Wikimedia MKD/Reports/2026-03

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2026

March

Edit a thon "Women Botanists"

On the occasion of International Women’s Day – March 8, Wikimedia MKD organized an edit а thon and workshop at its premises in the Youth Cultural Center (MKC) on March 6. The event aimed to promote gender equality on Wikipedia. Through such activities, the goal is to reduce the gender gap on Wikipedia and increase the visibility of women’s contributions in various fields. The event was attended by 9 students from Gymnasium “Josip Broz Tito” – Skopje, who actively contributed to improving the Macedonian-language Wikipedia.

The edit-a-thon focused on the theme “Women Botanists”, highlighting the important role of women in the development of botany and natural sciences. While editing, participants learned about the lives, scientific work, and achievements of many women botanists who have made significant contributions to the study of plant life.

This theme is also connected to Wikimedia MKD’s annual GLAM program for this year, titled “Botany of Macedonia”, which aims to enrich and improve content related to botany and plant life in Macedonia. The program encourages the creation of new encyclopedic articles and the expansion of existing ones to improve the availability of knowledge in the Macedonian language.

Since many of these topics are still insufficiently covered on Macedonian Wikipedia, students translated and adapted articles from the English Wikipedia. Through this process, they learned how to adapt texts, edit encyclopedic articles, and follow Wikipedia’s rules and standards, helping expand Macedonian Wikipedia with reliable information that was previously available mainly in other languages.

At the same time, editing activities were also carried out within wiki clubs across the country. Members of Wiki Club Kumanovo, Wiki Club Veles, and Wiki Club Drachevo worked in parallel on articles related to the same theme, contributing to the joint initiative to mark this day and enrich Macedonian Wikipedia. During the activity, participated 22 students and created 45 articles, contributing to better representation of women scientists on Macedonian Wikipedia.

You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:

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  Editing on Wikipedia
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  Editing on Wikipedia
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  Editing on Wikipedia
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  Editing on Wikipedia
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  Editing on Wikipedia
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  Editing on Wikipedia

Training workshop for students from "Kole Nedelkovski" primary school

On 13 March 2026, a Wikipedia editing training session was held for students from the primary school “Kole Nedelkovski” in Skopje. The event had both an educational and practical character, giving students the opportunity to become familiar with the basics of editing Wikipedia and the rules for writing encyclopedic articles.

During the training, the participating students were first introduced to the fundamental principles of Wikipedia. This was followed by a practical session in which the students learned how to create and edit articles, add internal links, categories, and references, as well as how to properly translate content from the English version of Wikipedia into Macedonian.

A total of five students and one teacher from the school took part in the training, actively engaging in the process of creating new content. As a result of their work, 12 new articles were created on the Macedonian-language Wikipedia. The articles were translated and adapted from the English version of Wikipedia, with the students ensuring that the content was linguistically appropriate and encyclopedically suitable for Macedonian readers.

Activities of this kind are very important for the development of the young editing community and for enriching the free encyclopedia with new and useful information. The implementation of this training once again confirms the importance of involving students in the creation of free knowledge, as well as the potential of educational activities for the further development and improvement of the Macedonian-language Wikipedia.

You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:

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  Editing on Wikipedia
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  Editing on Wikipedia
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  Editing on Wikipedia

Wiki club Veles workshop

On 13 March 2026, an educational field workshop was organized for students from Wiki Club Veles as part of the Wikimedia MKD GLAM Program 2026, dedicated to the theme “Botany of Macedonia.” The program aims to encourage research and documentation of plant life in the country and to expand free knowledge online with information about plants and their uses.

The workshop took place in Veles, where students participated in field-based learning activities. They first visited the local market and spoke with an experienced herbalist who explained how medicinal plants are identified, collected, dried, and used in traditional medicine. Students showed great interest and asked questions about the characteristics and healing properties of different herbs.

During the visit, they also spoke with local vegetable producers who explained the process of plant cultivation—from soil preparation and planting seeds to caring for the plants and harvesting the final products. In addition, a local beekeeper introduced the students to the importance of nectar-producing plants and explained the role of bees as essential pollinators in nature.

The workshop continued with a visit to a local agricultural supply store, where students explored different fruit and vegetable seedlings as well as seeds from various crops. They learned about the conditions necessary for plant growth and how young plants are prepared for planting.

Through this field workshop, students gained practical knowledge about plant life, agriculture, and traditional uses of medicinal plants. The activity also encouraged them to document plants through photography and to create or improve botany-related content on Wikipedia.

You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:

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  The students at the bazar
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  The students at the bazar
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  The students at the bazar
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  The students at the bazar
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  The students at the bazar
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  The students at the bazar

“Plants Around Us: Veles” workshop

On March 17, 2026, Wikimedia MKD organized an edit-a-thon titled “Plants Around Us: Veles” for the Wiki Club Veles, aiming to encourage young people’s interest in natural sciences while enriching Wikipedia content related to local flora. The event was held under the mentorship of the club coordinator Lili Arsova and biology teacher Elizabeta Nikolovska, with participation from students of Kocho Racin High School in Veles, who actively engaged in all phases of the activity—from field research to creating encyclopedic content.

The first part of the marathon took place outdoors, where students explored vegetation in their natural surroundings. Through practical work and observation, they learned about plant diversity, focusing on herbaceous plants, different types of flowers, and their characteristics. They analyzed leaf shapes, plant structures, and reproduction processes, gaining a deeper understanding of biological concepts. Additional topics included coniferous trees and their specific traits, as well as creeping plants and their spread in nature, helping students connect classroom knowledge with real-life examples.

Participants were also introduced to the process of creating a herbarium, from collecting and selecting plant samples to drying and preserving them. Inspired by this, they began creating their own herbariums using materials gathered during fieldwork, developing attention to detail, systematic work habits, and environmental responsibility.

Following the practical activities, students took part in the edit-a-thon, transforming their knowledge into new Wikipedia articles. They learned how to structure encyclopedic content and contribute to free knowledge, resulting in the creation of six new articles about biographies of botanists.

You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:

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  The students
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  The students with the biology teacher
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  The students
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  The herbarium
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  The students creating articles
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  The students

“Plants Around Us: Demir Hisar” workshop

On 25 March 2026, a workshop titled “Plants Around Us: Demir Hisar” was organized for members of the Wiki Club Demir Hisar. The event aimed to foster students’ interest in botany, encourage exploration of plant life in their local environment, and actively engage them in creating free encyclopedic content.

The workshop was designed as a dynamic activity combining field-based learning with practical application. In the first part, students visited the Slepche Monastery, where they explored the rich plant life in the surrounding area while also learning about the site’s cultural and spiritual significance. The nuns introduced the history of the monastery and shared information about its importance, offering students a deeper understanding of its heritage. They also guided the participants through the monastery garden, orchard, and greenhouse, where students took part in a hands-on learning session and became familiar with different types of herbs, flowers, and vegetables, as well as basic principles of plant cultivation and care.

In the second part of the workshop, participants focused on practical work on Wikipedia. With guidance from representatives of Wikimedia MKD and the Wiki Club coordinator, the students created and edited articles about plants found in Macedonia, following encyclopedic standards. This activity helped them develop their digital literacy, as well as their skills in researching, selecting, and presenting information.

A total of 5 students took part in the workshop, producing 15 new articles in Macedonian. Through their work, they made a valuable contribution to expanding botanical content, particularly related to local natural heritage.

You can see how it went through the photographic material uploaded on Commons, but also some of the photos are bellow:

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  The monastery garden
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  The monastery garden
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  The monastery garden
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  The students writing articles
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  The students writing articles
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  The students with the coordinator of Wiki club Demir Hisar and Wikimedia MKD's executive director Snezana Strkovksa

Editing Days

Editing days is an activity that lasts for the whole year in organization of Wikimedia MKD. Each Tuesday and Thursday different topics are given and the participants create or improve existing articles. In March 2026 there were in total 9 editing days, where participants edited on different topics in order to enrich the content of Wikipedia. The editing days and the topics were:

• 3.3.2026 - Types of Galanthus
• 5.3.2026 - Regions of Burkina Faso
• 10.3.2026 - Art in the 1700s and 1710s
• 12.3.2026 - Inhabited places in Velike Lašče
• 17.3.2026 - Presidents of the Royal Society
• 19.3.2026 - Literature in the 1900s and 1910s
• 24.3.2026 - National Parks in Russia
• 26.3.2026 - Current British Duchies
• 31.3.2026 - Works of Jules Verne

Cumulatively, 17 different users took part in these calls and edited. In total, 53 new articles were created during the editing days in March 2026.

Starting from January 2026, awards for the Editing Weekends and Editing days project will be granted on a monthly basis. Each month, the most active and productive participants will be recognized for their contributions. This change aims to further motivate continuous participation and encourage sustained improvement of Macedonian Wikipedia content throughout the year.

Editing Weekends

Editing weekends is another project that is organized during the whole year. During weekends (Saturday and Sunday) user are welcomed to take part in this project activity and improve or enrich Macedonian Wikipedia content. During these weekends, the participants are expected to edit articles on given topics. In March 2026 the following editing weekends were organized:

• 7-8 March - Female military personnel
• 14-15 March - Botanists with author abbreviations
• 21-22 March - Macedonian expatriate men's footballers
• 28-29 March - Former cities

In total, during these weekends there were 13 different users editing on the given topics and they created 45 new articles on the Macedonian Wikipedia.

Starting from January 2026, awards for the Editing Weekends and Editing days project will be granted on a monthly basis. Each month, the most active and productive participants will be recognized for their contributions. This change aims to further motivate continuous participation and encourage sustained improvement of Macedonian Wikipedia content throughout the year.

Editing days and editing weekends March results

During March 2026, Wikimedia MKD continued the organization of regular Editing Days and Editing Weekends as part of its ongoing efforts to improve the quality and quantity of content on the Macedonian-language Wikipedia. These activities provided structured opportunities for community members to create new articles and enhance existing ones across a variety of topic areas.

Editing days were held regularly throughout the month, taking place twice per week. Each session was dedicated to a predefined theme, encouraging participants to focus their editing efforts on specific subject areas and contributing to the systematic enrichment of Wikipedia content.

Editing weekends were organized during weekends, allowing volunteers to dedicate additional time to Wikipedia editing beyond the regular weekday sessions. Each weekend focused on a thematic topic, enabling participants to explore and develop content in greater depth.

So the results of March 2026 are as follow:

• A total of 22 editors actively participated in the Editing Days and Editing Weekends.

• Participants collectively created 116 articles and improved 3 articles on the Macedonian-language Wikipedia.

Starting from January 2026, awards for the Editing Days and Editing Weekends project are granted on a monthly basis. Each month, the most active and productive participants are recognized for their contributions during that specific period. For March 2026, the award for the most active participant was granted to Bojan9Spasovski

These results highlight the positive impact of sustained community engagement and demonstrate the effectiveness of structured editing activities in expanding free knowledge in the Macedonian language. Wikimedia MKD remains committed to continuing these initiatives and encouraging broader participation in the future.

In media

• Educational Field Workshop of Wiki Club Veles, batali.mk
• Wiki Club Veles with an educational edit-a-thon – “Plants Around Us: Veles”, duma.mk
• Toni Ristovski interview on MRT, mrt.com.mk