Entries open for Wikimedia photo comp, with 1916 twist

30 Aug 2016

A shot from the interior of Vakil Mosque in Shiraz, Iran. Image via Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0

The now annual Wiki Loves Monuments competition is open for entries this year, with the Irish leg of the international project including a special 1916 category.

One of Wikimedia’s more creative ways to capture as much of the globe on camera as possible, with an open licence for all to use, the Wiki Loves Monuments competition has produced some outstanding imagery in the past.

With cash prizes, calendars and books on offer to winners in each country involved, the real emphasis is getting free-to-use imagery of as many sites as possible.

Wikimedia Monuments 1916 Rising

For this year, amateur and professional photographers are invited to photograph Irish monuments featured here, and upload them to Wikimedia Commons for use by all.

Clondalkin Round Tower in Dublin, Ahenny High Cross in Tipperary and Kells Priory in Co Kilkenny are just some of the sites photographers are invited to capture on camera.

As part of the 2016 contest, there is even a specific 1916 Easter Rising themed monument list. These include the buildings occupied during the Rising, buildings where the planning of the Rising took place, some birthplaces of the leaders and the railway stations throughout the country that were named in their honour.

Despite this being about openness and creative freedom, there are some strict rules to abide by to help build on the creative commons licence. Photos must be taken by the uploader, and must be submitted before 30 September at 11:59pm.

The special licence to be attributed is available here, and uploaders must have a valid email address on Wikimedia Commons. The latter point is so entrants can be notified of winning entries.

Some of the outstanding global entries last year, all via CC BY-SA 4.0, included:

A shot from the interior of Vakil Mosque in Shiraz, Iran. Image via Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji/Wikimedia Commons

A shot from the interior of Vakil Mosque in Shiraz, Iran. Image via Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji/Wikimedia Commons (Click to enlarge)

Westerheversand Lighthouse in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Image via Marco Leiter Licensing/Wikimedia Commons

Westerheversand Lighthouse in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany – This was the overall winner in 2015. Image via Marco Leiter Licensing/Wikimedia Commons

Museum of the Inconfidência, Ouro Preto, Brazil. Image via Ricardo Takamura/Wikimedia Commons

Museum of the Inconfidência, Ouro Preto, Brazil. Image via Ricardo Takamura/Wikimedia Commons

A monk paying homage to the Buddha statue of Wat Si Chum, Sukhothai Historical Park, Thailand. Image via Yakuzakorat/Wikimedia Commons

A monk paying homage to the Buddha statue of Wat Si Chum, Sukhothai Historical Park, Thailand. Image via Yakuzakorat/Wikimedia Commons

Poulnabrone Dolmen, Co. Clare. Image via Frank Chandler/Wikimedia Commons

Poulnabrone Dolmen, Co. Clare. Image via Frank Chandler/Wikimedia Commons

Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle in Ukraine. Image via Serge Krinitsa/Wikimedia Commons

Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle in Ukraine. Image via Serge Krinitsa/Wikimedia Commons

Gordon Hunt was a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com