On September 1, Wikimedia volunteers around the world will start the 2017 edition of Wiki Loves Monuments. This is the eighth year for the world’s largest photo competition, with over 45 countries this year.

You can join the competition by submitting a photograph of a nationally registered monument on Wikimedia Commons before September 30, following the instructions for your country. Your photograph will help illustrate the more than 1.4 million monuments on Wikipedia, and help more people around the world to learn about history and national heritage from your country. The winning entries in Wiki Loves Monuments can receive national and international prizes, as well as significant exposure.

Wiki Loves Monuments is an annual photo competition celebrating built cultural heritage. It is organized by volunteers around the world, and top ten photographs from each country are selected for an international finale. The winners from 2016 included a district court in Berlin, a concert hall in London, as well as other stunning monuments from the United Kingdom, Italy, Thailand, Pakistan, Brazil, and elsewhere. These may be regular sights for some people, but thanks to Wiki Loves Monuments photographers, they will be more documented on Wikipedia and more accessible to everyone around the world, free of cost, forever.

“The photo was taken in an area where one side of my family is from,” explains Albrecht Landgraf, one of the winning photographers from Wiki Loves Monuments 2016, who took a beautiful photo of a so-called “Devil’s Bridge” in Gablenz, Germany. “While all relatives in this area passed away years ago, the remaining family spread out all over Germany decided to come together and take a little road trip and explore the area. That’s when we found this little gem (among others) in a small village almost next to the road.”

In September 2017, Wiki Loves Monuments is going even further with a few significant opportunities:

Flickr is joining us to organize a worldwide photo walk throughout the month of September, with a focus on built heritage for Wiki Loves Monuments.

Thanks to monument details on Wikidata, it’s easier than ever to find a new place to photograph. You can search a map of nearby monuments and easily join the competition at maps.wikilovesmonuments.org . The map is a beta-release this year — a few countries are fully supported, we plan to make more data available next year, with the help of national organizers.

This year, the grand awards for the international competition will include a prize selection of over €9,000 in-kind, including a Canon 5D Mark IV, graciously donated by an anonymous donor.

Wiki Loves Monuments is built on three simple criteria. First, all the photos are freely licensed, like other contributions to Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. By giving permission to the public to share these photos, it ensures that the results can remain widely available forever. Second, all of the photos must contain an identified monument, like building or art of historic significance – we want to know what heritage is on the photo, so that we can actually use it. Each country maintains a list of registered historic sites that are eligible for the competition. Third, the photo must be uploaded in the month of September (except Iran and Israel, which end at a later date). You are always welcome to contribute your photography to Wikimedia Commons, but photos uploaded before or after the month of September may not be considered for the competition. If you would like more details on Wiki Loves Monuments in your country, you can visit wikilovesmonuments.org/participate.

Whether you are going on a trip to visit someplace new, share this wonderful photo on a holiday trip many years ago or take a quick picture of a landmark where you live, we’re excited to see your photographs.

Good luck!