Language Diversity Conference/Scholarships

What is the Language Diversity Conference Travel Scholarship?

A scholarship is a grant given to an individual to enable them to attend the Language Diversity Conference 2026 in person. Scholarship recipients are selected by the Scholarships Committee of the Language Diversity Conference 2026 Core Organizing Team, and funds are provided by the Wikimedia Foundation.

Who can Apply?

Scholarships aim to support contributors who advance the visibility, use, and development of underrepresented and diverse languages across Wikimedia projects.

As this is the first Language Diversity Conference, applications are open to anyone who can demonstrate active contributions to or engagement with Wikimedia projects and communities, especially those working to support language diversity.

Examples of eligible applicants include:

Contributors to Wikimedia language projects, such as Wikimedia Incubator, translation efforts, Wiktionary, or Wikidata Lexemes.
Active involvement (beyond basic membership) in a Wikimedia group or organization, such as a committee, hub, chapter, thematic organization, or user group.
Participation in Wikimedia events, for example, contributing as a photographer to Wiki Loves Monuments or attending Wikimedia workshops.
Participation in Wikimedia programs, such as GLAM partnerships or education initiatives.
Organization of Wikimedia activities or contests, including Wiki Loves Monuments (WLM), edit-a-thons, or community meetups.
Holding advanced user rights (current or former), such as steward, CheckUser, VRT member, interface admin, or administrator.
Receiving Wikimedia Foundation grants for projects or initiatives.
Technical contributions to Wikimedia projects, such as MediaWiki development, gadget or tool creation, or other forms of code contribution.

What is the process for Language Diversity Conference Scholarship?

In general, the workflow for funding decisions is expected to follow these steps:

Applicants submit their application forms via Airtable.
The Scholarships Committee reviews all applications to verify eligibility.
The Scholarships Committee reviews eligible applications and makes funding decisions.
Applicants are informed of the outcome and, if selected, are asked to provide the necessary details to enable the Language Diversity Conference organising team to arrange travel and accommodation.
The organising team, in coordination with the Wikimedia Foundation, books and confirms travel and accommodation for funded participants.

Criteria for immediate refusal

As this is the first Language Diversity Conference, all applications will be carefully reviewed to ensure fairness and alignment with Wikimedia’s values.

Applications will not pass Phase 1 if any of the following failing criteria apply:

The applicant is a current or past grantee of a Wikimedia Foundation grant program and has been found non-compliant with the Wikimedia Foundation Scholarship or Travel Policy.
The applicant is currently globally banned by the Wikimedia Foundation or by the Wikimedia community.
The application form is empty, incomplete, or submitted without meaningful responses.
The application contains off-topic, irrelevant, or abusive content.
The applicant has not made a reasonable effort to answer the questions on the application form.
The applicant has not demonstrated sufficient Wikimedia contributions or activities that justify consideration for a scholarship.

The Core Organising Team (COT) will collaborate with the Wikimedia Foundation and, where relevant, regional hubs or affiliates to determine the final list of scholarship recipients.

The COT reserves the right to disqualify applicants based on their conduct on/off-wiki. Examples would be those on global and event ban lists, under sanctions from the Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC), or otherwise known to the COT as rule breakers.

Applications that do not meet any of the above failing criteria will move forward to Phase 2 for further evaluation.

What does the scholarship cover?

Scholarships are intended to offset:

Round-trip travel to Accra, Ghana
Accommodation during the conference
Conference participation costs

We can provide support with the visa process; however, we cannot guarantee timely visa approval. Please ensure you have a valid passport for travel, as passport-related costs are not covered.

Scholarship expectations

Scholarship recipients will be asked to:

Volunteer for at least one shift during the conference
Actively participate in conference sessions and community discussions
Share learnings with their communities after the event

Important deadline

APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON 13 MARCH at 23:59 UTC ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. This is a firm deadline. Late submissions cannot be accepted, so we strongly encourage applicants to submit early.

How to apply

🌍 APPLICATION IS CLOSED

All information provided will be kept confidential and reviewed only by the Scholarship Committee and organising team for the purposes of awarding scholarships and planning travel logistics.

If you have any questions, please contact us at languagediversitycon@gmail.com.

We look forward to welcoming a diverse group of language advocates and Wikimedians to Accra in October 2026. Join us in building inclusive communities through language.