Commons:Wiki Loves Africa 2025/jury

Wiki Loves Africa 2025

SEE ALL 2025 ENTRIES

Wiki Loves Africa’s Winner selection process

The Jury process for the Wiki Loves Africa competition is elaborate and complex, as with all international photographic competitions. The process is sectioned into the efforts that are explained below. Please note that there are two separate, unrelated judging elements

The national juries, and
The international jury.

The national juries select images from their country categories to review and reward. The international jury process is entirely separate, with all images being reviewed, and a select few making the short list and final cut. We do not rely on the national teams or juries for their selections. This is intentional and due to the fact that not every country that contributes has a national team or jury process.

Image Checking

First, there is an initial effort during the competition timeframe and the month after to ensure that all images are categorized properly and are vetted for copyvios and other issues. This process (still ongoing) is undertaken by a few dedicated and tireless Wikimedia Commons contributors who are incredible (thank you XX and XX.)

National jury process

National organising teams select their own juries. Guidance with regards to this process is supplied in the National Judging Charter, however the management and organisation - and final results - are entirely independent of the International team. You can view the national winners here.

International Jury process

International Photography Jury

Juror	Biography	Photo
Eric Chidom, Nigeria	Eric Chidom is a documentary photographer and filmmaker based in Abuja, Nigeria, with over five years of professional experience. This is his third year serving as a jury member for Wiki Loves Africa. His work focuses on humanitarian and social issues, while also documenting the cultures of South-Eastern Nigeria and preserving memory through visual storytelling. Eric’s work has screened internationally in multiple film festivals, including a humanitarian documentary for the Red Cross. He is also an AMVCA-nominated filmmaker. He is Head of Productions at Ònye Ijé Productions, which creates research-based documentaries on Nigerian culture and social issues, and Lead Creative at Dorick Productions, a media company specialising in film production and event coverage.
Alan Levine, Canada	Alan Levine (Canada) Alan is an advocate for the open web and creativity in education currently as Director of Community Engagement for Open Education Global. His interest and love of photography started with a film class required as an arts elective, and continued with exploration of the very first digital cameras. He was an earlier user of Flickr, joining in 2004, and has shared more than 70000 photos since, all openly licensed, most under CC0. His photos have been widely used, and others have added more than 11000 of them tio Wikimedia Commons. But mostly he just enjoys creating images every day
Michael Maggs, United Kingdom	Maggs is a photographer, a former chair of Wikimedia UK and a former bureaucrat on Commons. In 2013 he set up the Wiki Loves Monuments contest in the UK, and led the UK efforts to 2019. Michael's contributions to Commons can be found here.
Geoffrey Kateregga, Uganda	Geoffrey is a community leader in the Wikimedia Usergroup Uganda and the community projects lead at Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team.
Bouba Kam's, Côte d'Ivoire	Aboubacar Kamaté is an Ivorian videographer and video director. He won the Best video quality prizes for Wiki Loves Africa 2020 and Wiki Loves Africa 2021
David Brazier, Zimbabwe	In the early 1990’s David Brazier founded a small professional studio in Harare focusing on architectural, environmental and development assignments and worked as a stringer for Agence France Press in Harare. His architectural work has been published in the New York Times, the International Ove Arup Journal and the Architectural Review. His photos have been featured in the Zimbabwean Review journal, Revue Noire, the cover of TIME Magazine (Africa), National Geographic Africa, Claiming Landscapes, Warscapes, Ogogii magazine.
Bea de los Arcos, Spain	Founder and curator of We Like Sharing, a public repository of CC-licensed photographs by staff, students, alumni and friends of Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.
Marion Walton, South Africa	Marion’s research explores the connections between media studies and the study of software, digital media, social networks and games. She has a particular interest in mobile media and developing new research methodologies for the study of interactive media, and user experiences of social and participatory media. Her research in Human Computer Interaction suggests approaches to studying software as a new form of media, and confronts the issues of power and regulation of meaning that arise for users of software, particularly those in marginalized contexts. Her PhD studies included a period at the University of London's Institute of Education where she was hosted at the Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media. She has a particular interest in children and youth media and she can be found watching Wallace and Gromit or playing World of Warcraft.

International Video Jury

Juror	Biography	Photo
Zack McCune	Zack McCune is Director of Brand at the Wikimedia Foundation. A sociologist by training, who authored the first academic study of Instagram in 2011, McCune believes in the global “collective” creativity of online platforms. He led early social media teams for MasterCard and Mountain Dew before joining the Wikimedia Foundation in 2015. Zack’s creative work has been featured internationally by the BBC, BuzzFeed, CNN, AeroMexico, the National Parks Service, Good Morning America, Libertatea, and France 3. As a filmmaker, Zack remixes archival footage to tell new stories. His short films have screened at 36 festivals in 20 countries. At the Wikimedia Foundation, Zack leads the Brand Studio, a global team that inspires public awareness and support for Wikipedia. They reach more than 2 billion internet users a year..
Benedicta Emmanuel, Nigeria	Benedicta Emmanuel is a passionate photographer and videographer who began her journey in mobile phone photography and videography in 2022. Her early work focused on capturing the essence of everyday life through street scenes, nature, and candid moments, laying a strong foundation for her creative development. In 2023, during her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program, she served as one of the lead photographers and videographers during the orientation camp, gaining hands-on experience in event coverage and visual storytelling. She is currently honing her craft at Film Avenue, a film production and cinematography firm, where she continues to develop her skills and expand her expertise in the visual arts.
Fayçal Rezkallah, Algeria	Fayçal Rezkallah is a photographer and director of a photography agency in Oran, Algeria. in 2012, he created ISOCLUB, a photography club which organizes an international photo festival called Les journées de la photo d'Oran. Fayçal exhibits his work in Algeria, but also in South Africa, Germany, France, Tunisia, London and is often a jury for international photography contests.
Muhammed Amine Benloulou, Algeria	Muhammed Amine Benloulou is a Wikimedian from Algeria, as well as an artistic manager, film director, and hip-hop culture researcher. He is the artistic director of the WikiGhonya project and served as a community liaison in the MENA region for the Wikimedia Foundation Sound Logo team. Notably, he was the project manager for the Wiki For Climate Change 2023: Right to a Healthy Environment campaign in the Maghreb Region, where he oversaw the production of the promotional video. In 2023, he released "The Black Panthers of Algeria: A Story of Struggle in the Land of Revolutions," a short documentary film that examines the relationship between the African American liberation movement and the Algerian revolution.
Timothy Akolamazima, Uganda	Documentary Photographer based in Kampala, Uganda passionate about telling real-life stories within my community to raise awareness and inspire change through visual storytelling. He is equally drawn to the wild, documenting the beauty of nature, wildlife, and the energy of sports through my lens with focus on tennis.
Adel Nehaoua, Algeria	Adel holds a master's degree in Highway and Bridge Engineering and currently works as a Civil Engineer. He has been an active Wikimedian since 2009, contributing across multiple Wikimedia projects. He serves as an administrator on Arabic Wikipedia and Arabic Wikisource, and He regularly contributes to French and Arabic Wikipedia, Wikidata, WikiSource, and Wiktionary. With over 231,330 global edits, He is an active member of several Wikimedia groups, including Wikimedia Algeria User Group, Wiki World Heritage User Group, and Arabic Wikimedians User Group. He also engaged with movement governance and strategy, having followed and supported Wikimedia 2030 recommendations and initiatives such as the Charter Drafting Committee. He has previously served as a jury member in several Wikimedia contests juries, and I currently serve on the Regional Funds Committee (MENA) and the Ombuds Commission.

Regional Jury

Juror	Biography	Photo
Suyash Dwivedi, India	Suyash Dwivedi is a veteran Wikimedia contributor from India with over 16 years of engagement, specializing in structured media and the coordination of large-scale photography contests. He serves as the Chair of the Commons Photographers User Group and is a key member of international contest teams. His extensive experience in the "Wiki Loves" series includes: Serving as a organizer and Jury Member for campaigns such as Wiki Loves Monuments and Wiki Loves Folklore. Being a Core Organizing Team (COT) Member for Wiki Science Competition in India. Holding the crucial role of International Jury Coordinator as a member of the International Team for Wiki Loves Folklore. Additionally, Mr. Dwivedi holds a senior governance position as the Vice-Chair of the Affiliations Committee (AffCom), providing a deep understanding of the global movement. An electronics engineer by profession, his expertise lies in photography, technology, and community outreach.
Victoria Ferfive Coronado, Mexico	A graduate in Art Studies and Cultural Management with a deep passion for art and cultural heritage. Since 2021 she have been contributing to Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, where she create and improve articles centred on documenting art, culture and history. A member of Wikimedia México and an active youth Wikimedian, committed to encouraging young people to join the movement and to promoting open access to cultural knowledge. Among her key projects are Memories on Wheels, a digital photographic archive that documents the evolution of antique and classic automobiles, and Wiki Loves Folklore Mexico, which she organised for the first time in the country to celebrate and share diverse traditions. Through these initiatives, along with edit-a-thons, archival collaborations and photographic contributions, she continue to foster global appreciation for art and culture within the Wikimedia movement.
Anastasiya Lvova, Austria	Anastasiya Lvova has been an active contributor to Wikimedia projects since 2007. She organized the Wiki Loves Monuments contest in Russia (2011–2012) and has uploaded thousands of photographs, over 600 of which have been recognized as Quality Images, with several also featured and valued. Her work focuses primarily on documenting cultural heritage sites, including rare and lesser-known monuments that previously lacked illustration.
Jamshid Nurkulov, Uzbekistan	Wikimedia contributor since May 2014. Active on Uzbek Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. He is an experieced juror who has has participate in Wiki Loves Earth 2023 in Uzbekistan, Wiki Loves Monuments 2023 in Uzbekistan, Wiki Loves Earth 2024 in Uzbekistan, Wiki Loves Monuments 2024 in Uzbekistan, Wiki Loves Folklore 2025 (global jury), Wiki Loves Earth 2025 in Kyrgyzstan and Wiki Loves Earth 2025 in Kazakhstan.
Tiven, India	He is a long-standing contributor, organizer, and advocate for cultural documentation on Wikimedia projects, with a particular passion for preserving the richness of folk traditions and uplifting marginalized voices. His journey began with a simple curiosity about Wikipedia as a reliable resource during his school years. As he grew older, this curiosity transformed into active participation, learning the intricacies of Wikipedia’s guidelines, community dynamics, and collaborative spirit. He has made significant contributions to Wikimedia’s photography and media projects, particularly through his work on Wikimedia Commons. His roles include image categorization, license review, translation administration, and technical support such as configuring the upload wizard. He has also served with VRT, assisting in copyright-related queries and ensuring that media contributions meet licensing standards. Since 2019, he has played a central role in international media-focused campaigns like Wiki Loves Love, which evolved into Wiki Loves Folklore (WLF), and Feminism and Folklore. As a lead coordinator, he has guided these campaigns’ growth, communications, and on-wiki activities. Under his leadership, they have attracted thousands of photographers worldwide, resulting in a rich collection of images that document intangible cultural heritage, folklore, and gender-related themes. His efforts have greatly enriched Wikimedia’s visual repositories, strengthened cultural documentation through photography, and fostered collaboration among volunteers across diverse communities.

First review 2025

This year, we again asked the community to participate in a clean up of the images submitted to Wiki Loves Africa 2025. The community members who participated were:

This First Review round is to reduce submitted images to a manageable number for a more in-depth selection by the international jury. The First Review Team chose yes (to keep) or no (to drop) each image assigned to them according to the following criteria:

Images must be relevant to the theme.
The quality of the image - is it obviously blurred, pixellated, etc.
The deletion of any selfies, very small images or blurred and unclear works.