Indic Wikimedia Hackathon Kochi 2025
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The Indic Wikimedia Hackathon Kochi 2025 is a regional event organized by the Indic MediaWiki Developers User Group (aka Indic-TechCom), in support with amFOSS. It will be held in TinkerSpace Kochi from 25 to 27 July 2025, with 24 July marked as Day 0 for pre-event activities.
The primary goal of the hackathon is to provide an opportunity for students in and around Kochi, and also members of FOSS club at Amrita University to have beginner-friendly hands-on experience of contributing to Wikimedia technical spaces. The participants are expected to have some prior open-source contributions, and this hackathon will help you to get onboard with MediaWiki and related technical areas such as web-based tools, user scripts/gadgets, bots, templates etc. that help workflows of Wikimedia contributors.
This hackathon is a collaborative space where developers, technical writers, and Wikimedia contributors come together to solve real-world problems. The goal is to bring together contributors working across various technical areas of Wikimedia projects, such as the MediaWiki core, tools, user scripts, gadgets, bots, templates, and more, to enhance the technical infrastructure that supports these Wikimedia projects. The event also focuses on resolving outstanding technical issues and bugs, as well as fostering connections among contributors with similar interests.
You can come with a project in mind, join an existing one, or collaborate with others to create something new. Building on the success of the 30-hour non-stop hackathon previously held in Kochi - a major milestone for the Indic technical community, this event is designed to engage and support:
We invite college students, aspiring developers, and individuals passionate about contributing to Wikimedia projects to join us at the hackathon.
Please note: This hackathon is not a competition; there are no winners or prizes. The goal is collaboration, not contest. You're encouraged to contribute in any way that aligns with your interests and skills, whether that's coding, design, documentation, testing, ideation, or something else entirely.
What truly matters is your enthusiasm, willingness to learn, and how you choose to engage with the Wikimedia technical community, both during and beyond the event. Most importantly, relax, have fun, and make the most of this shared experience!
Task and Program Design
[edit]Building on the success of our previous hackathon, where we introduced pre-published tasks and a revised participation structure, we are excited to carry forward the same approach for this event. Sharing tasks a few days before the hackathon allowed participants to come prepared, form teams early, and contribute more meaningfully, resulting in stronger collaboration and impactful outcomes.
This time as well, we will curate and share a set of tasks in advance. These tasks will be grouped in a way that collectively contributes to the substantial development of specific tools or workflows, with the goal of progressing them to a more stable version. We believe this model not only enhances engagement during the event but also encourages participants to continue contributing post-event, strengthening our technical community and long-term impact.
Scholarships
[edit]- The scholarship will cover food and other incidental expenses related to your participation.
- We are offering 20–25 scholarships to support participation in the hackathon.
- The deadline to apply for a scholarship is 15 June 2025.
You can fill out the scholarship application at Google Form.- Scholarship selections will be finalized, and decision emails will be sent out on or before 25 June 2025.
Application Guidance
[edit]After scholarship selections are finalized, a curated list of hackathon-friendly tasks will be shared with selected participants. Participants can choose from this list or propose their own task if they prefer to work on something different.
List of curated hacking tasks/projects: TBD (Task list will be shared by 12 July 2025)
Applicants are welcome to propose their own tasks instead of selecting from the curated list. However, a clear description of the task and its problem statement is expected. This doesn’t have to be perfect or even entirely accurate, but demonstrating your intent and thought process around implementation will strengthen your participation.
Not-so-good example: “I want to work on improving the template experience on my Wikipedia.” Good example (hypothetical): “I want to work on the process of importing templates from another wiki to my Wikipedia and auto-linking them to Wikidata items. The current process is tedious, and a user script or bot could help automate it.”
Please note: The specific task or project you choose will not affect your chances of receiving a scholarship. Applications will be evaluated based on your motivation statement, thought process, problem-solving, and willingness to collaborate during the hackathon.
Selected participants will be expected to spend 2-3 hours on pre-event preparation, such as attending an orientation session, reviewing the project codebase, or familiarizing themselves with the Wikimedia technical ecosystem. This ensures that everyone is aligned and ready to collaborate effectively from day one.
Program Design
[edit]| Date | Timings | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| 25 July (Day 1) | 09:00 AM – 09:30 AM | Social Engagement |
| 09:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Welcome note and project introduction | |
| 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Project clarifications / grouping | |
| 11:00 AM – 01:30 PM | Hacking time | |
| 01:30 PM – 02:30 PM | Lunch break | |
| 02:30 PM – 04:30 PM | Hacking time | |
| 04:30 PM – 05:00 PM | Break | |
| 05:00 PM – 06:00 PM | Wikimedia staff talk (TBD) | |
| 26 July (Day 2) | 09:00 AM – 11:30 AM | Hacking time |
| 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Tea break | |
| 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM | Engagement Activity (TBD) | |
| 12:30 PM – 01:30 PM | Hacking time | |
| 01:30 PM – 02:30 PM | Lunch | |
| 02:30 PM – 04:30 PM | Hacking time | |
| 04:30 PM – 05:00 PM | Group photo + tea break | |
| 05:00 PM – 06:00 PM | Technical consultations and priorities | |
| 27 July (Day 3) | 09:00 AM – 01:00 PM | Hacking time |
| 01:00 PM – 02:00 PM | Lunch | |
| 02:00 PM – 05:00 PM | Hacking wrap-up and next steps | |
| 05:00 PM – 06:30 PM | Project showcase | |
| 06:30 PM – 07:30 PM | Dinnner and Conclusion |
Event Organization
[edit]| Event coordinators | Organizations | Funded by |
|---|---|---|
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Organizers from IMD-UG
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Contact
[edit]For any questions, please reach out to us on the Meta-Wiki talk page or via email at Meta-Wiki talk page or via email at contact
indicmediawikidev.org
Notes
[edit]- The hacking space will be open from 9:00 AM onwards.