The Wikimedia Foundation is thrilled to announce the sponsorship of 77 full scholarship recipients and 52 partial scholarship recipients for the 2011 Wikimania!  Wikimania – an entirely community driven conference since 2005 – is an important annual event for the Wikimedia movement, bringing together Wikimedia advocates from all around the globe for four days. We are proud to be able to facilitate the attendance of representatives from different countries, chapters, languages and/or projects at this international conference.

Scholars were selected based on their (a) activity on Wikimedia projects, (b) activity in compatible projects outside of Wikimedia, and (c) future goals for participation in the Wikimedia movement. A group of nine volunteers formed the scholarship review committee, which pored over the more than 1100 applications in order to select a diverse pool of candidates, with the following goals in mind:

• Make Wikimania 2011 a successful and productive international conference
• Support the Wikimedia projects by encouraging participation
• Enrich the conference with attendance by a diverse group of participants in the Wikimedia movement

This year’s group of full scholars represents the most diverse we have ever had! Female scholarship recipients are up to 18% of the total full scholarships, and 53% of full scholarship recipients hail from the Global South (representing 62% of the funding). Moreover, recipients are coming from all regions of the world.

Of course, the selection of these individuals has been made possible only thanks to the dedicated scholarship review committee as well as the generosity of Wikimedia Germany, which donated directly to the funds. In addition, a variety of other chapters has generously provided self-administered scholarships, opening the opportunities for participation even more.

We are delighted to sponsor such a passionate and diverse group of individuals who not only have demonstrated commitment to our projects in the past, but who also are committed to the future of the Wikimedia movement. We anticipate great things from the conference!

Last week the organizers of Wikimania 2011 sent out an announcement encouraging all Wikimedia project enthusiasts to register and attend this year’s conference.  The conference will be held in Haifa, Israel, August 4 through 6, and is organized by members and volunteers from the very active chapter there, Wikimedia Israel.

Now in its seventh year, Wikimania is the largest gathering of Wikimedians in the world, bringing together coders/developers, editors, researchers, enthusiasts, organizers, and other project collaborators – from all corners of the globe – to learn about and share their efforts to spread free knowledge around the world.

This year’s incredible schedule of events includes 125 sessions from project participants from all over the world, as well as two days of developer meetings preceding the main events. Plenary session speakers include Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, Dr. Joseph Reagle, Prof. Yochai Benkler, and Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director Sue Gardner.

Online registration continues through August 1, but register early to ensure your spot at this year’s conference. Accommodations provided by the event organizers are limited.

Hope to see you in Haifa!

Jay Walsh, Communications