Wikipedia to receive German national honor: the Quadriga Award

Sebastian Moleski, Interim Executive Director of Wikimedia Deutschland offers up the following post on the German chapter’s blog.  He’s kindly provided a translation below.  This is fantastic news and major recognition for Wikimedia in Germany and abroad.  The German chapter and German Wikimedia volunteers around the world deserve a huge thank you for this achievement.

Here’s some excellent news: Wikipedia is one of this year’s recipients of the Quadriga, a German award handed out every year to recognize four people or organizations that “try to create a better world through courage, dedication, and responsible action.” The award comes with a 25,000 euro cash prize for each recipient. Werkstatt Deutschland, the non-profit organization sponsoring the award, had this to say about Wikipedia:

“We recognize Wikipedia this year for its ‘mission of enlightenment’. Wikipedia makes true an ancient dream of humankind: to collect all the knowledge of the world in one place. Collaboration, participation, and voluntary contribution lie at the root of Wikipedia’s effectiveness. The vision of founder Jimmy Wales: every woman and every man can become an author anywhere, anytime simply by clicking the “edit” button. No gatekeepers and free access make up the secret of success for this network of now 262 languages and more than 10 million articles.”

Besides Wikipedia, this year’s recipients also include British singer and activist Peter Gabriel, Franciscan Eckart Höfling, and Serbian president Boris Tadić (a Wikipedia article details previous recipients).

The award ceremony will take place in Berlin on October 3, the German national holiday celebrating the country’s reunification in 1990. The award for Wikipedia will be presented by David Weinberger and accepted by Jimmy Wales.

Sebastian Moleski, Interim Executive Director at Wikimedia Deutschland

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