Commons talk:Wikimania Media Competition 2005

Maps and Diagrams

I love map and diagrams! why don´t they desrve a category of their own? --User:avsa

Diagrams count as sketches. Maps often not... Sj

Restricted to media created by Wikipedians?

In nominating some of the more popular images from en:WP:FPC over the past year, I made the assumption that this competition was largely for media created by Wikipedians.

In general FPC also encourages people finding FreeUse images to illustrate articles. Some of those, such as Image:Adams The Tetons and the Snake River.jpg, have been amoungst the most popular images on FPC but I don't see much point in entering them in this competition. -- Solipsist 13:20, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

The contest is not restricted to content produced by Wikipedians; but less weight is given to nominations of content that was already available under a free license elsewhere online (such as your example above). Sj

Bit late now, not that it matters much. -- Solipsist 07:38, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

Required image resolution

The rules say "Photos should be submitted as .jpg files and be suitable for printing at 20 X 30cm".

Now, even a 10 x 15 pixels large image is suitable for printing at this size. I think, instead of the size in centimeter we should require an minimum pixel size.

If you'd like to print 20 x 30 cm with 200 dpi, then you need an source image with a size of about 2360 x 1575 pixels. Most of the current images are smaller, even otherwise very good ones. Therefore I'd like to suggest a minimum image width/height (the larger side) of about 1200 pixels. This still can be printed in 20 x 30 cm with a little bit lower quality. -- aka 19:14, 22 July 2005 (UTC)

Thanks aka, I'll add this minimum of 1200 px for the larger side as a specification to the rules. --:Bdk: 12:39, August 1, 2005 (UTC)

I don't think that the quality of an image is directly related to its resolution! therfore I object to a rigid pixel limit. -- Janek 14:01, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

So what is your alternative to specify the above criteria of the original rule? Is e.g. Image:Potturinn.jpeg suitable for printing at 20 x 30 cm? --:Bdk: 14:12, August 1, 2005 (UTC)

In my opinion wikipedia primarily is a web medium and images should be considered under this circumstances (to be optimised for web view). A regular screen resolution is 1024x768px which could mark a border. On the other hand if you have a picture of a very small object (an insect for example) less resolution is acceptable in my opinion. The quality of a picture certanly depends on an adequate resolution but fixed pixel-limit bears the risk of exclusion of excellent wikipedia material. Janek 18:47, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

The rules of the contest are the rules. The judges will decide whether an image is "suitable" for printing at the given size. You are welcome to nominate images of any pixel width and clarity; however that combination will determine the extent to which a submission meets this subjective requirement. Sj 04:10, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

Well they might have been, had the rules been written before the requests for entries were made, rather than three days afterwards. Some of the rules appear to have been decided just a couple of days ago. Last I noticed, someone had been deleting images they thought didn't count. -- Solipsist 07:42, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

Prizes

What are the prizes to win? --Neitram 08:58, 4 August 2005 (UTC)

We (the organizers) also didn't know before what exactly the prizes will be. There were some sponsors inquired, and mainly directmedia and O'Reilly donated (better to tell it late than never) DVDs, books and some other stuff. The long list should already went to the winners individually (and of course, will reach them in the next weeks, if not yet happened) and it will also be noted afterwards for the public (decision was, that every winner should have the same chance to choose a prize, because there was no order of winners/prizes, and therefore it was planned that the full list to choose from should be opened to them at one joint UTC point of time). --:Bdk: 12:50, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

The procedure: the winners and their prices

Hello all,

first I have to say a big Sorry for a couple of (unwanted) misunderstandings and the very lateness of this central notice. There were several difficulties concerning the organization of the competition especially after Wikimania was over. (To note or to remember: The competition was the fairly last point of the conference programme on sunday, the Wikimania happened in Frankfurt am Main, the two big and heavy boxes with the prizes were there, all organizers of the competition are not living in Frankfurt and therefore weren't able to pick up the boxes and take them with them, so the prizes are still stored at the german Wikimedia chapter) ... I wrote down a list of dvd and book titles (the "prize list"), that got stolen, together with some other personal stuff, on the train on my way back home, so I had to retrieve this list first... and when I arrived (in addition to the already happened nuisance) I found several mails of partly very, very angry and personally offensive users who weren't pointed as a prize winner or, in one case, actually were pointed, but wanted the prize as money and within the next 3 days. Some other unfair, aggressive stuff came from users who didn't realize the whole competition at all in time ... all that only two days after Wikimania was over, and in the first hours I reached home! The week afterwards we started the first mail campaign to inform and to gratulate all the winners and also the ones who were finalists. But, as a very bad incident, most of the mails (sended with the email function here) seem to got lost. Believe me, never before I was hit and felt demotivated in such a way within my voluntary time on all the projects (it was not less work, and it was not selfish!). But away from this personal point (I'm really sorry for, yes, even if my demotivated reaction may be natural and comprehensible), I, as the person who commited herself to write to all winners/finalists (what I did twice now, waiting for answers for 2-3 weeks after each "campaign", still awaiting some answers) and to collect all the postal addresses to be aible to send you the prizes to all over the world, to find out low priced shipping possibilities for the different countries and so on, ... I only got 4 answers/addresses up to know (and, sorry to note that again, about 50 offensive mails from others, partly anonymous). Anyway, it seems to be impossible to reach all users, some are inactive or didn't drop an email address ... but, we will try again. Sorry to tell that, but now, I'm off for a while. I will see what I can do at the beginning of october - if you want to help, feel free and try to mail me (you can take the addy there) in the meantime.

Feel certain, that you will get your prizes and yes, we are a little bit flexible with the actual prizes, I think. But not too flexible, of course, because we are not the great sponsor companies (we're ordinary people like you) and would have to change every single book against something else, what would be an inadequate and additional personal outgo, that nobody will replace, and in most cases would be nearly impossible, because we don't get those english books, or other stuff some users wanted, easily in Germany ...

Thanks for your patience and understanding. That's it for the moment. Greetings --:Bdk: 12:50, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Well, well, finally a word... after seven weeks! I am very sorry that things went badly for you! After reading that somebody would contact me shortly I thought that would mean a couple of days... I tried various times to get in touch with the people who signed the box dropped on my takl-page - with hardly any success and no answer from you whatsoever! I never got any email from you! and I just checked my settings, my email is filled in correcty in my user data, where have you send the mails to? If you wish to contact me via email: mail(at}axxio.net used to reach me without known exceptions! Janek 19:04, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Yes, it's great to hear from you at last and hear that you are back on the job. I think I'm in the same boat as Janek. You have obviously done a lot of work to make this happen so well done, but keep it up till it's finished. If you want any details from me please give me an email address. Thanks, --fir0002 07:24, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Aparently you decided to keep the prices? If so - enjoy! Janek 19:46, 19 November 2005 (UTC)