Farm to Plate: Celebrating the International Prize Winners of Wiki Loves Africa 2025

The Wiki Loves Africa international contest in 2025 reached its climax with the announcement of the global prize winners, marking the culmination of months of storytelling, documentation, and community collaboration across the African continent.

Under the theme “Farm to Plate”, Wiki Loves Africa 2025 invited photographers, videographers, and audio storytellers to document the journey of food; from cultivation and harvesting to processing, transportation, markets, and the meals shared at our tables. The result was a rich collection of openly licensed media that preserves Africa’s agricultural knowledge, food cultures, and lived experiences for the world to learn from on Wikimedia Commons.

The 2025 edition saw the continued strength of Wiki Loves Africa’s community-led model. With the support of international organizers, local community organizers, ambassadors, and volunteers, the campaign mobilized contributors across multiple countries, languages, and cultural contexts. Their collective efforts ensured that diverse agricultural practices, food systems, and traditions were represented with authenticity and care.

Over 30,000 media files (images, videos, and audio recordings) were submitted, documenting farmers at work, traditional and modern food processing methods, bustling markets, and everyday food practices that are often underrepresented online.

The international jury for Wiki Loves Africa 2025 which comprises of professionals with experience in photography, video, audio, and storytelling from across the continent and the diaspora, carefully reviewed shortlisted submissions based on visual quality, storytelling strength, relevance, technical execution, and alignment with the theme – Farm to Plate.

After rigorous deliberation, the jury selected the following international prize winners.

Photography Prizes

The winning photograph offers a mesmerizing aerial perspective of one of Lagos’ busiest tomato markets. At first glance, the scene resembles pixels in a digital mosaic — crates and barrels forming vibrant geometric patterns. But look closer, and life emerges: the cardinal red glow of ripened tomatoes, the bursts of colour from traders’ clothing, and the dynamic movement of buyers and sellers navigating the paths between sacks and crates of produce. This striking image perfectly embodies the Farm to Plate theme, revealing both the scale and rhythm of Africa’s food economy.

“This photograph immediately draws you in because it’s so different, you instantly become curious and ask ‘what’s this?’, then it all makes sense and you are left with ‘wow, what wonder!” — Bea de los Arcos, International Photography Jury

Bathed in the pale light of early morning, an elderly Egyptian farmer sits astride his first corn harvest of the day, borne by a donkey, making his way along a dirt path. Dressed in a white thobe, his figure is framed by diagonal rays of light and soft, delicate shadow beneath him.  It’s a moment of quiet dignity — an intimate glimpse into the enduring rituals of agricultural life and the unbroken connection between land, labour, and sustenance. 

“One photograph is always worth a thousand words.” —  Ahmed Mahmoud Abdulazim

This powerful image plunges viewers into the dusty haze of a rural rice mill, where workers manually process grains by hand.  The landscape seems almost barren — a sunbaked desert in a mirage of heat — but here life reveals itself in the quiet choreography of survival. Their labour — grinding, winnowing, sifting — reflects the hands-on realities of traditional African food production. Rice is milled by hand in a process as ancient as it is essential. The image honours the unseen steps that transform harvests into sustenance, capturing both the effort and dignity woven into Africa’s food systems. It is a raw, textured tribute to craft and community.

“For me, it was about capturing life as it truly is — not staged or forced, but raw and real. That honesty is the story.” — Obinna Matthew

Video Prizes

In the reportage video Le voyage de l’atoukpou by N’ZIMA Ahiba Akesseh Juste Fabrice, viewers are invited into the rhythms, rituals, and flavours of Côte d’Ivoire. The short film traces the journey of atoukpou — a beloved traditional dish — from harvest to preparation to the shared joy of eating. Through tender, attentive storytelling, the video captures both the craft of food-making and the communal heritage and identity woven into it.

“[Wiki Loves Africa] gives us, as local actors, the freedom to tell and share our own story. What is ours.” —  Juste Fabrice

In “Corn to Corn Flour Meal”, two-time winner Saalyha Eeman transforms a simple staple into an evocative story of generational sensory memory. Through lyrical narration and tender visuals, the short film follows the life of corn — from planting and harvesting to roasting at the farm and finally grinding it into meal. It’s a meditation on family, tradition, and the unseen work behind every plate of food.

“The day of production came and everyone was involved,” Saalyha recalls. “My siblings washed the corn while I recorded. It was beautiful as we worked together to tell our story.”

In just one breathtaking minute, the winning clip video sweeps viewers across a 10,000-hectare rice farm, offering a bird’s-eye perspective on the early stages of food production. Set to a carefully chosen, dramatic soundtrack, the aerial footage transforms fields and waterways into a visual symphony — a celebration of nature’s abundance and the human hands that transform the land into systems that can feed nations.

“It made me see the farm not just as a place of work, but as the starting point of every meal.” — Sulaiman Yahuza

Audio Prize

The audio prize for Wiki Loves Africa 2025 was won by BorisAhonon with audio file Fabrication de l’attiéké which documents the full process of attiéké (a popular Ivorian dish) production in Côte d’Ivoire, capturing each stages involved in the transformation of cassava into the final, ready-to-eat attiéké. It highlights the traditional knowledge, tools, and techniques involved at every step, including peeling, fermenting, pressing, sieving, and steaming, while also reflecting the cultural and economic importance of attiéké as a staple food in Ivorian communities.

As we celebrate the 2025 international prize winners, preparations are already underway for Wiki Loves Africa 2026 under the theme Rites and Rituals. The community remains committed to expanding participation, improving representation, and deepening the impact of open knowledge across the continent.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and gratitude to every contributor, ambassador, juror, and organizer who made Wiki Loves Africa 2025 a success.