Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wiki Loves Earth 2026 in Bhutan (ID: 23753614)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Kheng Singye Dorji (KSD) (talk • accounts • contributions • edit count)
- Organization
N/A
- If you are a group or organization leader, board member, president, executive director, or staff member at any Wikimedia group, affiliate, or Wikimedia Foundation, you are required to self-identify and present all roles. (required)
N/A
- Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)
Main Proposal
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
Wiki Loves Earth 2026 in Bhutan
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2026-05-01 - 2026-06-15
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Bhutan
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
Wiki Loves Earth
- 6. What is the change you are trying to bring? What are the main challenges or problems you are trying to solve? Describe this change or challenges, as well as main approaches to achieve it. (required)
Despite Bhutan’s achievement of protecting over 51% of its land through national parks and biological corridors—aligned with Gross National Happiness (GNH) principles—many digital knowledge platforms underrepresent key protected areas such as Jigme Dorji National Park, Royal Manas National Park, Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, and Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary. This initiative aims to support Bhutan’s environmental conservation and knowledge-sharing priorities by systematically documenting and managing high-quality, freely licensed images of Bhutan’s natural heritage. The content will be contributed to Wikimedia Commons and used across Wikipedia and related platforms to strengthen education, research, and public awareness. The primary challenge is identifying these gaps and producing accurate, policy-aligned visual content while adhering to national conservation and ethical documentation guidelines. The project will engage trained photographers as core contributors and collaborate with national institutions to ensure quality, alignment, and long-term public value like Royal Society for the protection of Nature, Department of Forest and Park Services and organizations like Vast Bhutan.
- 7. What are the planned activities? (required) Please provide a list of main activities. You can also add a link to the public page for your project where details about your project can be found. Alternatively, you can upload a timeline document. When the activities include partnerships, include details about your partners and planned partnerships.
The project will be implemented through a structured approach to ensure effective coordination, ethical documentation, and meaningful contribution. April 10-20 - Core Team meeting, Engagement and finalization of partner institutions and associate organizations, including photography groups and relevant stakeholders.
April 20-30 - Make lists of natural heritage with identifiers, Pre-event orientation and briefing prior to the official launch.
May 01: Official commencement of the event.
May 02 & May 09: Awareness and orientation sessions conducted with photographers and partner institutions, focusing on open licensing, ethical photography, and documentation of Bhutan’s natural heritage for Wikimedia platforms.
May 16, May 23 & May 30: Guided photowalks in collaboration with freelance and institutional photography groups, targeting selected natural and cultural landscapes.
May 25 – May 30: A thematic Photoride across selected regions of western and central Bhutan to document diverse ecosystems, landscapes, and conservation practices.
June 01 & June 10: Photo Edit-a-thons to curate, upload, and integrate selected images into Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia, and related Wikimedia projects.
June 10 – June 15: Primary jury review of submissions based on quality, relevance, and ethical compliance.
June 15 – June 20: Final jury evaluation and selection.
June 20 – June 30: Winner announcement and prize distribution
- 8. Describe your team. Please provide their roles, Wikimedia Usernames and other details. (required) Include more details of the team, including their roles, usernames, Wikimedia group, and whether they are salaried, volunteers, consultants/contractors, etc. Team members involved in the grant application need to be aware of their involvement in the project.
The event will be supported by an experienced implementation team.
User:Kheng Singye Dorji (KSD) - Event Coordinator and Public Relations Lead
User: Tenraj - Photowalk Co-ordinator As we're initiating the event for the first time in Bhutan we’re inviting User:Nabin K. Sapkota an experienced Wikimedia Event co-ordinator from Nepal to guide us in organizing the event in a smooth and effective way. The jury panel will be finalized and announced at a later stage.
- 9. Who are the target participants and from which community? How will you engage participants before and during the activities? How will you follow up with participants after the activities? (required)
The primary target participants for this initiative are active contributors to Wikimedia projects in Bhutan, including experienced editors, photographers, and open-knowledge advocates. In addition, outreach efforts will extend to colleges, youth groups, photography clubs, and photography institutions across Bhutan to encourage broader participation, particularly among students, early-career photographers, and conservation-minded individuals. To ensure strong engagement prior to the event, awareness and promotional activities will be conducted through a combination of online platforms and in-person orientation sessions, introducing participants to the objectives of the campaign, open licensing practices, and ethical documentation of Bhutan’s natural heritage. These pre-event engagements will help build understanding, interest, and readiness among participants. During the event period, participants will be actively involved through orientation sessions, guided photowalks, and thematic photo rides, enabling hands-on field documentation and collaborative learning. These activities will be designed to encourage peer support, skill sharing, and responsible engagement with natural and protected areas. Following the event, a photo edit-a-thon will be organized to curate, upload, and contextualize contributed photographs on Wikimedia Commons and integrate them into relevant Wikipedia articles and related Wikimedia projects. Continued follow-up will be maintained through online and offline communication channels to support participants in content placement, licensing compliance, and long-term contribution. Throughout all phases, the initiative will prioritize recognition and appreciation of contributors, partners, and jury members, providing necessary coordination, encouragement, and motivation to sustain community engagement and strengthen Bhutan’s open-knowledge ecosystem.
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
No
- 10.1. Please provide a link to your Youth Safety Policy. (required) If the proposal indicates direct contact with children or youth, you are required to outline compliance with international and local laws for working with children and youth, and provide a youth safety policy aligned with these laws. Read more here.
N/A
- 11. How did you discuss the idea of your project with your community members and/or any relevant groups? Please describe steps taken and provide links to any on-wiki community discussion(s) about the proposal. (required) You need to inform the community and/or group, discuss the project with them, and involve them in planning this proposal. You also need to align the activities with other projects happening in the planned area of implementation to ensure collaboration within the community.
We have met few professional photographers and they are excited to aboard the project. The collaborative meetings are in action.
- 12. Does your proposal aim to work to bridge any of the content knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Geography
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
Climate Change and sustainability
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Geographic
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement
Learning and metrics
[edit]- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
Through this project, and in collaboration with partner institutions and associate organizations in Bhutan, we aim to build a skilled, motivated, and sustainable task force committed to the ethical creation and open sharing of knowledge, ensuring free and accessible information for communities, educators, researchers, and the wider public.
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 80 | Expected around 80 participants/photographers from Bhutan/outside. |
| Number of editors | 15 | Photo editors |
| Number of organizers | 3 | collaborators |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 50 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 1000 |
| Wikidata | 50 |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | 20 |
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
- 19. Do you have any other project targets in numbers (metrics)? (optional)
No
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
- 20. What tools would you use to measure each metrics? Please refer to the guide for a list of tools. You can also write that you are not sure and need support. (required)
https://wikiloves.toolforge.org - For matrices and status https://jury.wikilovesearth.org.ua (WLX Jury Tool) - Jury
Financial proposal
[edit]- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
- 22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)
458000 BTN
- 22.2. Convert the amount requested into USD using the Oanda converter. This is done only to help you assess the USD equivalent of the requested amount. Your request should be between 500 - 5,000 USD.
4992 USD
- By submitting your proposal/funding request you confirm that you have read and agree to the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy, and the Universal Code of Conduct.
Yes
Endorsements and Feedback
[edit]Please add endorsements and feedback to the grant discussion page only. Endorsements added here will be removed automatically.
Community members are invited to share meaningful feedback on the proposal and include reasons why they endorse the proposal. Consider the following:
- Stating why the proposal is important for the communities involved and why they think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected.
- Highlighting any aspects they think are particularly well developed: for instance, the strategies and activities proposed, the levels of community engagement, outreach to underrepresented groups, addressing knowledge gaps, partnerships, the overall budget and learning and evaluation section of the proposal, etc.
- Highlighting if the proposal focuses on any interesting research, learning or innovation, etc. Also if it builds on learning from past proposals developed by the individual or organization, or other Wikimedia communities.
- Analyzing if the proposal is going to contribute in any way to important developments around specific Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy.
- Analysing if the proposal is coherent in terms of the objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results (metrics).