(This is a guest post by User:Mono.)
Round 1 of the seventh annual Wikimedia Commons Picture of the Year contest began on January 16, 2013. Wikimedians are invited to help select the most compelling image from the freely-licensed database from 2012. All 988 images that reached Featured Picture status in 2012 are in the running.
As a volunteer-led contest, Picture of the Year is run by an organizing committee of Wikimedians. Since its inception in 2006, thousands of photos from all over the world have been selected as Featured Pictures, and all of them are free for anyone in the world to reuse, remix and share. Volunteers like Rillke prepared the voting script and interface, while others like Beria Lima and Miya worked to compile the contest galleries and translate contest materials.
The first round of votes will conclude January 30, 2013 at 11:59PM UTC, and the top photo in each category in addition to the top ten photos across the board will advance to Round 2 of the competition. We encourage Wikimedians from all backgrounds and parts of the world to join our appreciation of some of the finest images on Wikimedia Commons. If you created an account before January 1, 2013 and have made at least 75 edits to any Wikimedia project, then you’re eligible to vote for your favorite pictures.
The Picture of the Year Contest is just as much about celebrating talented photographers and beautiful images as it is about celebrating those who have contributed to the cultural commons and have inspired more people to do the same. If you missed the deadline this year, please consider contributing your work today so you can participate next year.
Mono, Wikimedia Commons contributor

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