Frequently Asked Questions for Wikimania 2011 Scholarship Applicants

General questions

Q: What is a Wikimania 2011 Scholarship ("scholarship")?
A: A scholarship is an award given to an individual to enable them to attend Wikimania 2011 in Haifa, Israel, from August 4-7, 2011. Accommodations for the Hacking Days August 2-3 can also be covered.

Q: Who pays for scholarships?
A: The Wikimedia Foundation will fund a limited number of scholarship awards.

Q: How many scholarships are available?
A: No set number of scholarships are awarded; rather, the Foundation has a set amount of scholarship funding available. This is anticipated to fund approximately 45-60 full scholarships and 75-100 partial scholarships.

Types of scholarships

Q: What Scholarships are available?
A: Both partial and full scholarships are available for 2011. Partial scholarships will cover up to $300 of travel expenses, while full scholarships will cover round trip travel, dorms accommodations (as arranged by the Wikimania Team), and registration for Wikimania 2011.

Q: Why are partial scholarships being offered?
A: Partial scholarships are being offered this year in an effort to expand the scope of the Wikimania Scholarships by providing support to more people to attend Wikimania.

Q: Is there a separate application for partial scholarships?
A: No – there is only one application. Applicants interested in the partial scholarship simply need to indicate interest in the appropriate section of the application.

Q: If I am not interested in the partial scholarship, can I still apply for the full scholarship?
A: Yes – simply select “No” when asked in the “Partial Scholarship” section of the application.

Scholarship eligibility

Q: Am I eligible for a scholarship to attend Wikimania 2011?
A: While anyone can apply for a scholarship to attend Wikimania, the most eligible candidates are active contributors to a Wikimedia project and/or Wikimedia volunteer in any other capacity, from anywhere in the world. Participants in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative and/or educational initiatives are also encouraged to apply.

Q: Is there an age limit?
A: Anyone is welcome to apply. However, if you are a minor and are selected to receive a scholarship, parental consent is required.

Q: If I received a travel grant or scholarship to a previous Wikimania, am I eligible to receive one for Wikimania 2011 as well?
A: Yes.

Scholarship value and reimbursement process

Full Scholarship

Q: What does a full scholarship pay for?
A: A full scholarship covers the cost of an individual's round trip travel (by air, train, or bus), dorms accommodations, and registration for Wikimania (note that most of the meals are provided as part of the conference). If you are interested in attending the Hacking Days (August 2-3), accommodations may be covered for this as well.

Q: Is there a limit to how much of my travel the full scholarship will cover?
A: The scholarship may cover up to 100% of your travel, but the amount must be reasonable, as determined by the Wikimedia Foundation travel coordinator.

Q: What expenses are not covered by a full scholarship?
A: Local transportation, meals, and other incidental expenses are not covered and are the responsibility of the scholarship recipient (however, note that most of the meals during the conference are provided as part of the conference, and shuttles will provide transportation from the dorms to the venue).

Q: If I am awarded a full scholarship, how will the funds be disbursed? Will you send me the money? Reimburse me?
A: Full scholarship recipients may use the travel booking service recommended by the Wikimedia Foundation which is paid for directly by the Wikimedia Foundation. Alternatively, scholarship recipients may book their own travel at or below a cost estimate provided by the Wikimedia Foundation. Reimbursements will be processed prior to Wikimania.

Those who wish to be reimbursed for cost of travel must provide a receipt for exact cost to the Wikimedia Foundation in order to be reimbursed. Reimbursements are most easily processed by PayPal.

The Wikimedia Foundation will pay directly for standard accommodations during the length of the conference, and conference registration fees.

Partial Scholarship

Q: What does a partial scholarship pay for?
A: The partial scholarship will reimburse the recipient for up to $300 of round trip travel expenses. For example, if the total round trip cost to and from Haifa is $250, the recipient will be reimbursed $250 at the conference (pending approval of receipt). If the total round trip cost is $540, the recipient will be reimbursed $300 at the conference (pending approval of receipt).

Q: Is there a limit to how much of my travel the partial scholarship will cover?
A: Yes – up to $300.

Q: What expenses are not covered by the partial scholarship?
A: Accommodations, conference fee, local transportation, meals, and other incidental expenses are not covered, and are the responsibility of the scholarship recipient (however, note that most of the meals during the conference are provided as part of the conference, and shuttles will provide transportation from the dorms to the venue).

Q: If I am awarded a partial scholarship, how will the funds be disbursed? Will you send me the money? Reimburse me?
A: Partial scholarship recipients must book their own travel, and reimbursements will be processed at Wikimania.

A receipt for exact cost of travel must be sent to the Wikimedia Foundation upon booking of travel, prior to Wikimania. Reimbursements will be processed, when possible, by PayPal and will be sent upon sign-in at Wikimania 2011 in Haifa.

Financial need

Q: If I can afford to travel to and attend Wikimania, should I apply?
A: Scholarship recipients are not selected based on financial need. However, we ask that applicants carefully consider their financial need against the needs of other applicants from all over the world. Many applicants do not have the financial means to attend Wikimania without this opportunity.

Application timing

Q: When is the deadline for applications?
A: January 31, 2011 at 23:59:59 UTC.

Q: When do I find out if I will receive a scholarship to Wikimania?
A: Applicants will be notified of acceptance, decline, or wait list status on or before March 31, 2011.

Selection process

Q: How do I apply for a scholarship to attend Wikimania 2011?
A: Please use the application form.

Q: Who selects scholarship recipients?
A: Scholarship applications are reviewed and awardees are selected by the Wikimania Scholarships Review Committee.

Q: On what basis are scholarships awarded?
A: The selection criteria are:

Level of activity within Wikimedia (50%)
Level of activity in other free knowledge projects outside Wikimedia (15%)
Future goals for participating in the Wikimedia movement (35%)

If your question is not answered here, please contact wikimania-scholarships@wikimedia.org