Newsletter June 2025
🎉 24 years of Dutch-language Wikipedia - a milestone for free knowledge!
On 19 June 2025, the Dutch-language Wikipedia was entitled to blow out 24 candles! Since its launch in 2001, this open, voluntarily written encyclopaedia has grown into one of the largest and most consulted sources of knowledge on the Dutch-language Internet.
With now over 2.1 million articles, the Dutch-language Wikipedia is the sixth largest among more than 300 language versions worldwide. What started as an experiment grew into a powerful knowledge-sharing platform thanks to thousands of volunteers. From biology to history, from local heritage pages to current topics: the range is huge and constantly evolving.
Although the growth today is less spectacular than in the early years, the impact remains undeniable. Every day, volunteers from the Netherlands and Belgium work to improve and expand articles. And although areas of concern remain - such as diversity among contributors and the quality of certain lemmas - the pursuit of reliable, free knowledge for all remains central.
📚 Want to join the celebration? Then do your bit: contribute to an article, correct a mistake, or support Wikipedia through a donation.
Congratulations, Dutch-language Wikipedia - on to 25! 🥳
💛 Thanks to your support: three projects funded through the Friends of Wikimedia Fund
Good news! Thanks to the support of generous donors, the Friends of Wikimedia Fund was able to fund no less than three worthwhile projects this year. A great result that shows how important your contribution is.
📦 Archiving of digital photographic reproductions by meemoo
Together with meemoo, we will start digitising and archiving cultural heritage materials from 1 October 2025.
The aim of this project is:
- Uploading as many reproductions as possible to Wikimedia Commons, and linking the associated metadata to Wikidata.
- Enriching Wikipedia articles with these images to enhance the reading experience.
- Organising one or more Wikipedia writing sessions, together with partner organisations, during which new articles are written in which these reproductions take their place as illustrations. Consider, for example, thematic sessions such as for International Women's Day.
- Finally, a report is drawn up on previous meemoo uploads: which images have already been shared, how often are they used on Wikipedia, and what is the public reach? This overview serves as motivation for further collaboration as well as inspiration for other heritage organisations.
Want to read more? You can do that here!
🏭 Wikimedian in Residenceat the Museum of Industry and House of Alijn
The Museum of Industry and the House of Alijn are joining forces to make public domain collections digitally available on Wikimedia Commons.
The Museum of Industry is unlocking reproductions of wooden printing letters and portraits of Ghent industrialists, among other things, as part of the TypeFaces exhibition. The House of Alijn is taking its first steps on Wikimedia with images related to circus heritage and folk prints. Both museums link their images to Wikipedia and Wikidata, thus building a sustainable digital presence.
More information can be found here.
🚨To realise this project, the House of Alijn and Industry Museum is still looking for temporary reinforcement. Are you passionate about cultural heritage and familiar with the world of Wikimedia? Do you enjoy working with rich datasets, write clearly and accurately, and learn fast? Then this internship is the opportunity for you.
📸 Wiki ❤️ Denderland - Photo Expo
From July 2025 to January 2026, a photo exhibition will travel through six cities and municipalities in the Dender region (Aalst, Erpe-Mere, Lede, Haaltert, Denderleeuw and Ninove). The expo showcases the best images from the 2024 Wiki Loves Denderland contest and at the same time makes the workings of Wikimedia visible to a wide audience.
Each expo is paired with accessible workshops at the local library. Visitors will learn how to add photos or knowledge to Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. The focus is on accessibility and inclusion: even those who are less digitally proficient are guided step by step.
- Increase trust in Wikipedia,
- Activate citizens to share local knowledge,
- And strengthen communities by building heritage participation together.
From 24 June to 30 September 2025, you can also take part in the photo contest Wiki Loves Denderland 2025 - Santé. This year, it is entirely dedicated to Breweries and folk pubs in Denderland.
🙏 Thanks!
Each of these projects became a reality thanks to people like you. Every donation, big or small, helps us move forward. Would you also like to contribute to free access to knowledge? Then consider donating to the Friends of Wikimedia Fund. Together, we make a difference! 🔗 More information and how to donate
📸 Join Wiki Loves Denderland 2025 - Santé
Are you a lover of heritage ánd photography? Then Wiki Loves Denderland 2025 - Santé is just the thing for you! This summer we are calling on everyone to add photos of heritage from the Denderland region to Wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons.
📅 When? From 24th of June till 30th of September 2025
📍 Where? Any photos from the Dender region are welcome (Aalst, Ninove, Erpe-Mere, Haaltert, Lede and Denderleeuw).
🎯 Theme 2025: Breweries, distilleries and folk pubs.
This year, we put extra focus on the rich heritage of breweries, distilleries and folk pubs in the region. But photos of movable, immovable and intangible heritage are also welcome: for example, processions, regional dishes, folk sports, crafts and more.
🏆 Why participate?
Besides eternal fame as a heritage photographer, you have a chance to win great prizes! Moreover, the 10 best photos will be exhibited in the autumn and automatically enter the national photo contest Wiki Loves Heritage Belgium.
💡Tips for participants
- Browse through your digital archive or old photo books
- Head out with your (mobile) camera this summer
- Upload your photos via Wikimedia Commons
- Project page
📖 Then what? Use your photos on Wikipedia!
Taking a photo is one thing, but using them to illustrate a Wikipedia article really makes all the difference. Let your region's heritage live on the internet!
⚠️ Attention: copyright!
Only upload photos of which you are the author. Thanks to Belgium's freedom of panorama, you may photograph buildings from public roads, as long as you respect people's privacy.
Wiki Loves Heritage 2025: highlights Belgian heritage
From 1 July to 30 September 2025, Wikimedia België will again organise Wiki Loves Heritage, the annual photo contest that literally puts cultural heritage in the picture. It is an extension of the international Wiki Loves Monuments concept, with additional focus on relocatable, intangible, maritime heritage as well as landscapes.
What can you photograph?
The competition is open to a wide range of heritage forms:
- Immovable heritage: buildings, monuments, archaeological sites, villagescapes...
- Movable heritage: museum collections, archival records, historic vehicles...
- Intangible heritage: traditions, rituals, festivals, crafts...
- Maritime heritage: historic vessels, from sailing ships to barges.
Whether you are a professional photographer or enthusiast with a smartphone: anyone can participate. Your photos will be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons and can serve as illustrations to Wikipedia articles - thus helping to make heritage visible worldwide.
How do you participate?
- Create an account on Wikimedia Commons.
- Go out and start photographing heritage in Belgium.
- Upload your photos before 30 September.
- Add a clear description, mention location and heritage type, and assign categories.
- Optional: link your photo to a Wikipedia article or add additional data via the ISA Tool.
Prizes
A professional jury will select the 10 best entries. The winners will be invited to an award ceremony:
- 🥇 First prize: €500
- 🥈 Second to fifth prize: €100-400
- 🏅 Sixth to tenth prizes: €5
- All winning photos will also be printed in large format as a permanent memento.
📩 Make sure you provide a valid e-mail address when registering - this is the only way winners can be contacted.
📸 Join the Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos campaign!
In July and August, the annual Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos (WPWP) campaign takes place again! During this international campaign, Wikipedia editors worldwide add images to articles that do not yet have a photo. The goal? To make Wikipedia more visually appealing and informative by using the millions of images available on Wikimedia Commons.
Why participate?
Wikipedia articles with images attract more attention, clarify the content and make reading more fun and educational. At the same time, you help to give photos collected through, for example, Wiki Loves Monuments, Wiki Loves Africa, Wiki Loves Earth and other photo competitions or community walks, a real place on Wikipedia.
Here's how to join:
- Sign up or create a Wikipedia account (one account works for all Wikimedia platforms).
- Find an article without an image. Look in your area of interest, for example.
- Choose an appropriate image on Wikimedia Commons. Make sure it is relevant, informative and of good quality.
- Add the image to the article with a short, informative caption.
- Use the hashtag #WPWP in your edit summary, for example: Image of an elephant added to infobox #WPWP.
Are you working with images from the Dutch Caribbean or Belgium? Then also use #WPWPWGC or #WPWPBE.
📅 Campaign period: 1st of July to 31th of August 2025
🏆 Results & prizes: on October 10th 2025, winners will be announced in various categories, such as Top Contributor, Best Newcomer and Most Helpful Contributor.
🔍 More information and participation instructions can be found here.
Have you ever thought, "This article would really be better with a photo"? This is your chance to make a difference! Join us - together we'll make Wikipedia richer, one image at a time!
🎓 Journalism students publish 27 new Wikipedia articles
Spring 2025, journalism students at Erasmus University College Brussels again participated in the annual Wikipedia project within the history subject, under the guidance of lecturer Stefan Moens. The project is part of the Education programme of Wikipedia and Wikimedia Belgium, and introduces students to free knowledge and the basic principles of encyclopaedic writing.
After an introductory session in early March, students each chose a topic to work on. They learnt to work in their own user space or notepad, building a quality article step by step without the risk of premature deletion.
Thanks to the necessary wikification - structuring, checking and improving sources, style and neutrality - the articles were prepared for publication in Wikipedia's main namespace. A total of 27 new pages were published, covering topics from Belgian history, heritage, culture and music. Each article was carefully provided with metadata on Wikidata, and where possible supplemented with visual material via Wikimedia Commons.
Curious about the results?
📄Check the overview of all articles here.
With this project, students actively build on the expansion of Dutch-language free knowledge - and learn to engage critically and constructively with sources, authorship and digital literacy.
🏗️ Join Public Domain Day 2026
Save the date, because Thursday 15 January 2026 is the day we celebrate European Public Domain Day at the Royal Library of Belgium. This day is entirely dedicated to the public domain - and how we can continue to protect, use and make it visible in a rapidly changing digital world.
For this edition, we need your help. Are you...
📚 A professional from cultural heritage institutions
🛡️ Public domain and free access to knowledge advocate
... and would you like to help shape Public Domain Day 2026?
How can you help?
Are you working on projects that strengthen the public domain? Do you want to highlight European collaborations or bring a new perspective on open cultural data, copyright, digitisation or heritage reuse? Then we would love to hear from you!
📝 Submit your proposal by 31th of September 2025 using this form:
Call for Contributions - Public Domain Day 2026.
Together, we are building an inspiring day for and by the heritage field - with debate, exchange and concrete ideas for the future of the public domain in Europe.
Agenda
🌍 Wikimania 2025: Celebrate free knowledge in Nairobi and online!
✍️ Enter the Wikipedia Writing Contest 2025!
Are you good with words, curious by nature and enjoy contributing to free knowledge? Then the annual Wikipedia Writing Contest is something for you! From the 1st of September until the 1st of November 2025, you get the chance to write a new article or firmly expand an existing one - with eternal fame, jury feedback and great prizes in store. More info can be found here.
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