The best videos of natural heritage sites from Wiki Loves Earth 2024!📹
In 2024, Wiki Loves Earth International presented a new special nomination “Video”. Wikipedia articles can be illustrated not only with photos but also with videos, which allows uploaders to showcase natural heritage sites broadly from different perspectives.
In this special nomination, we recognize videos depicting natural monuments worldwide among the participating countries (this nomination was optional for the local organizers).
For more details about this nomination, check this page on Wikimedia Commons.
As a result, we received eight videos from Serbia, Ghana, Ukraine, and Wales, which were evaluated by the three jury members:
- Yılmaz Caner Özyayikci (Turkey; graphic designer, Media Contributor of the Year 2024, Wikimedia contributor).
- Arjun Suri (India; filmmaker and photographer, formerly a main WLE jury team member).
- Saddam Husein (Indonesia; professional documentary photographer/videographer focusing on environmental issues).
Check the post for the full information about the jurors on Instagram.
After a review by the organizing team and the round of jury evaluation, we have the best videos of the natural heritage sites that we are ready to present!
1st place
The first place goes to a series of three videos that showcase the wonderful natural heritage of Ukrainian protected areas.
Fauna of the Seretsky Hydrological Reserve. Ternopil region, Ukraine.
[Video by Liubomyr Matviyiv, CC BY-SA 4.0.]
One of the jurors, Arjun Suri, commented on this video: “It gave me a sense of the entire mood and feel of the area and walked me through the visuals in a very engaging way. The shots were also well composed and edited together really well”.
Yılmaz Caner Özyayikci added: “The sounds and images are magnificent. It is possible to learn the bio-life in the region quickly in a very short time with this video”.
A big bird on the ice. Chystyliv Sanctuary, Ternopil region, Ukraine.
[Video by Liubomyr Matviyiv, CC BY-SA 4.0.]
Jury member Saddam Husein marked: “The shooting techniques and sound effects are also good. And what I captured seemed to depict a valley of death because there was not a single green plant there”.
Yılmaz Caner Özyayikci commented: “The sounds and images are beautiful. It portrays the life of an animal in the area while also providing information about the environment”.
A pair of blue fishermen birds (Coraciiformes). Ternopil region, Ukraine.
[Video by Liubomyr Matviyiv, CC BY-SA 4.0.]
Yılmaz Caner Özyayikci shared his thoughts: “The view is quite beautiful. It provides information about wildlife”.
Arjun Suri added: “I really enjoyed this one. A concise yet beautiful narrative composed well, exposed just right, and trimmed to the perfect length”.
2nd place
The second place goes to a video filmed in the Golija Nature Park in Serbia, which showcases a stunning bird’s-eye view of the mountain in this protected area.
[Video by MarkoDekic, CC BY-SA 4.0.]
The jury team notes the good imagery of the video and its wide perspective.
3rd place
The third place goes to a video created based on footage shot on holiday in the summer of 2021. It demonstrates the beauty of a protected area in Ukraine — Dzharylhach Island.
This protected area is a special case — it’s currently under Russian occupation and facing significant threats. This video was filmed before the full-scale invasion and shows a peaceful nature monument.
[Video by Dima Trofimchuk, CC BY-SA 4.0.]
“Some very nice shots in here. Appreciate the effort the videographer took to tell a story through images and sound.” – commented juror Arjun Suri.
Yılmaz Caner Özyayikci added: “It’s nice that the sounds are from their natural regions. I can say that the images are also beautiful”.
Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone who has shown their interest in showcasing the natural heritage in such an interesting way. We are looking forward to seeing more beautiful videos next year!
🏆We will organise the Wiki Loves Earth 2024 Award Ceremony to celebrate this year’s winnings.
When and where? 19th December, at 14 UTC in Zoom.
Check the time with your local timezone.
If you want to participate, please register by filling out this short form, and we will send you an invitation.
Check the main and awaited final top 20 winners of Wiki Loves Earth 2024 on wikilovesearth.org.
Follow the contest on our channels to keep up with updates:
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