Celebrating Excellence: Amar Ekushey Article Contest 2023 Award Ceremony and Volunteer Gathering

The Amar Ekushey Article Contest 2023 Award Ceremony and Volunteer Gathering took place on June 16, 2023, at the BASIS Convention Center in Kawran Bazar, Dhaka. This remarkable event, organized by Wikimedia Bangladesh, brought together accomplished Wikipedians, mentors, and experienced users of Bengali Wikipedia to recognize outstanding contributions and foster community engagement.

Divided into two sessions, the event commenced with insightful presentations by Ahm Masum and Wikimedia Bangladesh Treasurer Masum Al Hasan Rokey. Ahm Masum’s presentation, titled “How Wikipedia brings positivity to our everyday lives by connecting world knowledge” emphasized the profound impact Wikipedia has on our collective understanding. Masum Al Hasan Rokey presented a comparative analysis of this year’s competition with previous years, shedding light on its growth and achievements. The first session also provided an opportunity for participants and reviewers to share their experiences and perspectives.

The second session featured an engaging presentation by Ankan Ghosh Dastider, who introduced the community to the new features and functions of the Growth Feature. With a focus on benefiting new Wikipedians, Ankan Ghosh Dastider highlighted the upcoming enhancements and explained how they can contribute to a more enriching experience. The event culminated in an open discussion, where challenges faced by newcomers to Bengali Wikipedia were addressed, and strategies to overcome them were proposed. Notably, women Wikipedians brought attention to the unique family and social hurdles faced by Bengali women in volunteering for Wikipedia.

The Amar Ekushey Article Contest is an annual competition hosted by Wikimedia Bangladesh, held in celebration of Language Month. The contest invites all Bengali speakers to participate, with the aim of expanding existing short articles and improving the overall quality of content on Bengali Wikipedia. While the contest primarily focused on creating new articles in previous years, since 2021, the focus has shifted to upgrading existing articles. This change was made to address the significant number of incomplete articles on Bengali Wikipedia, ensuring a more comprehensive and reliable resource for readers.

The contest ran from February 1st to April 7th, receiving an overwhelming response with over 800 registrations. Throughout the competition, a total of 200 articles underwent substantial improvements. To be eligible for the contest, contributors were required to translate complete articles from English to Bengali. Consequently, a review process led to the acceptance of 97 articles for the contest, performed by a team of experienced Wikipedians.

Let’s take a glance at the remarkable results achieved in the contest:

• First place: BEnjOhiR (added 45,584 words)
• Second place: মোহাম্মদ হাসানুর রশিদ (added 35,023 words)
• Third place: Milandeep Sarkar (added 26,388 words)

Throughout the process of organizing the competition, we gained valuable insights and experiences. One of the most rewarding aspects is the consistent influx of new Wikipedians each year, and this edition was no exception. We are thrilled to witness the growing participation of women contestants in this year’s competition, surpassing previous records. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all the participants, reviewers, and the entire community for their indispensable contributions, which played a pivotal role in making the event a resounding success.

Photos of the event can be found in this Commons category.