Resources for celebrating Wikipedia’s 25th birthday

January 15, 2026 will mark Wikipedia’s 25th birthday. It is an extraordinary milestone that Wikimedia communities plan to celebrate throughout 2026. 

To support these festivities, the Communications department at the Wikimedia Foundation is adding several resources to the Wikipedia 25 Meta-Wiki hub. 

These resources include a visual system to mark this milestone. It is inspired by the humble jigsaw puzzle piece, which has starred in the Wikipedia puzzle globe since 2003 and was the central motif of the Wikipedia 10 celebrations in 2011. We’re really excited to bring it back for the 25th birthday. 

The visual system resources are intended for wide use and adaptation. It features templates and guidelines that folks can take to build new logos, presentations, social media posts, Zoom backgrounds, posters, illustrations, and more. 

The icon system uses small puzzle pieces like “pixels” to illustrate simple drawings. We’re starting with 24 icons and plan to release guidelines and tools for people to make their own. For Wikipedia 20, we created around 30 icons and were delighted to see volunteers make more than 100 more. 

In our communications, we’re using “Knowledge is Human” and “25 years of humanity at its best” as two central statements. These build on messaging we’ve had success with to explain what sets Wikipedia apart from an ever-changing, and increasingly AI-driven internet. 

We’re also announcing a grant program to allow communities to host Wikipedia 25 parties. The first round of applications will be due on November 1 so that approved grants can begin in January 2026. 

Wikipedia 15 and Wikipedia 20 were moments of considerable global interest in our movement. We saw hundreds of press articles, thousands of personal thank yous, and millions of visits to birthday sites. Now reaching 25 years of free knowledge, it feels like we’ve reached an even grander milestone. Let’s make this our biggest celebration yet!