2021/Submissions

WikiConference North America 2021 • Online

Registration • Schedule • Local Events • Unconference • Submissions: en / fr / es

2021 Theme: Global & Local
Other Focus Areas:
Relationship Building & Support	Inclusion & Diversity
Depth & Breadth for Newer Editors	Tech & Tools
Harassment, Civility, & Safety	Other Your topic here!
More details at bottom.

WikiConference North America 2021 takes place October 8-10 online. Please do not file submissions any more through this form. We are out of time and full. We were accepting submissions from the community for presentations, workshops, round tables, or other type of session formats. We had encouraged submissions to be in by the end of Sunday, September 26.

This year's theme is global & local and we invite submissions that explore how to extend Wikimedia platforms to both global and local concerns, and solutions in that space. We will foster a variety of formats in broadcast, large-group, and small-group sessions over three successive days.

We also have several focus areas listed to the right. While the theme and these focus areas will be particular topics the conference will revolve around, we welcome all submissions that are relevant to the Wikimedia movement - do not feel confined to the conference theme or focus areas if you have something great to share!

Academic submissions are also welcome and will receive an Academic Peer Review.

If you're interested in giving a lightning talk or creating an unconference session, feel free to place ideas on the Unconference page.

Submit a Session Proposal
Note: You must create an account on this wiki first.

Existing proposals may be viewed at Category:Submissions/2021.

Proposal Review Process

Proposals will be reviewed by a Programming Committee. Each submission is rated on a variety of factors including the likely level of impact and expected outcomes; expected community interest; and how well-connect the submission is to the theme or a focus area. Committee scores are averaged, and the top portion of submissions will be accepted as they fit into the schedule.

You will be notified about the Program Committee's decision regarding your submission via email. If your submission is not added to the preliminary schedule, please do not be discouraged. WikiConference North America will have time set aside in the schedule for participants and attendees to participate in self-organized talks and working groups during our lightning talks and unconference sessions.

Terms of Participation

By submitting a proposal, you agree that the text of your proposal, your presentation slides, and any video recordings can be distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License or a similar license (note that NC and ND licenses are incompatible with Wikimedia projects).

You also agree that, under the terms of the license, recordings of your presentation may be broadcast live, recorded, and made available for download later. If you prefer not to be recorded, please contact one of the conference organizers, we are happy to accommodate your request.

By submitting a proposal, you agree to abide by the terms of the Safe Space Policy.

Submission Notes

Presentation Types

Type	Description	Suggested Length
Presentation	A presentation on any topic within the themes covered by the conference.	15–30 min.
Panel	A facilitated discussion among three or more speakers on a pre-selected topic.	30–45 min.
Workshop	A facilitated group-wide tutorial and/or working session on a pre-selected topic.	30–75 min.
Round Table	A group-wide discussion on a pre-selected topic.	30–60 min.
Unconference	Lightning talk, open space, and other informal formats.	Various

Note! Lightning talks are intended to be five minutes long. Some submissions are described as lightning talks but for longer times. We will have to work this out with speakers.

Academic Peer Review Option

Details: PDF with formal Call for Papers on academic peer review option

We are seeking presentations addressing topics related to teaching and research with Wikipedia and/or the intersection between higher education and Wikipedia generally. Presenters have the option of submitting their proposals under Academic Peer Review, which will be evaluated by a subset of academics serving on the Program Committee. This option is entirely voluntary, and is intended primarily for academic-type presenters who require a peer review process for travel support through their home institutions.

Unlike previous years, this year there is no separate scholarship process for academic submitters. Any academic submitters who wish to apply for a scholarship can apply through the normal scholarship process when it opens.

The soft launch for the Academic Submissions is in June 2021, with a renewed launch for submissions from the general public in August 2021, although anyone is welcome to make a submission at any time.

Unconference

In additional to traditional programming, we have set aside time for Unconference sessions. These sessions give time for anyone to propose or spontaneously organize a mini-presentation, discussion, or workshop on a wiki-related topic. We'll have lightning talk sessions for short (typically 3-5 min) presentations.

Visit our Unconference page to brainstorm ideas.

Proposal Themes

We invite attendees to submit proposals for panels, workshops, seminars, and other presentations in topics that fall under topics related to Wikipedia or free culture.

Our theme this year is global & local, and will be the biggest portion and focus of our program. We also have five other focus areas the community has expressed interest in. Don't worry if your proposal does not exactly fit in one of the below categories; you are welcome to submit proposals on any relevant topic!

2021 Theme: Global & Local This year, WikiConference North America's theme is the global and local -- globalization and localization -- of information. How can we help people engage, learn, and edit global information sources? Submissions can be classified as academic-track, lightning-talk, panel, training, perhaps duration (long, short, or other time choices); and by topic: Tech, Safety, Editing, Academic, etc. Some examples of topics that would fit fell in this track include: Geographical workshops on maps and structured metadata Coverage of local and regional government and elections Reliable sources for underrepresented local communities Hubs and partnerships with educational, scientific and cultural institutions Indigenous, creole and minority languages support
Focus Area: Relationship Building & Support Topics under this theme may include: Building partnerships with external institutions GLAM partnerships (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) Universities Research organizations Local community building and outreach events Affiliates and other organized groups Effective use of social media to promote chapter activities Grantmaking	Focus Area: Inclusion & Diversity Topic areas under this theme may include: Tools (identifying content gaps, recruitment, etc.) Research Organizing inclusive projects and events Case studies
Focus Area: Depth & Breadth for Newer Editors Topic areas in this track may include: Training sessions Online and offline outreach Case studies and research Organizing offline events Tools	Focus Area: Tech & Tools Topic areas in the cultural part of this track may include: Wikidata Contributing Structured Commons Integration with other projects Tools to edit Wikipedia Tools to edit Wikimedia Commons Tools in development Tools for offline events
Focus Area: Harassment, Civility, & Safety Topic areas in this track may include: Tools to combat harassment Guidance for dealing with harassment Research Safety considerations at events Protecting community members	Other These focus areas are topics that the community has expressed interest in, but they don't cover everything! Don't worry if your proposal does not exactly fit in one of the other categories; you are welcome to submit proposals on any relevant topic.