The year 2024 marked both the conclusion of one chapter and the beginning of another for Wikimedia Czech Republic. We completed the four-year Strategic Plan for 2021–2024, during which we significantly expanded our programs, strengthened our community, and stabilized the organization in every respect. Thus, 2024 was not only a year of reflection and evaluation but, above all, a year of planning – of thinking about where we, as an association and as part of the Wikimedia movement, want to go next.

WMCZ Team in 2024. Foto: Richard Sekerak (WMCZ), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The creation of the new Strategic Plan for 2025–2027, finalised in May 2024, brought together a wide range of people from our community – members of the association, volunteers, partners, and employees. We built on the experience gained in previous years and on insights from community research. Our goal was to ensure that this time, every voice would be heard and that the plan would reflect the needs of all those who shape the Czech Wikimedia movement with us.

The process lasted several months and included numerous consultations, workshops, and discussions. The result is a document grounded in the values of openness, collaboration, and sustainability. I see it as an important step toward ensuring that in the coming years, we can continue to develop our activities in alignment with the needs of our community and the changes occurring in society.

At the same time, 2024 reaffirmed that our work has a real impact – and that the strength of the Wikimedia movement lies in collaboration, trust, and the willingness to share knowledge across people, institutions, and generations.

Looking Back at 2024 – Results and Growth

The year 2024 was a period when Wikimedia Czech Republic reaped the fruits of long-term effort and confirmed steady growth across all areas of its work. Our programs expanded, community and partnership cooperation strengthened, and the impact of our activities became more visible than ever before. It was a time that clearly showed how systematic work, openness, and a focus on collaboration led to lasting results.

Throughout the year, we organized 416 events and activities attended by over 4,000 participants in total – including students, seniors, newcomers, and experienced editors. This number reflects the overall attendance, as many people took part in multiple activities during the year. Nearly 1,800 first-time participations in Wikimedia projects were recorded, demonstrating our continued success in maintaining an open and accessible approach. The share of women also increased, making up about two-fifths of all participants.

Together, we created or expanded 5,423 articles across Wikimedia projects and uploaded over 15,000 files to Wikimedia Commons. On Wikidata, more than 50,000 items were created or edited. These figures confirm that our community is not only larger but also more active and diverse in content than ever before.

Institutional cooperation remained a key part of our work. In 2024, we carried out 161 collaborations with educational and cultural institutions, libraries, archives, and universities. Thanks to these partnerships, we were able to make thousands of additional freely accessible materials available to the public.

This growth is evident even in a long-term comparison: while in 2020 we organised only 54 events, in 2024 the number was almost eight times higher. The number of participants rose from roughly 1,100 to more than 4,000 over four years, with the proportion of newcomers remaining consistently high. These results demonstrate that Wikimedia Czech Republic has become a respected and sustainable leader in the field of open education and culture.

A more detailed overview of our activities, results, and impact can be found in our 2024 Annual Report, which provides a comprehensive analysis of all program areas and individual projects.

Key Challenges and Campaigns

Thematic challenges and campaigns remain an essential part of our activities – they connect different program areas, engage both newcomers and experienced editors, and help draw attention to topics that are missing on Wikipedia or deserve more in-depth coverage.

*Participants of the 2024 “Women in Science” editathon, Academy of Sciences. *Foto: Richard Sekerak (WMCZ), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In 2024, we continued with our quarterly challenges, which traditionally set the rhythm of our community work. Among them were the Women’s Month on Wikipedia, focusing on increasing the representation of women both in content and among contributors, and the Czechoslovakia Challenge, linking historical topics with local stories. A major milestone of the year was the final edition of the Human Rights on Wikipedia campaign, which successfully concluded after several years of impactful work. Starting in 2025, it will be replaced by a new thematic challenge – Month of Science on Wikipedia, dedicated to the popularisation of scientific knowledge and the connection between academia and open knowledge sharing. An integral part of the year was also the Czech Wiki Photo competition, which annually brings together the community of photographers and enriches Wikimedia Commons with high-quality, original images capturing the diversity of life and nature.

Opening of the Czech Wiki Photo 2023 exhibition – Executive Director Klára Joklová with “Newcomer of the Year” category winner Olga Havlíčková, Didaktikon 2024. Foto: Richard Sekerak (WMCZ), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Alongside these long-term campaigns, several smaller formats also emerged. Among the most successful were the first edition of the Wiki Loves Film challenge, WPWP Czechia (which recorded more than a fivefold increase in participation compared to the previous year), 1Lib1Ref, and Mobile Photography, which opened new creative opportunities for community engagement beyond traditional photo competitions.

Thematic challenges thus continue to serve as a natural bridge between our educational, community, and partnership programs, fostering collaboration and participation across Wikimedia Czech Republic’s diverse initiatives.

Milestones of 2024

The year 2024 brought further strengthening of our community, growth in partnerships, and significant progress in our advocacy work. It clearly showed that Wikimedia Czech Republic stands on strong foundations of collaboration – between individuals, institutions, and organizations united by a shared goal: open access to knowledge.

One of the most significant moments of the year was the tenth anniversary of the Seniors Write Wikipedia program. Over the past decade, the program has grown from just a few courses into a nationwide network of educational activities, connecting more than 700 seniors with the world of Wikipedia.

*Workshop “Media Education and Human Rights on Wikipedia” for students of Londýnská Primary School, 2024. *Foto: Jan Beránek, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The importance of Community Minigrants continued to grow as well. These grants empower community members to implement their own ideas and local projects. In 2024, Community Minigrants supported dozens of initiatives across the country – from regional WikiGatherings and WikiClubs to thematic editathons. These grants have become a symbol of trust in the community and its ability to shape how and where Wikimedia projects are developed.

It was also a strong year for our GLAM program, which continued to expand cooperation with cultural institutions. In 2024, twelve wiki-residents were active in Czech museums, libraries, and archives, helping to make collections and archives accessible to the public. Together with institutions such as Charles University, the National Library of the Czech Republic, the Museum of East Bohemia in Hradec Králové, the State Regional Archives in Prague, and others, we continued to make cultural heritage available through Wikimedia projects.

Our advocacy work also made a significant leap forward. With the adoption of the Advocacy Strategy 2024–2025, we focused on cooperation with public service media – primarily Czech Television and Czech Radio. We promoted the topics of free culture and open data through a number of public events and discussions, highlighting the importance of access to knowledge, information availability, and institutional responsibility to the public. Among other initiatives, we joined the signatories of the Global Digital Compact and became a partner of the Site Event debate during the UN Summit of the Future in September 2024 (New York).

Thus, 2024 reaffirmed that Wikimedia Czech Republic’s growth is not only about increasing the number of activities – it is, above all, about deepening relationships and strengthening the community that makes them possible.

International engagement

The year 2024 confirmed the growing role of Wikimedia Czech Republic within the international Wikimedia movement. Our involvement extended far beyond national borders, and we increasingly contributed to shaping the direction of the movement – from the European level to global initiatives.

One of the year’s highlights was hosting the General Assembly of Wikimedia Europe in Prague, organized in collaboration with several other European chapters. For a few days, Prague became the center of European Wikimedia activity – a space for discussing the future of open knowledge, advocacy priorities, and inter-chapter cooperation. It was an invaluable opportunity to showcase our work in a European context and to strengthen our position among key movement partners.

We also continued our active participation at the regional level through the Wikimedia CEE Hub, where we have long served on the Steering Committee. We share experiences from the Czech context with colleagues across Central and Eastern Europe, while bringing new approaches back home to support our community and programs.

*General Assembly of Wikimedia Europe 2024, Lampárna, Prague. *Foto: Richard Sekerak (WMCZ), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

An important part of our international engagement is the CEE Youth Group, which we helped to establish in 2023 and further developed in 2024. The group connects young Wikimedians from across the region, enabling them to collaborate on projects and exchange experiences. It was within this platform that the idea for the first global Wikimedia Youth Conference originated – an event that Wikimedia Czech Republic hosted in Prague in May 2024.

A record 15 representatives formed the Czech delegation at Wikimania 2024 in Katowice, where we actively contributed to the program, shared insights on community support, education, and partnerships, and led a panel discussion on the future of the Wikimedia movement in Central Europe.

Through these activities, we are not only participating in international collaboration – we are helping to shape it. Today, Wikimedia Czech Republic is recognized as a respected partner that connects people, ideas, and regions, bringing to the global movement a unique combination of experience, openness, and innovative spirit.

Moving Forward Together for Free Knowledge

The year 2024 marked both an end and a new beginning for Wikimedia Czech Republic. Our activities grew, became more professional, and yet remained true to our core values – openness, collaboration, and trust in the community.

Every one of our initiatives – whether an educational program, a community project, a partnership with an institution, or an international collaboration – is the result of collective effort by people who believe in the power of shared knowledge. It is thanks to them that our work carries meaning and impact.

I am proud that in 2024, we not only achieved our goals but also opened new paths forward. Together, we have shown that Wikimedia Czech Republic is a stable and confident organization that holds its place both within the Czech environment and on the international stage.

I believe that in the coming years we will continue to work together to develop a world in which everyone has access to the sum of all human knowledge – and the freedom to contribute to it.

Klára Joklová Executive Director, Wikimedia Czech Republic

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