Wikimedia MKD/Reports/2026-05

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

2026

May

Wikiexpedition - Strumica basin

Wikiexpeditions logo

Тhe first wiki expedition of this year was once again focused on the Strumica Plain, continuing the documentation of villages in the Strumica Basin from the previous year. The participants arrived in Strumica on April 30, and over the following two days — May 1 and 2 — they carried out field activities across several villages in the municipalities of Bosilovo and Vasilevo.

The first day began with visits to Banica and Vodocha, where numerous churches, monasteries, monuments, and other important sites were photographed. The expedition then continued to Sekirnik and Turnovo, followed by Ilovica and Shtuka, where religious buildings and the artificial lake above the villages were also documented.

Later, the team visited Radovo, Staro Baldovci, Petralinci, and Drvosh, with special attention given to the abandoned village of Hamzali and the newly built church “St. Clement of Ohrid.” By the end of the day, Gecherlija, Saraj, and Dabille were also visited, including the new Catholic church in Saraj.

The second day included Dobrejci, Prosenikovo, Piperevo, and Vasilevo, as well as Dobroshinci, Nova Maala, Visoka Maala, and Lake Turija. A notable stop was the abandoned village of Nivichino, known for its link to the “Miss Stone Affair,” where only the village church remains.

In the final part of the expedition, Sushevo, Vladievci, and Staro Vladievci were visited, with several newly built structures also recorded.

Overall, the expedition documented 25 villages, several historical settlements, and a large number of religious, cultural, and public landmarks, while covering more than 500 kilometers throughout the Strumica region.

You can view all the photographic material from the Wikiexpedition here, but there are some pictures bellow:

• 
  St. Leontius Church of the Vodoča Monastery
• 
  St. Leontius Church of the Vodoča Monastery
• 
  The southern side of St. George Church in the village of Turnovo
• 
  A stone statue of an angel above the entrance gate of St. Demetrius Church's yard in the village of Ilovica
• 
  Remnants of a minaret in the village of Dobrošinci

“Plants Around Us: Kumanovo” workshop

On 1 May 2026, a workshop for members of Wiki Club Kumanovo was held under the theme “Plants Around Us: Kumanovo”. The event was dedicated to exploring plant life in the local environment, with a focus on species found in both urban and rural areas of the Kumanovo region. Its main goal was to encourage greater awareness among students about the importance of plants in everyday life and their role in maintaining ecological balance.

The workshop began with an introductory presentation by the coordinator, Stojna Arsovska Donevska, who introduced participants to basic concepts in botany and plant classification. This was followed by a discussion on the most common plant species in and around Kumanovo, highlighting their presence in parks, yards, forests, and other natural habitats. Particular attention was given to the importance of local flora as a valuable part of natural heritage that should be explored, documented, and preserved. During the theoretical segment, students actively participated in discussions and engaged in observing the natural environment around them, which helped create an interactive and collaborative learning atmosphere.

In the second part of the workshop, participants took part in a practical activity focused on editing Wikipedia articles about various plant species. Under mentorship, they applied their theoretical knowledge while developing skills in translation, selecting relevant information, and presenting content in a clear and structured way. A total of 10 students participated and created 30 new articles.

The workshop concluded with a brief group discussion, where participants shared their impressions and reflected on the knowledge gained, emphasizing the value of such activities in understanding their environment and contributing to free knowledge.

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

• 
  The students with plants
• 
  The students with plants
• 
  Editing on Wikipedia
• 
  Editing on Wikipedia
• 
  Editing on Wikipedia
• 
  The students with the coordinator of Wiki club Kumanovo

Teachers conference at "Goce Delchev" primary school in Tetovo

On 6 May 2026, a conference for teachers was held at Goce Delchev Primary School in Tetovo, organized by Wikimedia MKD. The event gathered 15 teachers, who had the opportunity to learn more about the role of Wikipedia in education and the programs offered by the organization.

The conference included presentations from four speakers, each addressing different aspects of Wikimedia MKD’s work. Nikolche Stojanoski, President of Wikimedia MKD, opened the event with an overview of the organization, its development, and its mission to promote free knowledge, with a focus on enriching content in the Macedonian language. He also emphasized the importance of cooperation with educational institutions and the role of teachers in encouraging students to contribute to Wikipedia and develop critical thinking skills.

Snezhana Shtrkovska, Executive Director, presented Wikipedia as a global platform for free knowledge, highlighting its core principles and the importance of using reliable sources, accuracy, and neutrality. Bosa Filipovikj, Education Program Manager, introduced the education program and explained how Wikipedia editing can be integrated into classroom activities, helping students build knowledge as well as skills such as critical thinking and teamwork.

The conference concluded with a presentation by Lili Arsova, Coordinator of Wiki Club Veles, who shared practical experiences from working with students and discussed the impact of wiki clubs on student motivation, engagement, and confidence.

The event ended in a positive and interactive atmosphere, with active discussion among participants. Teachers expressed strong interest in future trainings and collaboration, highlighting the value of integrating Wikipedia into education and strengthening partnerships with Wikimedia MKD.

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

• 
  Nikolche Stojanoski giving a lecture
• 
  Bosa Filipovic giving a lecture
• 
  Snezana Strkovska giving a lecture
• 
  Lili Arsova giving a lecture
• 
  The teachers listening a lecture
• 
  The teachers listening a lecture

Editing contest “Botanists with author abbreviations” results

The editing contest “Botanists with author abbreviations” was held from 20 April to 10 May 2026 on the Macedonian-language Wikipedia. The main goal of the contest was to support the creation of new articles about botanists who have standardized author abbreviations, which are used in the scientific naming of plants. Only high school students had the right to participate in the contest. 25 high school students participated in the contest and a total of 129 articles were created.

All articles had to be created in accordance with the principles and rules of Wikipedia, so all articles had to contain sources and employ an encyclopedic style. The articles were reviewed by a jury, which consisted of three Wikipedians. The jury made the final decision on the winners. The jury members reviewed all the articles and scored each one individually with points from 1 to 10. The three winners of the competition are as follows:

• First place:Kirca 08 with 409 points
• Second place:Erikatrpeska with 391 points
• Third place:Mito999 with 357 points

In addition to these prizes, there were also prizes for the best articles for each week individually. The winners of these awards are the following:

• First week best article: Kirca 08 with the article Harry Allan
• Second week best article: Kirca 08 with the article Jean-Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent
• Third week best article:Кирил Јовановски with the article John James Audubon

With this contest, Wikimedia MKD once again confirmed the importance of cooperation between education and digital knowledge. Through such activities, young people become part of the global Wikipedia community and contribute to the development of free knowledge in the Macedonian language. The editing contest “Botanists with author abbreviations” showed that enthusiasm, curiosity and the desire to learn can create valuable content that will serve future generations.

"Coordinate Me 2026"

"Coordinate Me 2026" is the third international Wikidata contest dedicated to improving and creating geodata content with geographic coordinates (P625). The initiative brings together contributors from different countries with the shared goal of enriching free and open geospatial data on Wikidata.

The contest focuses on a wide range of items, including settlements, pharmacies, cultural heritage sites, public art, and natural monuments. Participants are encouraged to create new Wikidata items or improve existing ones by adding accurate geographic coordinates and related information. Through this process, the competition contributes to better data accuracy, wider geographic coverage, and improved accessibility of free knowledge. The collected data can be useful for mapping projects, educational purposes, research activities, and the development of various digital tools and applications.

The competition runs from 1 May until 31 May 2026 and includes international prizes for participants and active contributors.

Wikimedia MKD joined the initiative as a participating affiliate, supporting the international effort to improve geodata on Wikidata and encouraging local community members to contribute content related to Macedonia and other participating countries.

As a results of the contest a total of 33 editors from the international Wikimedia community worked on creating and improving records about Macedonia and made more than 3,540 edits across over 2,280 different items.

Wikilive 2026

From 16 to 17 May 2026, the jubilee tenth edition of the regional WikiLive conference was held in Belgrade, gathering members of Wikimedia communities, representatives of Wikimedia organizations, editors, and supporters of free knowledge from across the region. The conference program included lectures, workshops, and discussions dedicated to the future of Wikipedia, artificial intelligence, educational programs, and GLAM activities.

Wikimedia MKD was represented by Orce Nineski, Coordinator for Cooperation with Cultural Institutions, who presented the organization’s GLAM activities and collaborations with museums, libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions in Macedonia. During his presentation, he highlighted the importance of digitization and free access to cultural heritage, emphasizing how cooperation between Wikimedia MKD and cultural institutions contributes to preserving and promoting Macedonian culture through free knowledge platforms.

Nineski also presented several successful projects and activities through which photographs, documents, and various historical and cultural materials were uploaded to Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. These activities help make Macedonian cultural heritage more accessible both to the local public and to the international Wikimedia community. His presentation attracted interest among participants, especially because of the practical examples of successful institutional partnerships and the opportunities for developing new regional GLAM collaborations in the future.

The conference concluded with discussions about the future development of the Wikimedia movement and regional cooperation, once again confirming the importance of sharing experiences and strengthening connections between Wikimedia communities in the region.

You can see how it went through the photographic material bellow:

• 
  Orce Nineski giving a lecture
• 
  Orce Nineski giving a lecture
• 
  Orce Nineski giving a lecture

Zana Strkovska presentation at Wiki Conference for Russian-Speaking Contributors

Zana Strkovska had a presentation on “Good practice exchange on developing successful GLAM projects” at the Wiki Conference for Russian-Speaking Contributors. During the session, she presented the experiences and activities of Wikimedia MKD in the field of GLAM cooperation and shared examples of successful partnerships with museums, galleries, libraries, and archives in Macedonia.

The presentation highlighted the importance of collaboration between Wikimedia affiliates and cultural institutions in preserving and promoting cultural heritage through free knowledge platforms. She explained how GLAM partnerships contribute to the digitization and accessibility of valuable historical and cultural materials, allowing wider public access to content through Wikimedia projects such as Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata.

Special focus was placed on the process of establishing sustainable cooperation with institutions, organizing joint activities, and encouraging professionals from the cultural sector to participate in open knowledge initiatives. Different successful case studies and practical approaches used by Wikimedia MKD were presented, including content digitization projects, educational activities, edit-a-thons, and initiatives aimed at improving the representation of cultural heritage online.

The presentation also emphasized the importance of international exchange of experiences and good practices among Wikimedia communities. Participants discussed common challenges in GLAM collaborations. The session encouraged further cooperation between affiliates and provided inspiration for developing new GLAM initiatives in different countries.

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 May 2026 there were in total 8 editing days, where participants edited on different topics in order to enrich the content of Wikipedia. The editing days and the topics were:

• 5.5.2026 - Tributaries of the Volga River
• 7.5.2026 - Works by Edgar Allan Poe
• 12.5.2026 - Art in the 1760s and 1770s
• 14.5.2026 - Mountains in Croatia
• 19.5.2026 - Literature in the 1960s and 1970s
• 21.5.2026 - Municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• 26.5.2026 - Bodies of water in Indonesia
• 28.5.2026 - Types of hazel trees

Cumulatively, 13 different users took part in these calls and edited. In total, 109 new articles were created during the editing days in May 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 May 2026 the following editing weekends were organized:

• 2-3 May - Moraceae
• 9-10 May - Literary societies
• 16-17 May - North American mythology
• 23-23 May - Croatian film directors
• 30-31 May - Botanical gardens in the United Kingdom

In total, during these weekends there were 8 different users editing on the given topics and they created 138 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 May results

During May 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 May 2026 are as follow:

• A total of 16 editors actively participated in the Editing Days and Editing Weekends.

• Participants collectively created 235 articles and improved 9 articles and 1 new created template 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 May 2026, the award for the most active participant was granted to IvanKonev123

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.