Wikimedians of United Arab Emirates User Group/Report/2025/Community Building & Outreach/Harir Competition

REPORT OF ACTIVITIES FOR 2025 - COMMUNITY BUILDING AND OUTREACH | Report ID - WMAE-2506

Harir Competition

Competition Details

• Duration: 24 December 2024 - 31 January 2025
• Project: Arabic Wikipedia
• Organizer: Wikimedia UAE
• Event Dashboard: Here

Overview

The Harir Competition—derived from the Arabic word “حرر,” meaning to edit, to author, or to write—embodies the core mission of this initiative: fostering the creation and development of high-quality content on Arabic Wikipedia.

Harir is a structured and impactful initiative, aimed at enriching Arabic Wikipedia across a wide range of fields. The competition focuses exclusively on articles selected from pre-approved lists by the organizers, ensuring comprehensive coverage of essential topics. Over the course of 30 days (or more!) participants are invited to create new articles and enhance existing ones, offering an engaging opportunity to contribute to the growth of free knowledge in Arabic.

Key Metrics

Organizers

• روتانا
• فيصل
• Iyhab (WMUAE)
• Serine (WMUAE)
• Duaa K (WMUAE)

Judges

• فيصل
• أحمد ناجي
• روتانا
• Meshary94

Supporters

• Mohammad Hijjawi

Participants

• Total: 38

Key Outcomes

Over approximately 40 days, participants demonstrated impressive commitment and productivity, resulting in:

• 1,174 newly created articles
• 20 improved articles

What’s New in the 2024 Edition?

The 2024 edition introduced several significant changes that set it apart from previous years:

• Exclusive Focus on Proposed Lists: Unlike prior editions that allowed greater flexibility, this year’s competition focused strictly on pre-approved article lists.

• Eligibility Criteria: Participation was limited to users with Autochecked status or higher, ensuring a consistent standard of quality.

• Increased Output: The 2024 competition achieved a remarkable total of 1,196 articles, a notable increase from 869 articles in 2023. Previous editions featured:
  • 245 articles related to Emirati content.
  • 314 articles highlighting female representation.
  • The addition of 25 new lists.

• Expanded Participation: The number of contestants grew from 17 in 2023 to 34 participants in 2024, including 11 regular contributors to Wikimedia UAE User Group activities.

• Participant Demographics: The majority of participants (66.7%) were in the 26 to 35 age group. The remainder were distributed among other age ranges, including under 40 and over 50.

Participants Feedback

Following the competition’s conclusion, a participant survey was conducted to gather feedback and insights:

• Experience Level
  • 66.7% of participants had 2 to 5 years of experience contributing to Wikimedia projects.
  • 33.3% had more than 5 years of experience.

• Overall Satisfaction
  • 66.7% rated the competition as Excellent.
  • 33.3% rated it as Very Good.

• Opinions on Article List Preparation

Participants responded positively to the structured article lists:

Excellent. Sometimes I have the time and desire to create articles, but I don't find a specific article that motivates me. This method makes it much easier to choose.

The method of preparing the article lists is excellent. The selection was appropriate, though it would be preferable to include more articles, especially longer ones.

Next Steps

Communications

The organizing team has contacted the top ten winners to congratulate them and collect the necessary details for prize distribution.

Community Reporting

A comprehensive report will be published on the Diff platform, highlighting the competition’s milestones, achievements, and community impact.