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Wikipedia Launches Photo Contest

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia will be having a worldwide photo contest so that it can add the free photos that are visible in WikiMedia Commons for illustrating Wikipedia stories.

The contest that has been named as Wiki Loves Monuments 2012 focuses primarily on historic photos, says VentureBeat.

"Wiki Loves Monuments is an important way for volunteers around the world to showcase the cultural heritage in their countries and share these images with everyone through Wikipedia," Lodewijk Gelauff, one of founders of the first Wiki Loves Monuments photo contest in 2010, said.

The contest was also held last year with 168,000 photos being uploaded by nearly 5,000 photographers from 18 European countries. This time around, the number has gone up to 30 and organizers are hopeful they will surpass that figure from last year.

Though Wikipedia Commons is one of the world's largest repositories for free usable images, there are major gaps, according to Gelauff. It has 13.6 million media files.

"By uploading your photos you are sharing our national heritage with everybody in America and in the rest of the world," Peter Ekman, national coordinator for the U.S. contest, said. "The photos will be free to use, and free of cost, forever," 

The photos that will be submitted will all be added to Commons and anyone can use it with photographer being credited. Early December will see the announcement of ten finalists and one prize winner, who will get to go to Hong Kong for a photo tour that will coincide with Wikimania 2013.

Google Play offers a Wikimedia app that lets contestants to locate and upload photographs from Android-based handhelds.

Countries that are participating include, India, Russia, South Africa Argentina, the Philippines, and Brazil, plus all of North America and almost all of Europe said VentureBeat.

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