Wikimania 2024 in Poland celebrates global volunteers who make Wikipedia and sister projects possible

Katowice, Poland - Taking place in Katowice, Poland, from 7 - 10 August, Wikimania 2024 is the nineteenth edition of the flagship annual conference that celebrates Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, and the volunteers (Wikimedians) who make them possible. Hosted in partnership with the Wikimedians of the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region and the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that hosts Wikimedia projects, the conference will this year be held at the International Congress Centre in Katowice, bringing together over 2,000 Wikimedians and leaders in the digital space from more than 130 countries.

Nearly 300,000 volunteers are behind creating the information on Wikimedia projects, which are viewed more than 22 billion times every month. Through a process of open collaboration, these volunteers help to power the backbone of the internet with reliable information for all. Wikipedia alone is edited in over 300 languages by more than 265,000 volunteers every month around the world. Together, they compile and share information on notable subjects, according to editorial policies and guidelines that ensure knowledge remains neutral, reliable, and fact-based. Volunteers discuss, debate, and often disagree until a shared consensus can be reached on what content to include. This process is done entirely out in the open for all to see. The Wikimedia projects demonstrate how hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life can effectively reach consensus based on facts.

The theme of Wikimania 2024 is Collaboration of the Open, underscoring the importance of the open, collaborative work undertaken by volunteers in building and maintaining the world's largest repository of human knowledge online.

Event highlights include:

• The Wikimedian of the Year Awards, presented by Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales, which recognize exceptional volunteers contributing to Wikimedia projects around the world.
• Keynotes and speeches, including a presentation from Polish futurist Aleksandra Przegalińska exploring the benefits and challenges of using Large Language Models (LLMs) for preserving and promoting language diversity; a discussion with Dr Maciej Bisaga (University of Silesia) and Dariusz Jemielniak (Kozminski University, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, and Polish Academy of Sciences) on making scientific knowledge more open and accessible; a panel with Alicja Knast (Czech National Gallery), Dr. Agnieszka Turska-Kawas (Silesian University), and Dr. Andrzej Szczerski (National Museum in Krakow) on shaping the concept of open knowledge in museums and other cultural institutions.
• Celebrating Katowice as the 2024 European City of Science, Wikimania will include a keynote presentation from Polish philosopher and journalist Łukasz Lamża on the "Future of Science Observatory," an open initiative to bring the cutting edge of science closer to anyone interested. Additionally, in partnership with the European City of Science, a "Wiki Science" photo competition exhibit will be held in the center of the city for the month of August.
• Participants can also participate in workshops such as how to use images to address gender gaps on Wikipedia; how to encourage more young people to volunteer on Wikimedia projects; and more.
• Other sessions focus on trending topics and current events, such as a discussion on how Wikipedia's human-led content moderation systems work to effectively address misinformation and disinformation during elections happening around the world; a workshop on how volunteers can use generative AI to support their work on Wikimedia projects; and a session on the impact of ChatGPT and other generative AI technologies on Wikimedia projects.
• The WikiWomen Summit, a series of events centered on advancing gender equity and inclusion across Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.

The Wikimania Hackathon invites attendees of all experience levels to collaborate on software and database projects related to Wikimedia projects.

"Wikimania is an annual celebration of the humans who power the knowledge behind Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. It is a chance to connect and learn from Wikimedians about the power of collaboration in building the world's largest online collection of human knowledge," said Maryana Iskander, Wikimedia Foundation's Chief Executive Officer. "Volunteers in the Central and Eastern Europe region have worked to grow the knowledge on numerous Wikimedia projects across languages over the years, and so it feels only natural to bring Wikimania here once again. Together, we can recognize the remarkable work that can be achieved when like-minded communities of people come together to achieve a common goal."

To ensure the participation of diverse people from various countries, conference sessions will be translated into multiple languages, including English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian.

Maciej Nadzikiewicz, Lead of the Wikimania 2024 Core Organising Team said, "This year Wikimania will happen in Katowice, and we will show everyone the culture of Central and Eastern Europe. Attendees will experience local music, cuisine, customs and learn about Polish history. With over 280 programme points, there is something for everyone, and we hope Wikimedians leave Katowice with warm feelings and share what they learned with their local communities!"

The conference will also be available to watch live on virtual streaming platforms. For more information and to register as press for Wikimania 2024, please email [email protected]. The full programme for Wikimania 2024 is available online. Follow the event on social media using #Wikimania2024.

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About Wikimania

Wikimania is the annual gathering bringing together Wikimedians around the world to connect with one another, share new projects, and shape the future of Wikimedia projects. Everyone is invited to join and learn more about the humans that make Wikipedia possible for free. The first Wikimania was held in Frankfurt, Germany, from 4 to 8 August 2005. It has been an annual event ever since.

About the Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia and other Wikimedia free knowledge projects. Our vision is a world in which every single human can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. We believe that everyone has the potential to contribute something to our shared knowledge and that everyone should be able to access that knowledge freely. We host Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects; build software experiences for reading, contributing, and sharing Wikimedia content; support the volunteer communities and partners who make Wikimedia possible. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA.

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