Our first steps tour and our FAQ will help you a lot after registration. They explain how to customize the interface (for example the language), how to upload files and our basic licensing policy. You don't need technical skills in order to contribute here. Be bold contributing here and assume good faith for the intentions of others. This is a wiki—it is really easy.
Thanks a lot for contributing to the Wikimedia Commons! Here's a tip to make your uploads more useful: Why not add some categories to describe them? This will help more people to find and use them.
Here's how:
1) If you're using the UploadWizard, you can add categories to each file when you describe it. Just click "more options" for the file and add the categories which make sense:
2) You can also pick the file from your list of uploads, edit the file description page, and manually add the category code at the end of the page.
[[Category:Category name]]
For example, if you are uploading a diagram showing the orbits of comets, you add the following code:
When picking categories, try to choose a specific category ("Astronomical diagrams") over a generic one ("Illustrations").
Thanks again for your uploads! More information about categorization can be found in Commons:Categories, and don't hesitate to leave a note on the help desk.
Had je naast de [[:Category:Abdij Sion, Diepenveen|6 foto´s}} van Abdij Sion nog andere foto's van het RCE overgenomen? Deze zou ik namelijk graag van de juiste licenties voorzien.
Thank you for participating in Wiki Loves Monuments 2012!
Dear MarcoSwart,
Thank you for contributing to Wiki Loves Monuments 2012, and for sharing your pictures with the whole world!
Thanks to the participation of people like you, the contest gathered more than 350,000 pictures of cultural heritage objects from 36 countries around the world, becoming the largest photography competition to have ever taken place.
You can find all your pictures in your upload log, and are of course very welcome to keep uploading images and help develop Wikimedia Commons, even though you will not be able to win more prizes (just yet).
If you'd like to start editing relevant Wikipedia articles and share your knowledge with other people, please go to the Wikipedia Welcome page for more information, guidance, and help.
To make future contests even more successful than this year, we would like to invite you to share your experiences with us in a short survey. Please fill in this short survey in your own language, and help us learn what you liked and didn't like about Wiki Loves Monuments 2012.
Kind regards,
the Wiki Loves Monuments team
Message delivered by the Wiki Loves Monuments 2012 notification system on 20:19, 27 October 2012 (UTC)
Your photograph of Jesus in the Netherlands
Dear Mr. Swart,
Your photograph of a relief of Jesus on the side of the former Sint Jozefgesticht hospital in the Netherlands has been included in the app Jesus Art available on Google Play and Amazon Appstore for Android. Within the app, it is under the category Exorcising a Boy Possessed by a Demon. Thank you for your contribution!
You are receiving this message because you voted in R1 of the 2015 Picture of the Year contest.
Dear MarcoSwart,
Wikimedia Commons is happy to announce that the second round of the 2015 Picture of the Year competition is now open. This year will be the tenth edition of the annual Wikimedia Commons photo competition, which recognizes exceptional contributions by users on Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia users are invited to vote for their favorite images featured on Commons during the last year (2015) to produce a single Picture of the Year.
Hundreds of images that have been rated Featured Pictures by the international Wikimedia Commons community in the past year were entered in this competition. These images include professional animal and plant shots, breathtaking panoramas and skylines, restorations of historical images, photographs portraying the world's best architecture, impressive human portraits, and so much more.
There are two total rounds of voting. In the first round, you voted for as many images as you liked. In Round 1, there were 1322 candidate images. There are 56 finalists in Round 2, comprised of the top 30 overall as well as the top #1 and #2 from each sub-category. In the final round, you may vote for just one or maximal three image to become the Picture of the Year.
@Cryptic-waveform: But how are we supposed to know that a file that is not mentioned in a deletion request still is considered part of it? --MarcoSwart (talk) 14:18, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
@Cryptic-waveform: The result is that Dutch Wiktionary suddenly lost a picture, without the proper opportunity to get involved in the discussion about the deletion or to find a suitable replacement. --MarcoSwart (talk) 17:27, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
The village pump is probably the best place to bring up this topic. I'm just a lowly contributor trying to help you find an answer. Cryptic-waveform (talk) 17:29, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
Being a moderator (on Wiktionary) myself, I very much prefer users to propose practical solutions in a single case first, before resorting to a discussion at the Village pump. In my experience, a moderator can simply temporarily undelete the picture and extend the time for discussion. --MarcoSwart (talk) 18:21, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
MarcoSwart, Have a prosperous, productive and enjoyable New Year, and thanks for your contributions to Wikimedia Commons:)
Lotje (talk) 12:55, 1 January 2023 (UTC)
Perhaps you might be interested in this discussion . Thank you--109.52.98.243 19:29, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
Very sorry
I'm sorry to bother again but now he did this --109.52.98.243 21:28, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
As you are editing using an IP-number, my inference is you might well be the person whose work is discussed. If so, I would be interested to know why you are acting in a way that distresses other users, before I join the discussion. --MarcoSwart (talk) 22:25, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
Hi they are taking down a lot of better photos here just because of dislike for the author of the photos like here but there are many others.If you want I can give you other examples. All I care about is that there are decent photos on the project, not anything else. If you can take a look I thank you. 151.57.227.110 10:52, 22 February 2023 (UTC)
Wikimedia projects are based on cooperation. So we don't have the option to care about just one thing: we need to take into account the views of others too. People who feel unable to do so, are free to create their own site and not care about anything else. I simply don't have the time to look into the full history. But by the time someone gets blocked, there is usually a pattern of ignoring the views of others. I would like to help the author developing skills for the required cooperation, because I do feel it might result in many beautiful pictures. But there is no way I can guarantee success, and the author may view this as unnecessary or even undesirable interference. MarcoSwart (talk) 11:41, 22 February 2023 (UTC)
Ok thanks 151.19.31.117 15:12, 22 February 2023 (UTC)
Yes. With the original image as comparison the replacement was easy. You did a great job in creating the replacement, but if projects aren't informed about an impending removal, how are they supposed to know a replacement is in order? FYI, we already use the gadget that notifies us about requests for deletion of any file uses on nl.wiktionary, unfortunately it doesn't function properly when the request contains a list of files to remove. Sometimes a notice a bot changing filenames after renaming, maybe something similar would be useful in this situation. MarcoSwart (talk) 09:59, 3 February 2024 (UTC)
Round 1 of Picture of the Year 2023 voting is open!
2022 Picture of the Year: Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) and Gadwall (Mareca strepera) in Nepal.
Dear Wikimedian,
Wikimedia Commons is happy to announce that the 2023 Picture of the Year competition is now open. This year will be the eighteenth edition of the annual Wikimedia Commons photo competition, which recognizes exceptional contributions by users on Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia users are invited to vote for their favorite images featured on Commons during the last year (2023) to produce a single Picture of the Year.
Hundreds of images that have been rated Featured Pictures by the international Wikimedia Commons community in the past year are all entered in this competition. These images include professional animal and plant shots, breathtaking panoramas and skylines, restorations of historical images, photographs portraying the world's best architecture, impressive human portraits, and so much more.
For your convenience, we have sorted the images into topical categories. Two rounds of voting will be held: In the first round, you may vote for as many images as you like. The top 30 overall and top 5% of most popular images in each category will continue to the final. In the final round, you may vote for just three images to become the Picture of the Year.
You are receiving this message because we noticed that you previously voted in the Picture of the Year contest. Wikimedia users are invited to vote for their favorite images featured on Commons during the last year (2023) to produce a single Picture of the Year.
Hundreds of images that have been rated Featured Pictures by the international Wikimedia Commons community in the past year were entered in this competition. These images include professional animal and plant shots, breathtaking panoramas and skylines, restorations of historical images, photographs portraying the world's best architecture, impressive human portraits, and so much more.
In this second and final round, you may vote for a maximum of three images. The image with the most votes will become the Picture of the Year 2023.
If you have already voted for Round 2, please ignore this message.
Thanks,
the Wikimedia Commons Picture of the Year committee MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 17:09, 16 October 2024 (UTC)
Round 1 of Picture of the Year 2024 voting is open!
2023 Picture of the Year: Incense plays an important role in Vietnamese life. It is considered as a sacred bridge to connect the visible life of human beings and the world of heaven, earth, and gods. Photo taken in Quang Phu Cau village, on the outskirts of Hanoi, Vietnam. In this picture, incense sticks are being set out to dry, after being dipped in the incense solution.
Dear Wikimedian,
Wikimedia Commons is happy to announce that the 2024 Picture of the Year competition is now open. This year is the nineteenth edition of the annual Wikimedia Commons photo competition, which recognizes exceptional contributions by users on Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia users are invited to vote for their favorite images featured on Commons during the last year (2024) to produce a single Picture of the Year.
Hundreds of images that have been rated Featured Pictures by the international Wikimedia Commons community in the past year are all entered in this competition. These images include professional animal and plant shots, breathtaking panoramas and skylines, restorations of historical images, photographs portraying the world's best architecture, impressive human portraits, and so much more.
For your convenience, we have sorted the images into topical categories. Two rounds of voting will be held: In the first round, you may vote for as many images as you like. The top 30 overall and top 5% of most popular images in each category will continue to the final. In the final round, you may vote for just three images to become the Picture of the Year.
Thanks,
the Wikimedia Commons Picture of the Year committee
You are receiving this message because you voted in the 2023 Picture of the Year contest.
Round 2 of Picture of the Year 2024 voting is open!
Dear Wikimedian,
You are receiving this message because we noticed that you previously voted in the Picture of the Year contest. Wikimedia users are invited to vote for their favorite images featured on Commons during the last year (2024) to produce a single Picture of the Year.
Hundreds of images that have been rated Featured Pictures by the international Wikimedia Commons community in the past year were entered in this competition. These images include professional animal and plant shots, breathtaking panoramas and skylines, restorations of historical images, photographs portraying the world's best architecture, impressive human portraits, and so much more.
In this second and final round, you may vote for a maximum of three images. The image with the most votes will become the Picture of the Year 2024.
Thanks,
the Wikimedia Commons Picture of the Year committee
Round 1 of Picture of the Year 2025 voting is open!
2024 Picture of the Year:Mundari man polishing the horns of one of his Watusi cows using a mixture of cow urine and ash as a ritualistic and protective practice in a temporary cattle camp in Terekeka, South Sudan.
Dear Wikimedian,
Wikimedia Commons is happy to announce that the 2025 Picture of the Year competition is now open. This year is the twentieth edition of the annual Wikimedia Commons photo competition, which recognizes exceptional contributions by users on Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia users are invited to vote for their favourite images featured on Commons during the last year (2025) to produce a single Picture of the Year.
Hundreds of images that have been rated Featured Pictures by the international Wikimedia Commons community in the past year are all entered in this competition. These images include professional animal and plant shots, breathtaking panoramas and skylines, restorations of historical images, photographs portraying the world's best architecture, impressive human portraits, and so much more.
For your convenience, we have sorted the images into topical categories. Two rounds of voting will be held: In the first round, you may vote for as many images as you like. The top 30 overall and the top 5% of most popular images in each category will continue to the final. In the final round, you may vote for just five images to become the Picture of the Year.
Round 2 of Picture of the Year 2025 voting is open!
Dear Wikimedian,
You are receiving this message because we noticed that you previously voted in the Picture of the Year contest. Wikimedia users are invited to vote for their favourite images featured on Commons during the last year (2025) to produce a single Picture of the Year.
Hundreds of images that have been rated Featured Pictures by the international Wikimedia Commons community in the past year were entered in this competition. These images include professional animal and plant shots, breathtaking panoramas and skylines, restorations of historical images, photographs portraying the world's best architecture, impressive human portraits, and so much more.
In this second and final round, you may vote for a maximum of five images. The image with the most votes will become the Picture of the Year 2025.
Announcing the Winners of Picture of the Year 2025!
Hi everyone,
Wikimedia Commons is pleased to finally announce the winners of this year's Picture of the Year 2025 contest! We had some truly incredible finalists to choose from, but the community has spoken.
Here are your top three winning images:
First place: The aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9, 2023, leaving widespread destruction in the Rimal area. Attribution: WAFA (Q2915969) / CC-BY-SA 3.0
Second place: Baby cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus) sleeping at Cape cross, Namibia. Attribution: Giles Laurent / CC-BY-SA 4.0
Third place: A gigantic jet photographed from the International Space Station by astronaut Nichole Ayers. Attribution: public domain
You can view the full results and see where all your favorite images placed here: Full 2025 Results
I also want to highlight what an incredible turnout we had. In the second round, we saw a massive jump in both the number of users voting and the total votes cast. We had exactly 13,979 votes cast by 3,509 users! To put that in perspective, last year we had 7,403 votes from 2,837 users. It is amazing to see that level of growth and community engagement.
Thank you to everyone who voted, helped organize, and generally made the contest such a huge success this year!
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