Wikimania Committee

Wikimania overview

Organization

• Committee
• Expressions of Interest
• Handbook

Current event

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None currently

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Future events

• 2026 (Paris, France)
• 2027 (Santiago, Chile)
• 2028 To be determined

Past years

• Details of past Wikimanias
• 2025 (Nairobi, Kenya)
• 2024 (Katowice, Poland)
• 2023 (Singapore)
• 2022 (Virtual event)
• 2021 (Virtual event)
• 2020 (Cancelled)
• 2019 (Stockholm, Sweden)
• 2018 (Cape Town, South Africa)
• 2017 (Montréal, Canada)
• 2016 (Esino Lario, Italy)
• 2015 (Mexico City, Mexico)
• 2014 (London, United Kingdom)
• 2013 (Hong Kong SAR, China)
• 2012 (Washington, D.C., USA)
• 2011 (Haifa, Israel)
• 2010 (Gdansk, Poland)
• 2009 (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
• 2008 (Alexandria, Egypt)
• 2007 (Taipei, Taiwan)
• 2006 (Boston, USA)
• 2005 (Frankfurt, Germany)

Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees committees Governance Committee Audit Committee Talent & Culture Committee Product & Technology Committee Community Affairs Committee Staff committees Communications committee Community-wide committees Affiliations Committee Language committee Wikimania Committee Movement governance committees Elections Committee Ombuds commission Case Review Committee UCoC Coordinating Committee Resources allocation committees Global Resource Distribution Committee Conference Support Committee Regional Fund Committees All Wikimedia committees Committee Support team (WMF)

Wikimania has been a community endeavour since its inception in 2005.

To allow the conference to grow more smoothly, it seems sensible to pool the years of knowledge that we have into a body that oversees the Wikimania process from beginning to end. The Wikimania Steering Committee oversees the bidding and selection process of host cities/teams, provides continuity of experience and mentoring to each year's organizing team, and works with the WMF and organizing team to help make an excellent conference each year.

To ensure that the legacy of knowledge is effectively and efficiently passed on to the organising teams and to ensure a smooth and successful Wikimania.

This includes:

• Setting Wikimania policy
• Soliciting and reviewing proposals to host
• Conference oversight and review
• Best practice development

Committee roles, responsibilities and membership are laid out in Wikimania Committee/Charter.

Current membership (2025)

'Term ends' refers to the last full year that their terms includes. In December of that year, or January of the next, terms end or can be renewed (see Charter for details).

Wikimedia Foundation supporting staff: Natalia Szafran-Kozakowska, Lisa McCabe, and Mayur मयूर. To contact the committee, contact wikimania-com@lists.wikimedia.org.

Thanks to all previous members of the Wikimania Committee: Iolanda Pensa (representing WM 2016 and chair 2017-2025), Yamen Bousirh (from WM 2021), James Forrester, Carlos Barcenilla, Jeromy-Yu Chan (representing WM 2013), James Hare (representing WM 2012), Orsolya Virág Gyenes (representing WM 2010), Deror Avi (representing WM 2011), Edward Saperia (representing WM 2014), Manuel Schneider, Romaine, Muhammad Yahia.

Thanks to all previous Wikimedia Foundation supporting staff, among them Giselle Bordoy and Mehrdad Pourzaki.

For information on how to propose a future Wikimania and the current call, see the call for expressions of interest page, which outlines what the committee looks for and lists community proposals/expressions of interest for future years (generally 2 years out).

Wikimania is produced by a Core Organizing Team (COT) that is specific to each year's Wikimania. The COT works closely with a team of WMF staff that does much of the logistical work to produce the conference. The team is advised and supported by the Wikimania Steering Committee throughout the process.

The general process for proposing and hosting a Wikimania is as follows:

• First, gather your community. Wikimania is generally run by established communities or regional collaborations of editors and affiliates. Who wants to host Wikimania? Do you have local and regional support? What experience do you have with hosting Wikimedia gatherings?
• Brainstorm your proposal. Why do you want to bring Wikimania to your region? How would having Wikimania in your region help both your community and the Wikimedia movement?
• Make a proposal. Look for a call for expressions of interest. Note you do NOT need to specify all logistical details at this stage. But do address who is involved and why you are making this proposal. EOIs are accepted 2+ years out, as we currently have a two-year planning cycle for Wikimania. If you are potentially interested in multiple years, you can say that.
• Discuss with the steering committee. The Wikimania steering committee (SC) will contact proposers on the schedule published in the call for Expressions of Interest. Note this may be several months after the proposal is made, particularly for proposals for several years in the future. In this initial round of review, the SC may ask questions or advise proposers on whether their proposal is feasible to move forward, as well as offering advice for improvement. Community review and comments on proposals are also welcome in this phase.
• Further conversation and review. For proposals that are feasible to move forward, the SC may invite further presentations and meetings to learn more about the proposal. The WMF conference staff will also conduct a review of issues such as participant trust and safety and visa/travel feasibility for the proposed location. Other information or review may also be required. At this point, the conference should have a clearly defined core organizing team (COT) who can address questions and be in communication with the SC.
• Selection. Selection is done by the SC on a two-year basis. After review by WMF, committee discussion and review of the options, and a formal vote, the SC will contact the selected location to formally offer hosting of the conference and plan next steps and public announcement timing.
• Planning begins! The formal planning of the conference begins after selection, with a meeting between the WMF conference staff and the COT. The COT will work with WMF conference staff on initial site visits and contract planning. Note that the financial planning and contracts may happen outside of the affiliate/WMF annual plan cycle, as Wikimania is on a two year cycle. The SC will also meet with the COT to offer advice and appoint an official SC liaison to the planning team, and will continue to meet with the team throughout the planning process. The COT will also begin formal planning meetings with their community and volunteers, and will be put in touch with the current year's COT to shadow and learn.

For questions about the timeline or process, contact the steering committee. We are happy to offer informal feedback on ideas and proposals as well.

• Wikimania 2023, Singapore
• Wikimania 2024, Katowice
• Wikimania 2025, Nairobi
• Wikimania 2026, Paris

The Wikimania Steering Committee meets in general every month on Wednesdays. Agenda of meetings and available minutes.

The Core Organizing Team (COT) for the current Wikimania generally meets weekly.

Committee updates from 2017 onwards are linked in the extended content table.

• Wikimania Committee/History
• Wikimania Committee/Charter
• Wikimania Handbook