Learning patterns/Improve photo contest results

This Learning Pattern is a stub. You can help Meta (and other program leaders) by expanding it or comment on the discussion page.

A learning pattern forphoto events

Learning Pattern Library

Improve photo contest results

problemHow to improve quality, increase user retention or reach more participants through photo contests and events.

solutionMaking small changes to contest promotion, prize categories, judging and events can lead to significant improvements in photo contest results.

creator• KHarold (WMF)

created on18:36, 7 September 2015 (UTC)

status:DRAFT

Small changes in the planning phase can lead to significant improvement in contest results.

What problem does this solve?

Each time that you organize a new edition of a photo contest you may make some changes based on what you learned from past contests. Use the baseline information collected in the previous edition and set goals to improve upon past contest results.

What is the solution?

Improve photo quality

In the last edition there were many participants and photographs, but few quality images.

• Promote photo contests and programs to experienced photographers. Consider contacting photography clubs, art schools or relevant communities on Flickr or Instagram.
• Host photography workshops to teach participants how to improve their skills.
• Share links to photography guides on Meta and Commons. Think about translating guides to your local language.

Increase number of images in use

Photo events have captured many important images, but very few of them are used on Wikimedia projects (other than Commons).

• Plan an event during or after a photo event to teach participants how to add images to articles.
• Offer a prize for adding images to articles or creating stubs using photo event images and information from monument lists.
• Make it easy for participants to use the correct categories and descriptions when they upload photos.
• Use Baglama to look at page views of images within the photo event category. You may be surprised to see that some images get significant page-views.

Focus on new user retention

Your community wants to grow, but participants disappear after a contest is over.

• Invite new users to participate in the judging process.
• Keep in touch with new users after the contest. Invite them to participate in future events.
• Start a mentorship program.

Things to consider

Goals and outcomes will be different for every community. On average, individual WLM contests generate 4,000 images, 13% images in use, 153 participants of which 68% were new users. New user retention and quality image rates are both below 1%.