From 21 to 25 July, Paris hosted the 21st edition of Wikimania, the annual gathering that brings together the global Wikimedia community to share experiences, discuss the movement’s challenges and continue to shape the future of free knowledge.
Under the slogan “Liberté, Équité, Fiabilité” (Freedom, Equity and Reliability), Wikimania 2026 addressed some of the major challenges facing Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects: artificial intelligence, disinformation, governance, open education, the preservation of knowledge and the strengthening of communities.
From Wikimedia Spain, Rubén Ojeda, Project Manager, and Jorge Jaramillo, a member of the organisation, took part in this event and share with us some of the lessons learnt and experiences they have brought back from Paris.
“Taking part in Wikimania 2026 was an enriching experience, and I would particularly highlight the opportunity to reconnect with Wikimedians from all over the world. The workshops, talks and informal discussions provided new ideas and perspectives to apply within our community, as well as for future projects. Attending Wikimania reinforces the sense of belonging to the Wikimedia movement and reaffirms the value of the work we do, especially at a time when the development of AI poses significant challenges.” Rubén Ojeda.
“Wikimania 2026 was a truly inspiring experience. The highlights for me were meeting brilliant people from across the global community, taking part in the AI and Commons pre-conferences where a large number of Wikipedians collaborate to improve the tools we use, and listening to the moving opening speech by Mariya Gabriel from UNESCO, whom I had the honour of photographing and whose image ended up illustrating UNESCO’s official article on the event. A great example of teamwork, built piece by piece.” Jorge Jaramillo.
A meeting place for learning and sharing
Wikimania is much more than just a conference. Over five days, more than 3,000 people took part, either in person or online, in a wide-ranging programme of talks, workshops, panels and meetings. Find out more about Wikimania 2026 and its initial discussions.
The content was organised into different areas, including artificial intelligence, technology, education, GLAM, research, governance and strategy. This diversity enables people with very different backgrounds and experiences to find opportunities to learn, exchange knowledge and explore new forms of collaboration.
For Wikimedia Spain, taking part in this kind of event is also an opportunity to link our community’s work to the global debates within the Wikimedia movement and to bring back new ideas, tools and insights that can contribute to our projects.
The major challenges facing open knowledge
One of the key themes at Wikimania 2026 in Paris was artificial intelligence. The rise of AI-generated content raises new questions about how information is produced, verified and consumed online. Read the reflections on freedom, fairness and reliability from Wikimania 2026.
Against this backdrop, Wikimania highlighted what sets Wikimedia projects apart: collaboratively built knowledge, verifiability, sources, and the work of communities that review and improve content.
The conference also addressed how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve linguistic diversity and how to ensure that communities – particularly those whose knowledge has historically been under-represented online – can participate in decisions about how that knowledge is documented and shared. Discover some of the experiences shared on linguistic diversity at Wikimania 2026.
Free knowledge is also built by communities
One of the lessons to be learnt from Wikimania is that the future of Wikimedia does not depend solely on technology. People and communities remain at the heart of it all.
The event provided an opportunity to learn about projects, initiatives and tools developed in different parts of the world, as well as to share experiences on participation, education, heritage and collaboration.
In this regard, the presence of members of Wikimedia Spain at Wikimania helps to strengthen ties with other communities and organisations and to identify opportunities for collaboration that will enable us to continue expanding access to free knowledge.
From Paris to the wider Wikimedia movement
The programme began with a day of pre-conference events dedicated to specialised meetings and forums, such as the WikiWomen+ Summit, the Creative Commons Salon and sessions focusing on artificial intelligence, climate change, data integrity and community capacity-building.
At the same time, Wikimedia France hosted the launch of the White Book “Towards a Society of the Commons”, initiated by this chapter, at the National Archives of France.
The proposal aims to strengthen the role of digital commons through measures relating to the transparency of data used to train AI systems, the protection of the public domain, media literacy and the protection of individuals who contribute to collaborative free knowledge projects.
These forums highlight the importance of also participating in broader discussions on public policy, technology, culture and access to knowledge.
25 years of Wikipedia and a community that continues to grow
Wikimania 2026 was also held in a particularly significant year: Wikipedia is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
The celebrations were a feature throughout the event, with activities that highlighted the history and, above all, the thousands of people who have made it possible for Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects to continue growing. One highlight, for example, was the assembly of a gigantic 944-piece jigsaw puzzle in the shape of the Wikipedia globe. This activity symbolised the collective effort of volunteers around the world to build the free encyclopaedia.
During the opening ceremony, the ‘Wikimedian of the Year’ awards were presented, recognising outstanding contributions from the community and putting a face to the voluntary work that sustains the movement.
There was also time to celebrate community projects, tools and innovative initiatives, reminding us that behind every article, image, piece of data or shared resource there is a community that dedicates its time and knowledge to building something that can be used by everyone. Discover the projects and moments that marked the final day of Wikimania 2026.
What we’ve learnt from Wikimedia Spain
Taking part in Wikimania means, above all, coming away with new questions, ideas and a desire to carry on working.
The Paris event once again demonstrated the Wikimedia movement’s ability to bring together people from very different backgrounds around a common goal: to make knowledge more accessible, free, reliable and diverse.
At Wikimedia Spain, we will continue to work to share these insights with our community, strengthen partnerships and encourage participation in Wikimedia projects. Because events like Wikimania remind us that free knowledge is a global endeavour, but it is also built by every community, every region and every individual who chooses to contribute.
Thank you to Rubén Ojeda, Jorge Jaramillo and all the members of Wikimedia Spain who took part in Wikimania 2026 in Paris, for representing and enriching our community at this event.
Paris was the meeting point. Now it is time to keep building.
Wikimania 2027
The next Wikimania will take place in Santiago, Chile, in 2027. It will be another opportunity to continue sharing experiences, insights and projects relating to free knowledge.
See you in Santiago!
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