The Bangla Wikivoyage Article Contest 2024 will go down in history as a groundbreaking event for the Bengali Wikimedia community. Organized for the first time in celebration of World Tourism Day, this contest has not only showcased the potential of Bangla Wikivoyage—an underrepresented Wikimedia project—but also demonstrated the incredible power of collaboration within the Wikimedia community. What started as a challenge turned into an inspiring success story.
At the outset, we weren’t sure if we could pull it off. Even two days before the contest, we were not sure if funding would be approved in time. But, as fate would have it, grant approval arrived just one day before the competition was set to begin. The organizing team worked tirelessly—pulling an all-nighter to get everything ready. It was a stressful start, but their dedication paid off in ways beyond our wildest expectations.
A special shout-out to DerHexer for creating the central notice banner on such short notice, which played a critical role in turning Wikimedia readers into active contributors.
Achievements Beyond Expectations
Despite the challenges of last-minute preparation, the contest achieved results far beyond its original goals. Our initial target was 50 new articles, but by the end of the contest, that number had skyrocketed to over 1,000 articles—more than twentyfold the original goal! Here are some highlights from this incredible achievement:
- Articles Created: The number of Bangla Wikivoyage articles grew from 940 to 2,054.
- Participants: A total of 355 users expressed interest in participating, with 76 contributors submitting articles, 71 of whom were newcomers.
- Growth in Word Count: Prior to the contest, Bangla Wikivoyage had only 0.47 million words. By the end, that number jumped to an astounding 41 million words!
Perhaps most impressively, Bangla Wikivoyage moved up in the global rankings from 19th to 13th place among Wikivoyage projects. This is no small feat on a rapidly growing online platform like Wikimedia.
Empowering New Contributors
One of the key goals of the contest was to make it accessible to as many people as possible, especially newcomers. To achieve this, the organizers prepared tutorial videos on how to contribute to Bangla Wikivoyage, and we provided live support through a Telegram group.
A special thanks to RiazACU for creating a mobile-friendly tutorial video, which proved to be an invaluable resource for contributors who primarily use mobile devices. Most of the contributors from the Bangla Wikimedia community use mobile devices for contributing. This approach ensured that anyone who wanted to contribute felt welcomed and empowered, regardless of their experience or the device they were using.
Publishing Results in Record Time
Publishing the results after reviewing a large number of articles was a very difficult task. However, thanks to the dedication of the jury panel, we were able to publish the results in just seven days. This incredible turnaround time was possible only because of the tireless work of the eight jurors, who reviewed over 1,000 articles with efficiency and care.
In particular, we’d like to give special recognition to Moheen Reeyad, who reviewed the highest number of articles. Without the collaborative efforts of the entire jury panel, this contest would not have been as successful. Our heartfelt thanks go out to each and every one of you!
Top Contributors
The success of the contest wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of its 76 participants. Here are the top three contributors, whose dedication and passion played a pivotal role in the contest’s success:
- Iqbal Hossain (First Place)
- Delwar Hossain (Second Place)
- Muhammad Riyad (Third Place)
Iqbal Hossain contributed a staggering 425,177 words and created 94 articles. Delwar Hossain contributed 330,796 words across 145 articles, securing second place with the highest article count. Muhammad Riyad contributed 224916 words and created 114 articles. Their efforts have set a high standard for future contests, and we are grateful for their incredible contributions.
What’s Next?
The success of this contest has proven that even the lesser-known Wikimedia projects have immense potential when given the right support and resources. Moving forward, we plan to organize more events like this to maintain the engagement within the community and increase the visibility of Bangla Wikivoyage.
We’ll also continue to create new resources, such as tutorial videos, and develop tools to assist contributors in their journey. As we continue to grow, we look forward to seeing even more contributions and further strengthening the Bangla Wikivoyage community.
Acknowledgments
The Bangla Wikivoyage Article Contest 2024 would not have been the success it was without the contributions of the participants, mentors, and organizers. Thanks to the Wikimedia Foundation for sponsoring the project, to the eight jurors for their incredible effort, and to the many experienced community members who provided real-time support in the Telegram group.
Lastly, our deepest gratitude goes to every participant who helped propel Bangla Wikivoyage to new heights. Your contributions have made a lasting impact, and we can’t wait to continue this journey with you.
Let’s keep exploring the road ahead—together!
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