The Wiki Conference India 2011 will be held from November 18 – 20, 2011 in Mumbai. This first-of-its-kind conference in India is supposed to be the annual flagship event for Wikipedia/Wikimedia in India. The conference will offer a platform to all members of Wikimedia in India to share their views with other members. They will also get a chance to discuss challenges, tips, best practices, etc., with other people through this conference.
The Conference is open to participation from all nations, however, the Conference will have a very distinct Indian flavour and deal primarily with issues relating to India on Wikipedia, English and Indic language Wikipedia projects in the country, possible partnerships and collaborations and the Wikicommunity editing on these issues, whether in India or abroad. The conference is being co-hosted by Mumbai and Pune communities in partnership with Wikimedia Chapter (India) and it is hoped that the conference would not only be successful but also set the trend for future events to come. A limited number of travel and accommodation scholarships are available for candidates planning to participate in the conference.
Travel and Accommodation Scholarships
Accommodation will be provided in a budget hotel within 5 to 10 minutes walking distance from the venue in South Mumbai. Accommodation will be provided at any one of four hotels tied up with the event. Accommodation is an AC room on a three/four person sharing basis of the same gender for 2 or 3 nights. First Check in time will be 1200 hrs on Thursday 17 Nov 2011 & Last Checkout at 1200hrs on 20 Nov 2011. Accommodation costs before & after these dates shall be borne by the applicant. You may either apply for a full or partial scholarship, not both. If you apply for a full scholarship and the application is unsuccessful, you cannot then apply for a partial scholarship. All other things being the same, preference will be given to partial scholarship applicants, who do not need as much money to attend the conference. Please express your choice by selecting your need particularly for travel and/or accommodation in the box provided. Scholarships are also available on a preferential basis (all other things being the same) for conference attendees with special needs, such as minors and persons with disabilities, who cannot attend unless they are accompanied by a caregiver. This should be clearly mentioned in the description of contributions.
For Partial scholarships, the organizers will bear a part of the 2 A/c rail fare and part of the Hotel costs which are approximately INR 1500 per person per night and you bear the rest. Scholarships will be awarded at the sole discretion of the organisers. Those who receive scholarships still need to register for the event when registration begins. Incomplete applications will be rejected. Those applying for the scholarships agree to the Terms and Conditions set by the organisers.
Schedule for Scholarships
Scholarship forms will be available: July 15th to August 15th
Selection: On September 1st week
Travel booking: September 2nd onwards (Wiki Conference India 2011 will not be booking the tickets)
The Conference
The conference is to be for three days beginning at 0900 hrs on 18 November 2011 (Friday) and hopefully concluding in the afternoon on 20 November 2011 (Sunday).
Last date for submitting the application is August 15, 2011.
For more information and details, please visit this link.
