2023:Program/FAQ
16–19 August 2023, Singapore and Online
Diversity. Collaboration. Future.
Here are the answers to frequently asked questions about the program submission process.
If you have other questions and they are not in the FAQ, you can email: wikimania
wikimedia.org or also add your questions to the help page.
When is Wikimania 2023 happening?
- The core conference dates for Wikimania in Singapore are from August 16 to 19, 2023 (Wednesday to Saturday).
- August 15 is designated for meet-ups and coordination work.
- August 20 is Thematic culture and heritage day, including outings and site visits.
- See 2023:Program for more details.
When are Wikimania 2023 program submissions accepted?
- Program idea submissions were accepted from February 28 until March 28, 2023 at (Anywhere on Earth, equivalent to UTC-12).
What is this year’s Wikimania theme?
- The theme for Wikimania 2023 is Diversity. Collaboration. Future. It is intended to be cross-cutting and to apply as a lens to all programming ideas
- Diversity. Wikimania will be an opportunity to showcase regional and thematic groups such as ESEAP as examples of inclusion: different volunteer groups, individuals, and affiliates, at different stages of development and from different cultures closely involved and collaborating in an equitable way.
- Collaboration. As a distributed, global event, Wikimania will be a way to learn from each other and share knowledge like community initiatives, tools usage, organizing events, governance, online campaigns, and edit-a-thons, solving Wiki-related problems, and more.
- Future. Wikimania 2023 will be significant to many Wikimedians as a forum to discuss implementing the 2030 Wikimedia Movement Strategy (#Wikimedia2030), and other current and future priorities facing our movement, from technology to policy around the world.
I have a fantastic program submission idea. What do I need to consider?
- Your submission should have elements connecting to at least one of the theme components aligned to Diversity, Collaboration, Future. and ideally be interactive, whether a demonstration or a roundtable discussion. Remember that we would like to highlight the great work happening across all Wikimedia projects, not just the biggest ones. We would also like to highlight work happening in all regions of the movement, especially those previously under or unrepresented at global events.
How should I proceed with my idea submission?
- We have suggested 11 program tracks to organize and review the submissions later. Please choose the track that applies best to your session. If you feel the program idea applies to a second theme, indicate this in the submission form. The final tracks of the program will depend on the number and types of submissions we receive and accept. The suggested tracks for submission are:
- Community Initiatives
- Education
- Equity, Inclusion, and Community Health
- ESEAP (East, South East Asia, and the Pacific) Region
- GLAM, Heritage, and Culture
- Governance
- Legal, Advocacy, and Risks
- Open Data
- Research, Science, and Medicine
- Technology
- Wild Ideas
- Need some help with suggested topics for the tracks? You can read a selection on this page.
Where do I have to submit my program idea?
- This year, we are using Pretalx, an open-source conference organizing tool that focuses on providing the best experience for speakers, organizers, and attendees. Submissions will be published on this wiki during the program submission process to allow you to view if similar proposals have been submitted, a great opportunity to connect and collaborate with other Wikimedians.
What type of program idea submissions are recommended?
- As much as possible, we encourage workshops and other interactive sessions for learning. If your program idea is a focused presentation or one-way information share out, why not consider submitting pre-recorded, on-demand video content, a short lightning talk, or a poster session for the exhibition space? This year we plan on using our spacious venue and hope to maximize poster sessions with times dedicated to interacting with brilliant people and ideas.
- We are accepting a number of different session formats:
- Live sessions, which can be presented onsite in Singapore, virtually, or hybrid with some participants onsite and others virtual.
- Pre-recorded or pre-created content (videos or posters), which can be shown as part of the program, part of an exhibition, and/or housed in our on-demand collection for participants to browse and view at any time.
- There is space in the form to indicate what session type you are interested in.
Are we going to use a hybrid set-up for this year’s Wikimania?
- Yes, we are eager to create a balance between onsite and live virtual programming. This means you can submit a live session proposal for an in-person, virtual or hybrid session. Additionally, we would like to boost our program with pre-recorded videos, on-demand content, and recordings of each day in Singapore made available as soon as possible, so others around the world, including at self-organized satellite events, could enjoy at a time in the day convenient for them.
How long should ideal sessions be for each program type?
- Please see below for suggested times and different session types. The actual program sessions may differ, and the programming sub-committee of Wikimania 2023 may reach out to you to propose a change to your submission. If none of these absolutely fit your proposal, you can suggest in the custom duration field in the submission form.
- Lightning talk : 10 minutes
- Workshop : 60 minutes
- Lecture : 30 minutes
- Panel : 60 minutes
- Roundtable / open discussion : 90 minutes
- Poster session : 5 minutes
- Entertainment session : 30 minutes
- Others, such as Video On-Demand (pre-recorded track), 30 minutes.
In what language can I submit?
- The submission form is available in Arabic, Chinese (Traditional), English, French, and Spanish. Your program submission can be made in these languages as well as Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia).
Can I submit more than one session?
- Yes! You can submit more than one session for consideration.
Can I edit my submission once it's already been submitted?
- Yes, Pretalx allows you to edit your submission after it has been submitted. You will continue to have access to your submission through the login you set up during the submission process.
Can I have co-speakers?
- Yes, Pretalx allows you to designate co-speakers by inputting their email addresses. Your co-speaker(s) will have to set up a speaker profile with their invite links sent to their emails before they become associated to the session for later communications from the programming subcommittee.
What if my idea submission does not get accepted, what can I do instead?
- If your submission is not accepted as you submitted it, think about contributing pre-recorded short video content to be made available on-demand or creating a 1 to 3-minute short video presenting your topic like a virtual poster session.
What if my idea topic is similar to others’ submissions?
- If you see somebody else proposing a similar topic or discussion, we encourage collaboration or combining efforts. Lectures can be recreated into panels or workshops. Submissions will be published on this wiki during the process.
When will I know if my idea was accepted?
- We aim to review the submissions in April and begin communicating results with submitters in May. We hope to communicate this after the public announcement of scholarships for those that have applied, also scheduled to come out in May. The programming subcommittee will be in touch with you to develop the Wikimania 2023 program.
I did not apply for travel scholarship. Will I automatically get a travel scholarship if my program submission is qualified?
- If you selected Onsite in Singapore on the session format and you did not apply for a Wikimania Travel Scholarship, the organizers will presume you will travel to Singapore on your own expense and present at the conference. This is of course modifiable if you decide to present virtually instead.
- Before the expected announcement in May, the Program Subcommittee and Scholarship Subcommittee will meet and sync their data. If a program submission applicant ticked the box that says I have applied for a Wikimania Travel scholarship, the Program Subcommittee will check with the Scholarship Subcommittee to see if the program submission applicant is awarded a travel scholarship. If the program submission applicant is listed as a Wikimania travel scholar, Program Subcommittee will inform the program submission applicant that they will be presenting in Singapore. If the program submission applicant was not awarded a travel scholarship, the Program Subcommittee will contact the program submission applicant to see whether a different session format, such as remote participation or video on demand, might be a better fit. A program submission applicant may also have an option to still present in Singapore under their own travel arrangement.
Will there be a speaker training for Wikimania 2023?
- Yes, there will be a speaker training, and we will notify speakers about the schedule.
Will I find more resources on wiki for this topic?
- You can find other resources and guidelines on this wiki.
I have more questions and they are not in this FAQ.
- If you have other questions and they are not in the FAQ, you can email the program subcommittee at: wikimania
wikimedia.org or also add your questions to the help page.
