Scholarships
Wikimania 2011 Scholarships Program
Wikimania 2011, the 7th annual international conference, is being held on August 4-7, 2011. The venue is in Haifa, Israel. The Wikimedia Foundation is offering a limited number of scholarships to offset the cost of select individuals' attendance at Wikimania.
Both full and partial scholarships are available for Wikimania 2011:
- Full scholarships will award round trip travel, dorms accommodations, and registration
- Partial scholarships will subsidize up to $425 of travel expenses
Goals of the Program
- To make Wikimania 2011 a successful and productive international conference
- To support the Wikimedia projects by encouraging participation
- To enrich the conference with attendance by a diverse group of participants in the Wikimedia movement
About Application for Scholarship
To apply for a "scholarship" to aid in covering expenses for Wikimania 2011 in Haifa, Israel, please submit a completed application form.
Eligibility (who can apply for a scholarship): Any active contributor to a Wikimedia project and/or Wikimedia volunteer in any other capacity, from anywhere in the world, is considered eligible. Participants in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative and/or educational initiatives are also encouraged to apply.
Selection: All applications for scholarship are reviewed by the Scholarships review committee. Criteria for selecting Scholarship recipients were determined by the Scholarships Review Committee in accordance with the goals and focus areas of Wikimania and Wikimedia. See “Scholarship Selection" below for more detail on selection criteria and process.
Deadline for submission: The deadline to apply for the Wikimania 2011 Scholarships Program is January 31, 2011 at 23:59:59 UTC. Applications will not be accepted after this date.
For more information about the Wikimania 2011 Scholarships Program, please visit the Questions & Answers page.
Scholarship Selection
Process
The Scholarships Review Committee rates scholarships applicants based on a standardized set of criteria. The anticipated timeline for the scholarship program is as follows:
- January 1-31, 2011 – Scholarship application open
- January-March 2011 – Scholarship committee reviews applications and rates based on selection criteria and special considerations
- End-March-Early April 2011 – Applicants are notified about final decisions
A note about Special Consideration: Following the committee rating process, special consideration will be factored in for 1) applicants from the Global South, according to the Movement Priorities as outlined by the Strategic Plan, with a particular focus on target areas India, Brazil, and Middle East/North Africa; and 2) female applicants (an under-represented editing demographic).
Selection Criteria 2011
Applicants will be rated on the three dimensions:
A) Current/historic level of participation in Wikimedia (50% of total score),
B) Current/historic level of participation in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative and/or educational initiatives (15% of total score), and
C) Future goals for participating in the Wikimedia movement (35% of total score)
Active within Wikimedia (50%)
Applicants active within Wikimedia are those highly engaged participants in the Wikimedia Projects: editors, Wikimedians, and community members who will add value to Wikimania through their experience, knowledge, and dedication in online and/or offline activities, like involvement with chapter activities, meetups, etc.
- 4 = Very high level participant, defined by continued involvement and high impact in two or more projects, chapter or Wikimedia initiative (or as the reviewers judge "very high level")
- 3 = High level participant, defined by continued involvement and high impact in one or more projects, chapter or Wikimedia initiative (or as the reviewer judge "high level")
- 2 = Mid level participant, defined by continued involvement and average impact in one or more projects, chapter or Wikimedia initiative (or as the reviewer judge "mid level")
- 1 = Low level participant, defined by relatively new account, few edits, and little or no involvement in any Wikimedia project or initiative.
- 0 = Not a participant, defined by a brand new account, or almost no edits, and no involvement in any Wikimedia project or initiative.
Activity outside Wikimedia (15%)
Activity outside of Wikimedia measures applicants relevant activity outside of the Wikimedia movement. These participants may exhibit qualities of innovation, participation in other aspects of the free culture/open source movement. It is a measure for those who have shown potential to add value to the Wikimedia projects and movement, who can enhance and build on this potential at/by Wikimania, and who can disseminate what they learn at Wikimania to their respective communities.
- 4 = High level participant, defined by involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiative with very high potential to benefit Wikimedia.
- 3 = Mid to high level participant, defined by involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiative with high potential to benefit Wikimedia.
- 2 = Mid level participant, defined by involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiative with some potential to benefit Wikimedia.
- 1 = Low level new participant, defined by involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiative with low potential to benefit Wikimedia.
- 0 = Not a participant, defined by no involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiatives.
Future goals for participating in the Wikimedia movement (35%)
Applicants are expected to have concrete goals for how attendance at Wikimania will impact their future involvement in the Wikimedia movement.
- 4 = Very strong desire to be involved with the Wikimedia movement going forward; specific, concrete ideas for how applicant's unique skills, styles, and interests can be incorporated into and enhance the Wikimedia movement
- 3 = Strong desire to be involved with the Wikimedia movement going forward; a few less developed ideas about how applicant's unique skills, styles, and interests can be incorporated into and enhance the Wikimedia movement
- 2 = Some desire to be involved with the Wikimedia movement going forward; vague and under-developed ideas for how applicant's unique skills, styles, and interests can be incorporated into and enhance the Wikimedia movement
- 1 = Low or unclear desire to be involved with the Wikimedia movement going forward; unclear and non-thoughtful ideas for how applicant's unique skills, styles, and interests can be incorporated into and enhance the Wikimedia movement
- 0 = No anticipated involvement with Wikimedia in the future
Chapter Scholarships
Austria
Wikimedia Österreich provides 10 scholarships for Austrian Wikimedians.
- Deadline: February 28th
- Details: http://mitglieder.wikimedia.at/Wikimania_2011#.C3.96sterreich-Stipendium
- Application: http://wmschols.wikimedia.org.il/
Switzerland
Wikimedia CH provides 5 scholarships for Swiss Wikimedians.
- Deadline: February 28th
- Details: http://www.wikimedia.ch/Wikimania_2011
- Application: http://wmschols.wikimedia.org.il/
Germany
- 16 full scholarships for Wikimania 2011 for participants from Germany
- a lumpsum of 800 EUR per scholarship for registration, travel costs, accommodation, insurance and meals
- deadline for application is February 28th, 2011
- application form: http://wmschols.wikimedia.org.il/
Contact Mathias (mathias.schindler@wikimedia.de) for any questions.
Italy
Wikimedia Italy provides 8 scholarships for Italian Wikimedians.
- deadline for application is March 20th, 2011
- details and application form : Programma_borse_di_partecipazione_per_Wikimania_2011