Commons:Wiki Loves Places 2026 in Ghana
May – June 2026 | #WikiLovesPlacesGH
About
[edit]Wiki Loves Places is a national documentation campaign aimed at improving structured, open knowledge about places in Ghana. The programme focuses on collecting and contributing geo-tagged images and location data to Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, and OpenStreetMap.
Through volunteer engagement, the campaign invites anyone who can access places in Ghana to capture visual and geographic data — enriching Wikimedia projects and supporting open mapping ecosystems across the country.
on Wikimedia Commons
on Wikidata
on OpenStreetMap
What to capture
[edit]Ghana is full of remarkable places waiting to be documented. Participants are encouraged to photograph and map places across the following categories:
| Category | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| Public Infrastructure | Government offices, police stations, fire stations, post offices | |
| Health Facilities | Hospitals, clinics, CHPS compounds, maternity homes | |
| Education | Schools (all levels), universities, libraries, hostels | |
| Settlements | Towns, villages, hamlets, and road signages | |
| Transport | Roads, bridges, bus stops, lorry stations, junctions, filling stations | |
| Religion | Churches, mosques, shrines, and sacred sites | |
| Sports | Stadiums, football pitches, basketball and volleyball courts | |
| Tourism & Hospitality | Tourist sites, hotels, guest houses, restaurants, beach resorts | |
| Commercial & Industrial | Markets, factories, power stations, mining sites | |
| Environment & Landscape | Rivers, mountains, farms, dams, natural landmarks |
Not sure where to start? Begin with places you already know — your neighbourhood school, your local clinic, your hometown market, or your village road. There are already many basic schools on Wikidata that lack coordinates and photos. Starting from your neighbourhood is a great entry point.
How to participate
[edit]Participation is open to everyone. Whether you are a student, photographer, travel influencer, OpenStreetMap contributor, or simply someone who visits places in Ghana — you are welcome! First ensure you have enrolled to our Outreach dashboard here.
Visit a place in Ghana and take geo-tagged photos. Ensure your phone's GPS/Location is turned on before taking the photo. Landscape orientation is preferred, but portrait is allowed.
Upload your geo-tagged images to Wikimedia Commons using the Upload Wizard. Add a clear title, short description, and a category (if possible).
Add or improve the Wikidata item for the place you photographed — including its name, coordinates, type, and any other structured data you can verify. Create a new item if one does not yet exist.
Add or update the location on OpenStreetMap. OpenStreetMap is not a Wikimedia Foundation project, but it is a key open-data platform supported through this campaign. Maps displayed on Wikimedia Foundation projects are powered thanks to data from OpenStreetMap. You need an account on openstreetmap.org to contribute. Notable OpenStreetMap-based and offline applications that use Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata and Wikipedia data are CoMaps, OSMAnd, etc.
Need help at any step? See our FAQ page or attend one of our free training sessions.
Image requirements
[edit]- Your own original photographs
- Must be geo-tagged (GPS coordinates embedded in EXIF data)
- Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 or CC0
- Clear, relevant, and identifiable subject
- Older photos allowed if they are geo-tagged
- Landscape orientation preferred (portrait accepted)
- Text or signage in the photo should be legible
- Photos without geo-tags
- Photos with watermarks, logos, or decorative borders
- AI-generated images
- Photos taken by someone else (without proper rights)
- Heavily filtered images that misrepresent the place
- Exact duplicate uploads of the same photo
- Images under non-free or all-rights-reserved licences
How to verify your photo is geo-tagged: After taking a photo, check its properties or details on your phone. If geo-tagging is working, you will see coordinates (latitude and longitude), a nearby city name, or a small map icon in the photo details.
Sample images
[edit]Below are examples of the kinds of images we are looking for, but must have geo-tags:
-
Agbedrafor settlement sign (geo-tagged) -
Church at Saltpond (geo-tagged) -
Mim Cashew plantation/road overview (NOT geo-tagged) -
Madina zongo Junction road and footbridge (geo-tagged) -
A good overview of road without a street sign (NOT geo-tagged and clear) -
Settlement name (NOT geo-tagged)
Prizes & recognition
[edit]This is a national campaign. There are no international prizes. All prizes are awarded to top contributors within Ghana. The Top 10 contributors will be reward. There is also room for special and other categories to be determined beyond the top 10 contributors. The prizes will consists of the following:
| Prize Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Internet data bundles | 50–100 GB packages (or maximum available on each telecoms provider) for all top 10 contributions |
| External drives | Portable hard drives or USB sticks |
| MiFi devices and routers | Mobile Wi-Fi hotspot devices |
| Accessories | Camera & phone mounts/holders, etc |
| Souvenirs | Branded mugs, water bottles, and stickers |
Jury & selection
[edit]Winners are selected based on the following criteria:
| Criterion | Description |
|---|---|
| Quantity | Number of valid, geo-tagged images uploaded to Wikimedia Commons during the campaign period |
| Quality | Clarity, encyclopaedic value, and accuracy of submitted images |
| Wikidata | Completeness of structured data added or improved for documented places |
| OpenStreetMap | Accuracy and coverage of location data contributed to OSM |
| Geographic Diversity | Contributions from under-documented areas of Ghana are given additional weight |
| Engagement | Participation in training sessions, photowalks, and community activities |
Selection process
[edit]- All valid uploads are reviewed for quality and geo-tagging by the organising team
- A shortlist of top contributors is compiled based on quantity, quality, and engagement
- Final top 10 contributors are identified, verified, and announced on the Winners page
For full eligibility rules, see the Rules page.
Who can participate
[edit]Prize eligibility: Participants should ideally be based in Ghana to be able to receive physical prizes if they win.
Campaign timeline
[edit]| Period | Activity | Status |
|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Planning, campaign setup, and page creation | Completed |
| May 2026 | Campaign launch event + geo-tagging training session | Ongoing |
| May – June 2026 | Active photo capturing, uploading, and data contributions | Ongoing |
| June 2026 | Campaign close, jury review, and recognition ceremony | Upcoming |
Training & support
[edit]All training sessions are free and open to participants. Sessions will be held both online and in person.
| Session | Description | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign Launch | Introduction to the campaign goals, geo-tagging on Android and iOS, overview of all three platforms | In-person + Online |
| Wikimedia Commons Training | How to upload images correctly, add titles/descriptions, select licences, and categorise files | In-person (after photowalks) |
| Wikidata Session | How to create and improve Wikidata items for places in Ghana | Online/In-person |
| OpenStreetMap + Wikidata (×2) | Mapping places on OSM, adding coordinates, linking OSM and Wikidata items | Online |
| Upload Clinics | One-on-one assisted sessions for participants who need help uploading or editing | TBC |
How to take geotagged photos with ...
[edit]Android devices
[edit]- Open Settings → Location and enable GPS
- Open your Camera app → Settings
- Find Geotagging, Save Location, or Location Tags and turn it ON
- Take a test photo and check its details - you should see coordinates or a nearby place name
iOS devices
[edit]- Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services
- Find Camera and set it to While Using the App
- Take a test photo and open it in Photos → swipe up to see the map and location
DSLR Camera
[edit]There are multiple ways to achieve geotagging, first take a look at List of cameras which provide geotagging.
Discussion & contact
[edit]- Talk page: Click here to ask a question or leave a comment
- Email: community [at] wmgh [dot] org
- Live results & all uploads: Commons:Wiki Loves Places 2026 in Ghana/Results
- Organising team: Commons:Wiki Loves Places 2026 in Ghana/Team
Wiki Loves Places 2026 in Ghana is organised by the Wikimedia Ghana User Group