When it comes to folklore, cultures and groups become the beckon of attraction and attention. The annual photography contest which run fully in February was focused on folk culture of different regions and categories, such as, but not limited to, folk festivals, folk dances, folk music, folk activities, folk games, folk cuisine, folk wear, folklore, and tradition, including ballads, folktales, fairy tales, legends, traditional song and dance, folk plays, games, seasonal events, calendar customs, folk arts, folk religion, mythology amongst others.

In this year’s campaign, it brought together many contributors from Africa  and Asian communities and the project was equally organized on Commons and Wikipedia simultaneously via the Feminism and Folklore campaign.

Participatory efforts in the pandemic

This year, amidst the ongoing pandemic and it’s risks in attending in-person gatherings for contributors across the globe, we had more than 7734 submissions of which eighteen (18) winning images were announced in the Wiki Loves Folklore with winning images across the globe during the international photography contest. 

In this edition, all entries were judged by experts/ jury from Germany, North Macedonia, Tunisia  for these outstanding images represented in this article. The photographers participated  from 101 countries around the globe from Mongolia, Japan, Palestine, Philippines to Zambia and many more.

The Eureka moment is here!....

The 1st place and overall winner of WLF 2021: A Mongolian man and His Golden Eagle, Mongolia, photo by NuclearApples, CC-BY-SA 4.0.

This photo depicts the appreciation of nature which also exhibits the strong personality of  Mongolians for animals and pets, not forgetting an embracement of ornaments and rich artefacts. What’s special about this image is the way it has captured and the connection between the Mongolian man and his eagle.

The Jury shared their commendation on the photos uniqueness and background of nature in there.

The 2nd place winner of WLF 2021: The Yellow Fellowship, Philippines, photo by Herbert Kikoy, CC-BY-SA 4.0.

Sandurot is derived from a Visayan term pakig-sandurot, which means to come together for a fellowship. The Sandurot Festival is a celebration of Dumagueteños hospitality, and an honor to the city’s patroness, Sta. Catalina de Alejandria. The graceful celebration from the women displays the union during the yellow fellowship in the Philippines.

The 3rd place winner of WLF 2021: A Pintaflores Queen, Philippines, photo by Francisco Pajares, Jr., CC-BY-SA 4.0.

This striking joyful moment was captured during the Pintaflores Festival of San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, Philippines is a combination of Body Tattoos and Dance of Flowers and depicts their unique culture and heritage.

These are just the top three entrancing sights captured by the winners of the international Wiki Loves Folklore 2021 photography competition, whose results were announced today.

Message from our Jury!!

According to the jury members, the results were remarkable and a fair decision in general. We have two photos from the Philippines under the top three, but they are from different photographers, and we have a nice distribution of different countries, themes and photographers under the top 15. 

In addition, the ranking of the top 15 photos of other participants offers a good distribution for each country. The top audio and video selection is the most accurate so both are a fair result, too.

“All images reflect rich culture, diversity, tangible and intangible cultural heritages all over. It’s exciting to judge and embrace all the wow from the images, audiovisuals which leaves an indelible impression on us.” says (User:Aristeas).

A reflection of top uploaders and percentage of their contributions

A Pie chart displaying some of the top contributors. This can be referred to in tool footage.

 

 

Next are the top fifteen consolation winners!

These winners represent regions from Japan, Nigeria, Mongolia, Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Poland, India, Morocco and Thailand.

The 4th place of WLF 2021:Japanese youngsters in fancy apparel observing the landscape in Japan, photo by Dieglop, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 5th place of WLF 2021:A Mongolian man rides towards the eagle hunting festival, Mongolia, photo by NuclearApples, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 6th place of WLF 2021: International Folk Festival Polka at Bychlew, Poland, photo by Korpusik, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 7th place of WLF 2021: The Suling bamboo flute in Gambuh is traditional music from Bali Indonesia, photo by RaiyaniM, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 8th place of WLF 2021: The MSFF Uniwersytet Śląski 7 Fot. Wojtek Korpusik from Bali Poland, photo by Korpusik, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 9th place of WLF 2021: The Cultural dance of Sinulog Festival in Cebu,from Philippines, photo by Wynn Loner U. Uy, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 10th place of WLF 2021: The master rider of this bullock cart race is the person with white beard, from Sri Lanka, photo by Visuvanathan Aruran, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 11th place of WLF 2021: A girl / woman dressed as Lord Krishna attends an open-air theatrical performance. This is not just Janmashtami, there are other festivals associated with Lord Krishna too( his leela) -Raksha Bandhan,Holi,Govardhan Puja (known as Annakut),Dahi Handi.Many theatrical performances/Jatras/Musical theaters are based on the story of Lord Krishna, from India, photo by TAPAS KUMAR HALDER, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 12th place of WLF 2021: They call themselves Tribu-Basakanon. They are a group of passionate devotees of the Santo Niño de Cebu offering their dance of thanksgiving in the spirit of the Sinulog Festival., from Philippines, photo by Jumelito Capilot, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 13th place of WLF 2021: La Tbourida, dérivée de Baroud qui signifie « poudre à canon », est un art équestre ancien, datant du 15ème siècle. Elle est la reconstitution d’un assaut militaire de guerriers cavaliers arabes et berbères, from Morocco, photo by Houssain tork, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 14th place of WLF 2021: Grand shadow play at Wat Khanon Temple, from Thailand, photo by Paul-shy, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 15th place of WLF 2021: Peresean, a traditional sport conducted by the Sasak Tribe people in the province of West Southeast Nusa, Indonesia, photo by RaiyaniM, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 16th place of WLF 2021: In the Matigsalug community in Kitao-tao, Bukidnon, the community gathers every Friday to continue their traditions and dances. To showcase to the younger generation and would-be travelers that would visit their area, from the Philippines, photo by Theglennpalacio, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 17th place of WLF 2021: The Kadayawan Festival marks a celebration of thanksgiving, for life, nature and abundance of the Davaoeños from the Philippines, photo by Herbert Kikoy, CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The 18th place of WLF 2021: Actress performing dance drama 'Mahalaya' ahead of Durga Puja celebrations, from India, photo by TAPAS KUMAR HALDER, CC-BY-SA 4.0.

Best Video

Sumita Roy from India

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Na-gurnai_Dance_of_Bodo_tribe_V_20171117_181309.webm

Best Audio

Anasskoko of Nigeria Hausa festival music

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hausa_Durba_festival_Music.ogg

Message from the Team's Desk!

It is an important antidote in the world of folks and tales to share by documenting the rich and diverse cultures around the world for a better open movement. We appreciate all the efforts both far and wide during the 2021 campaign. 

Additionally, the media from institutions in Zambia, India and the like have been incredibly supportive.

We therefore urge you to start documenting all folks, tales, tangible and intangible heritage sites and activities now. 

See you around next time!!

Footnote

  1. All the media above is available under Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 license free for use with appropriate attribution to the author with the same copyright license.
  2. Statistics of images received here: https://ptools.toolforge.org/uploadersincat.php?category=Images_from_Wiki_Loves_Folklore_2021
  3. Top winning images here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Folklore_2021/Winners