the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

*SPONSORS* Wikimania 2012 is sponsored by Google, Ask.com, Wikia, WikiHow, The Saylor Foundation, The Lounsbery Foundation, and the Encyclopedia of Life. Irene Lynch, a 78-year-old great grandmother from New Jersey, is also a sponsor.

*PRESS PASSES* Press passes are available. Journalists interested in obtaining Press Credentials should contact press@wikimediadc.org.

*About Wikimedia DC*

http://wikimediadc.org/ http://http//wikimediadc.org/ Wikimedia District of Columbia is the official regional chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation in the District, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware. A non-profit educational organization, Wikimedia DC is dedicated to the advancement of general knowledge and the collection, development, and dissemination of educational content under a free license or in the public domain.

*About the Wikimedia Foundation*

http://wikimediafoundation.org

http://blog.wikimedia.org

The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. According to comScore Media Metrix, Wikipedia and the other projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation receive more than 473 million unique visitors per month, making them the fifth-most popular web property world-wide (comScore, April 2012). Available in 282 languages, Wikipedia contains more than 20 million articles contributed by a global volunteer community of more than 100,000 people. Based in San Francisco, California, the Wikimedia Foundation is an audited, 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily through donations and grants.

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*Press contact* Nicholas Michael BashourPhone: (313) 377-4589, press@wikimediadc.org