The feast of knowledge is coming! The 19th Wikimania 2024 is devoted to Wikipedia and other projects such as Wikimedia and volunteers (Wikimedians) from Central and Eastern Europe. This year, the event takes place on 7–10 August 2024 in the International Congress Centre in Katowice and is to gather over 2,000 Wikimedians and leaders in the digital space from over 130 countries.
Nearly 300,000 volunteers are behind creating the information on Wikimedia projects, which are viewed more than 22 billion times every month. Wikipedia alone is edited in over 300 languages by more than 265,000 volunteers around the world every month. Through a process of open collaboration, these volunteers help to power the backbone of the internet with reliable information for all. Together, they compile and share information according to editorial policies and guidelines that ensure knowledge remains neutral, reliable, and fact-based.
The theme of Wikimania 2024 is ‘Collaboration of the Open’, underscoring the importance of the open, collaborative work undertaken by volunteers in building and maintaining the world’s largest repository of human knowledge online.
The most notable events within the Wikimania 2024 in Katowice
- The Wikimedian of the Year Awards – to recognize exceptional volunteers contributing to Wikimedia projects around the world. Presented by Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales.
- Keynotes and speeches, including:
- a presentation by Aleksandra Przegalińska, PhD, DLitt, Polish futurist and philosopher, exploring the benefits and challenges of using Large Language Models (LLMs) for preserving and promoting language diversity;
- a discussion with Maciej Bisaga, PhD (University of Silesia) and Dariusz Jemielniak (Kozminski University, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, and Polish Academy of Sciences) on making scientific knowledge more open and accessible;
- a panel featuring Alicja Knast (Czech National Gallery), Agnieszka Turska-Kawa, PhD, DLitt, Assoc. Prof. (Silesian University), and Andrzej Szczerski, PhD (National Museum in Krakow), on shaping the concept of open knowledge in museums and other cultural institutions.
Celebrating Katowice as the 2024 European City of Science, Wikimania will include a keynote presentation by Łukasz Lamża, PhD, a Polish philosopher and journalist, on the ‘Future of Science Observatory,’ an open initiative to bring the cutting edge of science closer to anyone interested. Additionally, in partnership with the European City of Science, a ‘Wiki Science’ photo competition exhibit will be held in the centre of the city for the month of August.
Participants can also participate in workshops on how to use images to address gender gaps on Wikipedia and how to encourage more young people to volunteer on Wikimedia projects.
- Other sessions focus on trending topics and current events:
- a discussion on how Wikipedia’s human-led content moderation systems work to effectively address misinformation and disinformation during elections happening around the world;
- a workshop on how volunteers can use generative AI to support their work on Wikimedia projects;
- a session on the impact of ChatGPT and other generative AI technologies on Wikimedia projects.
- The WikiWomen Summit – a series of events centred on advancing gender equity and inclusion across Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.
- The Hackathon Wikimania – an opportunity for attendees of all experience levels to collaborate on software and database projects related to Wikimedia projects.
You may also watch the conference live via streaming platforms.