Wiki Loves Bangla or Banglar Preme Wiki, is an international photo contest on Bangla culture and heritage, organized by Bangla WikiMoitree in January. As part of the Bangla Culture and Heritage Collation Program, the competition is held on a different theme yearly. The public takes photos depicting Bangla culture and heritage worldwide, uploads those to Wikimedia Commons, and then can use them on Wikipedia and elsewhere. The goal is to make the Bangla culture and heritage flourish to the worldwide public. See also www.wikilovesbangla.org (international website).
Wikimedia Bangladesh organized the Wiki Loves Earth in Bangladesh from 2017 to 2020. It is an annual international photographic competition around the conservation areas of the participating countries. The main motivation behind participating in the competition was that most of the protected areas in Bangladesh don’t have photographs under the free license and we wanted to create a database of freely licensed photographs of all the protected sites of Bangladesh in Wikimedia Commons; Wiki Loves Earth offered a unique opportunity in this regard.
Wikimedia Bangladesh organized the Wiki Loves Monuments in Bangladesh from 2016 to 2020. It is an annual international photographic competition aimed at documenting and promoting the diverse architectural and historical monuments across Bangladesh. Participants were encouraged to upload high-quality, freely licensed images of heritage sites, monuments, and historical landmarks, making them available for educational use on Wikimedia platforms. The initiative sought to preserve and raise awareness about Bangladesh's rich cultural heritage, as well as contribute to the growing repository of free knowledge. The contest also fostered greater engagement within the local Wikimedia community and encouraged public participation in cultural preservation efforts.
WikiResearch Library is an initiative by Wikimedia Bangladesh aimed at supporting research and content development across Wikimedia projects. This dedicated archive will provide active Wikipedians with access to a curated collection of books and reference materials, enhancing the quality and depth of articles on Wikimedia platforms. The library's collection will focus on subjects such as history, culture, science, and other essential knowledge areas, selected for their relevance to content development. Housed at the Wikimedia Bangladesh office in Dhaka, the WikiResearch Library will be managed by the Wikimedia Bangladesh chapter. Access to the library will be provided based on a policy to ensure responsible use, with books donated and used primarily for research and content enhancement. Through this initiative, Wikimedia Bangladesh seeks to empower contributors by providing reliable resources, fostering academic integrity, and promoting knowledge-sharing within the Wikimedia community.
WikiNandini is a community initiative of Wikimedia Bangladesh, with the primary goal of increasing women's participation in the Wikimedia movement in Bangladesh. The community works towards creating a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for women in Wikimedia-related activities. The mission is to encourage women, recognize their creativity, and ensure they play an active role in various Wikimedia projects. More than just a Wikimedia community, WikiNandini is a women-led movement that empowers and educates women, helping them grow within the Wikimedia ecosystem. It firmly believes that by sharing women's stories with the world, not only will Wikipedia benefit, but the entire knowledge repository will be enriched.
Since 2007, Wikimedia Bangladesh has been organizing the annual WikiGathering called Ekushey WikiShamabesh on 21 February to commemorate International Mother Language Day. The event focuses on promoting contributions to Bangla Wikipedia and other Bengali Wikimedia projects. This day holds deep significance in Bangladesh, marking the 1952 Bangla Language Movement, when people sacrificed their lives to defend their right to speak and write in Bangla. Recognized by UNESCO, International Mother Language Day celebrates linguistic and cultural diversity, advocating for the preservation of ethnolinguistic rights worldwide. Each year, local Wikimedians engage the public by setting up informational banners in prominent locations, inviting people to contribute to Bangla-language content on Wikimedia platforms. The event has been hosted in several cities across Bangladesh, including Barisal, Chandpur, Chattogram, Cumilla, Dhaka, Khulna, Netrokona, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet, and internationally in Hunan, China. Through these gatherings, the event raises awareness about the importance of free knowledge in the Bangla language, fostering active community participation and further strengthening the movement's cultural impact.
WikiBarta is the official magazine of Wikimedia Bangladesh, serving as a platform for sharing community news, interviews, project updates, and articles on free knowledge. It aims to keep contributors informed about Wikimedia activities in Bangladesh and beyond while fostering greater engagement within the Wikimedia movement. Launched to provide the Bangla-speaking Wikimedia community with updates on significant events, developments, and initiatives, WikiBarta published its first issue on April 14, 2018. Since its inception, the magazine has continued to document and promote Wikimedia-related activities in Bangla, offering valuable insights into the movement. To date, 12 issues have been published, each highlighting the contributions and achievements of the community.
