On 11 November 2013 at 12:45:31 Richard Nevell <richard.nevell@wikimedia.org.uk> wrote:

> Hi everyone,

If there are volunteers interested in taking the lead on this, Wikimedia UK
are prepared to provide prize(s) and people outside the UK would be
eligible.

It's encouraging to see discussion about how to make the competition work.

Richard

Well, I have a rough page set up for this at Wikisource:-

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Wikisource:Tenth_Anniversary_Contest

I just need to know what Wikimedia UK is expecting here and what I should write for the prize(s) information.

The initial idea was to award an e-reader to the winner (one that can read EPUBs, like a Kobo, which Wikisource produces directly).  On the Wikisource mailing list some have said that this will put off entrants because those that lag behind, or don't join on, the first day have no incentive to continue.  Amazon vouchers were suggested.  There are possibilities for alternative prizes on top of just the straight winner (such as best in day/week, best on a particular text, etc).

So, what sort of prizes does WMUK have in mind and are there any opinions on the prize-winning system (which does depend on the number of prizes).

Also, is there anything WMUK can do to help promote this?

The contest is supposed to start this Sunday (the project launched on 24 Nov 2003).

Some extra notes: This is, again, a bit late notice and arranged in a hurry.  I think it will work but, if nothing else, it will at least provide experience for any later competitions (such as the 2015 en.ws anniversary).  The original idea was for just a week-long contest; currently I've set it for a full month but I'm thinking of splitting the difference at a fortnight. I've arranged for ten texts to form the competition, covering a few different areas and interests; most were already on Wikisource to start with but remain unfinished or unstarted.  I've added some very basic guidance to the page, hopefully this makes sense to non-Wikisourcers but I would appreciate someone checking it.

- Adam