Wikisphere at Wikimania Paris 2026

> Shared spaces

Our participation was present in different spaces of the conference. On July 24th we present Editing Cultural Blind Spots: Women in Zarzuela in the Lightning Talks session, where we were able to tell, in Spanish, the work we are developing to expand the presence of women linked to zarzuela on Wikipedia and contribute to this cultural heritage being represented in a more complete way.

We also present Women in Energy & Environment, which was exhibited throughout the event in the poster session. The project focuses on the representation of women in areas such as energy and the environment and on the work that still needs to be done to reduce these gaps in Wikipedia.

In addition, we participate in the Wikimedia LGBT+ Community Meet-up and in the WikiWomen+ Summit, spaces to meet other editors who work for a more diverse and equitable representation within Wikimedia projects, share experiences and learn about initiatives from other communities and countries.

But an important part of Wikimania happens off the agenda. It's in the conversations between sessions, in the impromptu meetings, in discovering that other communities are facing problems similar to ours or in coming back with an idea that we didn't have when we arrived.

> The voices of Wikisphere in Paris

We wanted this chronicle to also be a collective account of our experience in Paris.. We leave the floor here to some of the volunteers who participated in the delegation to tell us what they lived, what caught their attention, what projects they discovered and what they take from Wikimania 2026.

First thanks to Wikiesfera for giving me this opportunity, I was one of the scholarships of the group of users.

Wikimania has been an experience of learning, coexistence, collaboration and also fun. There I arrived with my list of selected papers, many focused on technology, AI, data, free software, but also on experiences shared by language groups with less representation and with very interesting strategies. In the end the list was an orientation because the suggestions of my colleagues and their support so that English was not such a high barrier made me enjoy others not pointed out. 

To put a negative point I would say that access to workshops, for me, was an impossible one. It's hard to debate with a team if you don't speak that language. Knowing already the theme of the next Wikimania in Chile, 'The internet we want,' I could take this as a preamble. The current problems, AI, global rightization, challenges, rights, etc. have been treated as a starting point not only to think about where it is going but how we want it to be.

And well, what to say about everything that happens around the presentations, in the breaks and outside the conference space. DIversion is the first word that comes to me. I had a great time sharing with my colleagues and meeting other people with the most suggestive initiatives. Motivation would be another, impossible not to get more momentum to continue collaborating in this project. And deconstruction, continue working on some aspects that in such a global and diverse meeting have become enlightened. 

Sea [ Pintakuda ]

First of all, I would like to thank Wikisphere for allowing me to be part of this “delegation”. It was my first Wikimania and I was impressed to be there with so many people from so many countries. I think that's when I was aware of what Wikimedia really is. 

Listening to groups from Africa and Latin America, knowing their projects and seeing how they face problems that, in many cases, are very different from ours, made me discover another Wiki world. 

As a negative point, I would highlight the dominance of the English Wikipedia. Feels like the rest of Wikipedias don't count, or count very little; That's why I loved listening to Patricia Horrillo, her presentation on Zarzuela, in Spanish. 

Well and spending those days with all the colleagues of Wikiesfera was something incredible, we had a good time, very good.

Resu [ Japeto21 ]

This was my second Wikimania, as I was in Katowice in 2024. And precisely because of the wonderful experience it was, I wanted to go to Paris. And he met my expectations again. 

Not only the talks, very interesting in general, but it was fundamental for me to see other groups working on various projects from which you can learn so much. Knowing the difficulties they face in other countries, gives an idea of how necessary it is for the project to go ahead. The world evolves rapidly and we have to know that evolution in order to preserve memory. One of the ideas with which I returned to Spain was that we are preserving the collective world memory and, therefore, our work is as fundamental as knowing and supporting the work of the different groups.

And, in addition, meeting in person people with whom I usually work online was something very stimulating and fun. 

Of course, I came back with my batteries charged!!!

Celia [ SalviaRomana ]

I arrived in Paris with no expectations but excited. This was my second Wikimania (the first was in Katowice in 2024) and, after that experience two years ago, it was very clear that whatever happened in Wikimania the balance was going to be positive. And he was right. 
Sharing travel and experience with my Wikisphere colleagues was, once again, a shot of energy, of knowledge, 
of caring, of wanting to be better and wanting to do more. 

This translated into the most practical environment means that I left Wikimania with a lot of ideas and future projects to be able to elaborate and share with my Wikimorada colleagues in Vigo (I'm looking forward to our sessions to tell you everything). 

One thing I really liked about this Wikimania is that the use of languages other than English was more encouraged, both for conferences and workshops and to give examples of differences in interfaces depending on the language. This provides a giant richness and diversity in a community like Wikimedia's, and I'm sure it's a path forward. 
This will continue to be covered at the next Wikimania in Chile.

Sabela [ Sacebro ]

Meeting 1200 people from all over the world is already, in itself, a unique experience. Doing so with something as important to us as our commitment to contributing to free knowledge across the Wikimedia universe in common has made these days an extraordinary experience. 

Practical knowledge, strategic reflections, conversations, show our work and know that of other people and communities … and, in the middle of everything, the coexistence of the 10 components of Wikisphere that we find in Paris sharing a few days as intense as fun. I come back motivated, feeling part of something big and that makes more and more sense in these complex times and with the desire that, however, next year we have to be present in Santiago de Chile for Wikimania 2027. 

Encina Villanueva [ Oak waslala ]

We return from Paris with new ideas, contacts and ongoing projects. Wikimania allowed us to share the work of Wikisphere, learn about other initiatives and participate in conversations that are shaping the future of the Wikimedia movement.

The participation of our delegation also went beyond the sessions and presentations. Several fellows awarded by the Wikimedia Foundation collaborated as volunteers in different tasks during the event: taking photographs for Commons, supporting the coordination of Trust & Safety and organizing the merchandising received by the participants. And our partner Celia brought the delicious taste of Chocorrezno to the international arena.

Also we are part of the conversations about the changes that arise in the ecosystem of the movement, sharing our position and contributing the perspective of our community.

We take learnings, new links and desire to continue working so that free knowledge is increasingly diverse, representative and accessible.

> Gallery

* Credit image header: Wikimania Day 4 group photo with the Giant Wikipedia Puzzle | By: Simon Delahaye for the Wikimedia Foundation | CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons |