The Wiki Science Competition (WSC) is a global science photography competition for students, researchers, and others to contribute freely licensed high-quality, well-sourced images and other media to Wikimedia Commons.[3][4]
It evolved from the Estonian Science Photo Competition. The first global competition took place in 2017[5] and is held every two years,[6] occurring for most countries around November or December.[7][8] It has been called one of the most important photo competitions in the world.[9] The main organizer of the competition is Ivo Kruusamägi.
The first competition saw participation from over 2,200 contestants, with the number of images exceeding 10,000.[4][6] In 2017, there were five categories: People in Science, Microscopy images, Non-photographic media, Image sets, and a General category. In 2019, a new category, Nature, was added; in 2021, Astronomy was added.[10] A special prize for "Women in STEM" is also offered.[5]
Media are evaluated based on the detail of their description, with sources from high-impact journals, datasets, and other reliable third-parties being prioritized. This incentivizes expert-driven contributions backed by verifiable materials.
Among the countries were it has been launched and regularly held there are Estonia, Switzerland, Ireland, United States, Poland,[11] Ukraine, and Russia (where it is held in Spring).[12]
Winners
Cross-section of the parasite Ascaris under 200x magnification. Winner of the Microscopy images category 2017, Massimo Brizzi, Italy
A polar diver going through ice near the French Antarctica station. Winner of the People in Science category 2017, Erwan Amice, France
Two LIGO scientists trying to detect what is causing laser technical issues. Winner of the People in Science category 2019, Nutsinee Kijbunchoo, USA/Thailand
A birthing water flea under 100x magnification and polarized light. Winner of the Microscopy images category 2019, Marek Miś, Poland
The simulated polarization of the Milky Way's dust as microwave radiation in the sky. Winner of the Non-photographic media category 2019, Uroš Seljak
Archaeological excavation of a Middle Paleolithic site in Tuscany, Italy. Winner of the General category 2019, Stefano Ricci Cortili, Italy
A larva of a non-biting midge under polarized light. Winner of the Microscopy images category 2021, Karl Gaff, Ireland
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