| WikiConference India | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=logo} | |
| Status | Active |
| Venue | Hyderabad |
| Locations | Hyderabad, India (28–30 April 2023) |
| Inaugurated | 2011 (2011) |
| Most recent | 2023 (2023) |
| Previous event | WikiConference India 2023 |
| Next event | WikiConference India 2025 |
| Filing status | Non-profit |
| Website | Wiki Conference India 2025 |
WikiConference India is a national Wikipedia conference organised inIndia. The first WikiConference India conference was held in November 2011, inMumbai, the capital of the Indian state ofMaharashtra. It was organised by theMumbai Wikipedia community in partnership withWikimedia India Chapter[1][2] with the support of theWikimedia Foundation.[3] The conference is positioned as the annual national flagship event for Wikimedia in India and is open to participation from citizens of all nations. The focus is on matters concerning India on Wikipedia projects and other sister projects inEnglish and otherIndian folk languages.[2][4][5] WikiConference India 2023 took place inHyderabad from 28 to 30 April 2023.[6] Wikiconference India 2025 is in the planning phase.[7]
WikiConference India aims to provide a common platform for allIndian Wikimedians to interact, share ideas and collaborate. The conference ran from 18 to 20 November 2011 and was held atMumbai University inSouth Mumbai, the largest talks in the university's historic convocation hall.[1][8][9]
The conference was inaugurated by a keynote address byJimmy Wales.[1][10]Arnab Goswami spoke on "Neutrality" as an invited guest speaker.[11] Barry Newstead spoke on the last day.
Tracks showcased at the Conference included topics such asWikipedia Impact,Gender Gap,[12]Indic Language wiki track,MediaWiki Translation Sprint,Institutions and Wikipedia,Fair use Workshop, etc.[13] It also includedEditathon and WikiAcademy sessions.[2] Various sessions on topics such as:[2]
Concurrent with the conference was aHackathon, hosted by the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MACCIA)Kala Ghoda,South Mumbai.[2] Other activities included a city tour and aHeritage walk. Wikimedians and non-Wikimedians from all over India and other countries,Wikimedia Foundation staff and co-founder[14] A hundred applicants got scholarships based on their experience and contribution to Wikipedia and other projects.[15] More than 700 people attended the conference.[8]Microsoft Research,Omidyar Network,Kalnirnay,Yebhi.com, were the sponsors;[2][16] and eRegNow.com, Avignyata Inc., Kores India Ltd., Text100, Digital Signage Networks (DSN) and Panache were the partners.[16] There was a demonstration outside the conference by protesters against the map used by Wikipedia to show the borders of India.[8]
Thesecond WikiConference India was held inMohali, a city ofPunjab State nearChandigarh. The venue of the Conference was CGC Landhran.Katherine Maher, Executive Director of WMF, and Nataliia Tymkiv, Board Member of WMF, attended this conference.[17]
WCI 2023 was a national-level conference that provided a common platform for Wikimedians and stakeholders interested in Indic-language Wikimedia projects and other aspects of the movement in India and a few South Asian regions. This was a space to meet, connect, share stories, learnings, best practices, and challenges, and discuss the future strategy of the region. The conference took place inHyderabad from 28 to 30 April 2023.
