What began as a competition slowly transformed into something far more meaningful — a true team effort.
We first crossed paths as competitors in the Iraqi Wikimedia contest 2024. Abdulsalam claimed first place, I followed in second, Rafal came in third, and Ayat placed fourth. Yet beyond the rankings, something stronger was forming: shared passion, and a love for free knowledge.
Instead of parting ways, we chose to move forward together, to keep writing, keep building, and continue our journey as one team by joining The Wiki Collections Competition.
Organized by the UAE Wikimedia Group, the competition brought together contributors from across the region to document archaeological and heritage collections — from coins and banknotes to stamps, postcards, newspapers, and magazines — across Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons.
For us, this was never just another challenge. It was an opportunity to represent Iraq on a regional stage and to share the depth of our country’s history, culture, and identity with the world.
The competition spanned an entire year and was divided into two rounds:
- First round: October 1, 2024 – February 1, 2025
- Second round: May 1, 2025 – August 1, 2025
Day after day, we worked side by side researching carefully, verifying sources, writing thoughtfully, and uploading images on wiki commons that help preserve our shared heritage for future generations. You can see all our articles added here to Arabic wikipedia,
Some of our postage stamps we uploaded to wiki commons
Our teamwork truly paid off. We proudly secured second place in both rounds, a result that reflected not just our effort, but our unity.More than awards or rankings, this journey stands as a story of friendship, collaboration, and the power of a shared purpose.
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