To talk about Wiki Loves Bangla, we must first mention Bangla WikiMoitree. Bangladesh and West Bengal have the highest number of Bengali speakers, and the region’s history and culture have developed around them. That’s why collaboration is essential to showcase Bengali culture and heritage. As part of this effort, Bangla WikiMoitree was established in 2022. It works to facilitate thematic and linguistic coordination and mutual collaboration among Wikimedia communities, affiliates, and informal groups related to Bengali culture and heritage. Currently, this network has two affiliates: Wikimedia Bangladesh and the West Bengal Wikimedia User Group.
The first initiative of Bangla WikiMoitree to showcase Bengali culture and heritage to the world is Wiki Loves Bangla, a photography competition that was held for the first time from January 15 to February 14, 2024. The purpose of Wiki Loves Bangla is to organise an annual competition focusing on different themes that represent Bengali culture and heritage. The theme of its first edition was Bengali cuisine, aiming to highlight the diversity of Bengali culinary traditions by improving both the quality and quantity of available photographs of Bengali food worldwide. A total of 212 participants submitted 2,118 photographs for the competition. The judges conducted a three-stage review process and selected the top 10 photographs, with Sohel securing first place, while Munni Akter Mim’s three photographs ranked second, seventh, and eighth. Dolon Prova’s two photographs ranked third and ninth, and Tapas Kumar Haldar’s two photographs ranked fourth and sixth. The final judging panel included Biswarup Ganguly, an Indian photographer; Sumit Surai, a food blogger; and Abdul Momin, a photographer from Bangladesh. Additionally, all members of the organising team were involved in the initial selection process.
The first edition of the competition faced several challenges, including organisational shortcomings and time constraints that limited promotional efforts. Despite these hurdles, the response exceeded expectations. Many Bengali dishes lacked proper images on their respective Wikipedia articles, and the photographs collected through this competition helped fill those gaps. Additionally, the competition significantly improved the quality of images available for many articles. For example, the Patisapta article previously had very few images on Wikimedia Commons. However, this competition led to the submission of a substantial number of high-quality photographs showcasing different varieties of Patisapta.
Wiki Loves Bangla is not just a photography competition; it is a celebration of our love for Bengali culture and heritage. The second edition of the competition is set to take place next year, with the theme Birds of Bengal. This edition aims to document and showcase images of various birds found in Bengal, especially endangered species, enriching Wikimedia Commons with a valuable collection of bird photographs.
