Commons:Wiki Loves Monuments in the United States/Judging Guide

Wiki Loves Monuments - United States Competition A campaign to improve our coverage of U.S. historic and cultural sites throughout the month of October.

Thanks for volunteering to be a judge for Wiki Loves Monuments in the United States! With people coming from all sorts of different backgrounds, we've assembled this little guide to give a bit of perspective and info to help make judging decisions for Wiki Loves Monuments.

Check out 2016's International Jury Report with great examples of valuable images.

A noisy image; notice how it's "grainy".

Saturation

Original version

A version desaturated to black and white

An oversaturated version

In the US, we judge photos on the following criteria:

• Composition
  • Is the monument displayed well?
  • Does the composition of the photos's subject appeal to the eye? (Rule of thirds, etc.)
• Technical quality
  • Is the image high resolution?
  • Is the image too noisy?
  • Is the image over or under saturated?
  • Is the image sharp and in focus, or blurred?
• Originality
  • Is the image unique?
  • Any extra creativity that went into the photo?
  • Is the image of a less commonly photographed monument?
  • "Wow" factor
• Encyclopedic value (see Commons project scope)
  • Does the photo accurately depict the subject? (no excessive photoshopping, etc.)
  • Could the photo be used on a Wikipedia article on the monument?