Update for 2010 Wikimania Scholarship Program

In September 2010 an online survey coordinated by TSB collected anonymous feedback from 42 Scholarship Recipients (~60% of all awarded recipients in 2010) and 56 Scholarship Candidates (~8% of nearly 680 non-awarded candidates that reached the second round evaluation in 2010).

According to the results, the Scholarship Program was considered “good” or “very good” for 88% of Recipients, but only 39% of Candidates. The difference between the scores given by the two groups was significant in all categories, especially in three of them (“Selection Criteria”, “Scholarship Process” and “Contact with Candidates”) that also obtained the lowest scores among both groups of respondents.

Both Candidates and Recipients showed an increase in their self-evaluated contribution to the Wikimedia Movement from before applying for a scholarship to after applying for it. Among Recipients, the percentage of “high” or “very high” contributors increased from 58% to 76%.

Percentage-wise, twice as many Recipients as Candidates considered that the Scholarship Program had a “very high” impact on their interest to participate in the “Wikimedia Movement” and “Wikimania Conference”. Nonetheless, nearly 20% of Candidates still attributed to the Scholarship Program a “very high” impact on their interest and participation.

Additional findings and comments shared by respondents and also the link to the entire table of responses are available here, with the aim of encouraging more people to join in and further analyse the remaining data.

Wikimania 2010 Scholarships Program

Wikimania 2010, the 6th annual international conference, is being held from July 9-11, 2010. The venue is the Polish Baltic F. Chopin Philharmonic in Gdańsk, Poland. The Wikimedia Foundation is offering a limited number of scholarships to pay for selected individuals' round trip travel, accommodations, and registration for Wikimania 2010.

Goals of the Program

To make Wikimania 2010 a successful and productive international conference.
To support the Wikimedia projects by encouraging participation.
To enrich the conference with attendance by a diverse group of active and new participants in the Wikimedia movement.

About Application for Scholarship

Scholarships for Wikimania 2010 are now closed. The following is for informational purposes.

Eligibility (who can apply for a scholarship): Any active contributor to a Wikimedia project and/or Wikimedia volunteer in any other capacity, from anywhere in the world, is considered eligible. Participants in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative and/or educational initiatives are also encouraged to apply.

Selection: All applications for scholarship are reviewed by the Wikimania Scholarships Review Committee. Criteria for selecting Scholarship recipients were determined by the Scholarships Program Committee in accordance with the goals and focus areas of Wikimania and Wikimedia.

Deadline for submission: The deadline to apply for the Wikimania 2010 Scholarships Program was April 11, 2010 at 23:59:59 UTC. Applications will not be accepted after this date.

For more information about the Wikimania 2010 Scholarships Program, please visit the Questions & Answers page.

Statistics

(From Sue quoting Sara, July 14, 2010.)

As of tonight, we have 70 Wikimania Scholarship recipients from 39 countries (6 continents). Each scholarship covers roundtrip travel, registration, and accommodations for one recipient. Approximate funding on travel, registration, and accommodations for these 70 people is $110,000.
- The program is funded by the Wikimedia Foundation in 2010. The recipients were selected by a committee of volunteers, out of about 2,500 applicantions. They were selected primarily on the basis of their participation in the Wikimedia projects or other free knowledge and educational initiatives, and also on their efforts to help grow community in underrepresented regions.This is compared to 58 recipients in 2009 whose travel and registration cost ~$93,000, and was funded by four funders.
- As we are processing last-minute refunded tickets, and accommodations and registration still need to be charged back to us, $110K is only an approximate number at this time.
Thanks to the scholarships committee and Gdansk team who dedicated so much time and attention to this program.
Thanks to chapters that offered direct support for Wikimedians to attend Wikimedia. (I don't know which ones specifically, just that some have supported their members).
Thanks to the Open Society Institute and the Soros Foundations, which are sponsoring several Wikimedians from Central Asia, the Caucuses, and the Balkans.

Applicant Selection Criteria

Purpose

Established selection criteria enables the Scholarships Committee to rate scholarships applicants fairly and to optimize Wikimania attendance by

A) Active within Wikimedia: highly engaged participants in the Wikimedia Projects: editors, Wikimedians, and community members who add value to Wikimania through their experience, knowledge, and dedication in online and/or offline activities, like involvement with chapter activities, meetups, etc.

B) Active outside Wikimedia: those who have shown potential to add value to the Wikimedia projects and movement, who can enhance and build on this potential at/by Wikimania, and who can disseminate what they learn at Wikimania to their respective communities. These participants may exhibit qualities of innovation, participation in other aspects of the free culture/open source movement.

A note about Special Consideration: Following the committee rating process, special consideration will be factored in for 1) program presenters; 2) applicants from the priority regions that Wikimedia will focus on (priority regions as determined by strategic planning process: India, Brazil, Russia, the Arabic-speaking parts of the Middle East & North Africa, Indonesia and Turkey).

Selection Criteria 2010

Active within Wikimedia

4 = Very high level participant, defined by continued involvement and high impact in two or more projects, chapter or Wikimedia initiative (or as the reviewers judge "very high level")

3 = High level participant, defined by continued involvement and high impact in one or more projects, chapter or Wikimedia initiative (or as the reviewer judge "high level")

2 = Mid level participant, defined by continued involvement and average impact in one or more projects, chapter or Wikimedia initiative (or as the reviewer judge "mid level")

1 = Low level participant, defined by relatively new account, few edits, and little or no involvement in any Wikimedia project or initiative.

0 = Not a participant, defined by a brand new account, or almost no edits, and no involvement in any Wikimedia project or initiative.

Active outside Wikimedia with potential to become a new Wikimedia participant

4 = High level participant, defined by involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiative with very high potential to benefit Wikimedia.

3 = Mid to high level participant, defined by involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiative with high potential to benefit Wikimedia.

2 = Mid level participant, defined by involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiative with some potential to benefit Wikimedia.

1 = Low level new participant, defined by involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiative with low potential to benefit Wikimedia.

0 = Not a participant, defined by no involvement in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative or educational initiatives.