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Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2026 & 2027 bidding process

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Wikimedia CEE Meeting is an annual conference centered around the Wikimedia projects in countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The first CEE Meeting was held in 2012, and since then there were 12 in-person and 2 online CEE meetings organised. Read more about the Wikimedia CEE Meeting on a dedicated Meta page.

The CEEM bidding process is a structured way for affiliates to apply to host the Wikimedia CEE Meeting. Affiliates submit detailed proposals, which are reviewed by a Selection Committee to determine the next host.

Decision about the Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2026 & 2027 hosts

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Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2026 will be hosted in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, organised by the Wikimedians of Romania and Moldova User Group.

Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2027 will be hosted in Gdańsk, Poland, organised by Wikimedia Polska.

Cluj-Napoca, Romania – host city of CEEM 2026
Gdańsk, Poland – host city of CEEM 2027

Rationale

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Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2026

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Both Wikimedia Armenia and Wikimedians of Romania and Moldova User Group submitted strong proposals.

Wikimedia Armenia demonstrated a well-prepared bid, with detailed logistics, strong organisational experience, and accessibility advantages for Central Asian countries. However, concerns included safety, limited scholarship support for the communities, and a perception of individual rather than broad team engagement.

Wikimedians of Romania and Moldova User Group presented a community-oriented proposal with strong emphasis on scholarships, minority inclusion, and the opportunity to strengthen and grow their community. The location in Cluj-Napoca, though not a capital city, was considered accessible enough. The Committee felt that hosting the CEE Meeting in Romania would have a great long-term impact for the region. Organising CEE Meeting in Cluj-Napoca will not only provide a supportive environment for minorities, but will also give the Romanian and Moldovan Wikimedian communities their first opportunity to host a CEE Meeting, an important step in their development and regional involvement.

Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2027

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The Kazakh community’s proposal for Atyrau highlighted strong enthusiasm, community team work focus and visa accessibility. However, the high budget, complicated travel, and the challenge of hosting another major regional event within about a year (Central Asian WikiCon 2026) raised concerns about feasibility and sustainability.

Wikimedia Polska’s proposal for Gdańsk was considered a safe and reliable option. Their extensive experience in organising major Wikimedia events, strong organisational capacity, and good travel infrastructure made them well positioned to deliver the necessary support for the CEE Meeting 2027 successfully. The Committee noted the need to ensure community engagement in the preparations and recognised concerns about Schengen accessibility, but concluded that Poland was the most sustainable choice.

Overview of the bidding process

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Starting from 2023, the Wikimedia CEE Meeting bidding process was reintroduced by the CEE Hub, following the good practice from 2017. The CEE Hub facilitates the process by:

  • setting up the relevant Meta pages,
  • promoting the bidding process across CEE communities, and
  • organising the work of the Selection Committee.

Since 2023, affiliates interested in hosting CEE Meeting have been invited to submit proposals by 31 July of the year prior to the conference. Each bid should outline the organisers’ experience, team structure, vision for the event, and proposed logistics (venue, accommodation, accessibility, budget).

In June 2025, the process was adapted to a biannual cycle: the call for bids now invites proposals for two consecutive conferences (e.g. 2026 and 2027 simultaneously). This change aims to strengthen long-term planning, enable knowledge transfer between hosts, and make coordination more sustainable.

For more information see: Wikimedia CEE Meeting/Bidding process.

Received bids

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For CEE Meeting 2026:

For CEE Meeting 2027:

Selection Committee for the Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2026 & 2027 bidding process

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The Selection Committee (The Selection Committee) for CEE Meeting 2026 and 2027 was composed of six members appointed by the CEE Hub, bringing experience from previous Wikimedia events:

The CEE Hub staff facilitated the process, and did not take part in the voting.

Working process

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The CEE Meeting Selection Committee (the Selection Committee) for the 2026 and 2027 editions was established in mid-2025 after the CEE Hub published an open call for volunteers to participate. The committee was composed of six members with relevant experience in Wikimedia event organisation and team management. The CEE Hub staff facilitated the process.

The Selection Committee evaluated all bids submitted on Meta before the deadline of 31 July 2025. The following criteria, used in previous years, guided the basic assessment of the bids:

  • Safety of the location
  • Visa requirements
  • Ease of access
  • Experience of the organising team
  • Opportunity for community growth and development
  • Venue
  • Accommodation
  • Budget forecast

The committee met online with the bidding teams to ask clarification questions about their proposals. Bidders were invited to provide additional information, especially regarding their strategies for volunteer recruitment, scholarship support, and overall event planning.

The final decision was taken during an online meeting on 9 September 2025, based on the written bids, the meetings with the bidding teams, and the committee’s discussions.

Based on their experience with the current process, the Selection Committee has prepared a set of recommendations for the next CEE Meeting bidding process, which can be viewed here.

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