Wednesday evening, the annual global conference for volunteers on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, the “Wikimedian of the Year” awards took place in Nairobi’s Trademark Hotel. The awards honor exceptional individuals and communities who have made significant contributions to Wikimedia projects.
Wikipedia, being among the top ten most-read websites in the world, and the only one that is run by a non-profit, the Wikimedia Foundation, it plays a significant role closing the knowledge gap. Nearly 260,000 volunteers create the information in over 300 languages on Wikipedia, which is viewed more than 15 billion times every month.
The awards, presented by Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales at this year’s Wikimania 2025 event, saw more than five volunteers ‘Wikimedians’ from around the world being recognized for their role in making reliable knowledge accessible for people worldwide.
The Wikimedian of the Year award winners are recognized across several categories, from new contributors to long-time volunteers, highlighting the diverse and vibrant community that makes the Wikimedia projects possible. Among those awarded were volunteers from Cameroon, Canada, India, Côte d’Ivoire, Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, and Singapore.
Robertsky (Singapore) was honoured as the Wikimedian of the Year. Since 2019, Robertsky has made over 79,000 edits on Wikipedia, many of them focused on improving and expanding coverage of Singapore-related topics on English Wikipedia.
Another Wikimedia Risker (Canada) was recognized for long-standing contributon. For 20 years, Risker has been an active Wikipedia editor and has played a crucial role in the improvements of reliable content on Wikipedia and in enabling more inclusive spaces for Wikimedia volunteers.
Media Contributor of the Year was awarded to 1Veertje (Netherlands). This award celebrates individuals who have significantly contributed to the Wikimedia projects through media, including photography, illustrations, or other visual content. 1Veertje is a passionate photography contributor who started volunteering on Wikipedia in 2010. Since joining, she has contributed over 86,000 photographs that have been used on 4,000 pages in 134 language Wikipedias.
Others awarded included newcomer of the Year: Dadrik (Côte d’Ivoire), Functionary of the Year award : AramilFeraxa (Poland), Tech Contributor of the Year: Eugene233 (Cameroon), Honorable Mention: Nitesh Gill (India), and Honorable Mention: Ammarpad (Nigeria).
Through a process of open collaboration, these volunteers help to power the backbone of the internet with reliable information for all. Together, they compile and share information on notable subjects, according to Wikipedia’s editorial policies and guidelines.
