Education/News/February 2026/Celebrating 25 Years of Wikipedia in Uzbekistan

Celebrating 25 Years of Wikipedia in Uzbekistan

Summary: On 14 February 2026, Uzbek Wikimedians organized an educational celebration event at Tashkent State University of Economics to mark Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary. The event was held in collaboration with the Wikimedians of Turkic Languages User Group, Central Asia Youth Community, young Uzbek Wikimedians, and the TSUE Wiki Club. More than 50 participants, mainly university students and young people, attended.

While the occasion marked a global milestone, the primary focus of the gathering was educational. The event was designed as a practical training session introducing students to Wikipedia editing, digital literacy principles, and responsible contribution to open knowledge platforms.

The central component was a hands-on workshop on editing Wikipedia and uploading images to Wikimedia Commons. The workshop session was led by Panpanchik, who guided participants step-by-step through the editing process, explained Wikipedia’s core principles, and demonstrated how to apply them in practice. Technical support during the session was provided by Janob Mirzaolim, who worked directly on the computer to demonstrate live editing and assist participants with practical tasks.

During the workshop, participants learned how to:

create a new user account
navigate their sandbox and make edits
structure and format articles according to Wikipedia guidelines
cite reliable sources and understand the importance of verifiability
apply basic wiki markup and formatting tools
upload images correctly to Wikimedia Commons with proper licensing

Using an interactive method, participants collaboratively created a short text by contributing words and sentences, then formatted it according to Wikipedia standards. This approach helped them understand neutrality, structure, and citation requirements in a practical way. A photo of the anniversary cake was also uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, giving participants hands-on experience with media files and free licenses.

Beyond technical skills, the workshop emphasized critical thinking, evaluating sources, and understanding Wikipedia’s role in academic and public knowledge ecosystems. Several participants expressed interest in continuing their engagement and establishing Wiki Clubs at their own institutions.

The event functioned not only as a celebration but as an educational platform that strengthened digital competencies and encouraged students to become active contributors to open knowledge.