In a cross-border celebration of biodiversity and open knowledge, the winners of Wiki Loves Bangla 2025 were announced this week, highlighting some of the finest visual documentation of the bird life of Bengal.
Organised jointly by Wikimedia Bangladesh and the West Bengal Wikimedians User Group under the Bangla Culture and Heritage Collation Program, this year’s edition drew participation from both India and Bangladesh, focusing on the theme, ‘Birds of Bengal’.
Held between March 1 and April 10, the 2025 contest marked the second edition of Wiki Loves Bangla, an annual international photography competition launched in 2024 to showcase Bengali culture and heritage. This year, 191 photographers submitted around 1,800 photographs, capturing a total of 421 bird species from regions across West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Assam.
After a rigorous three-phase jury process, Ashraf Ali was declared the winner. Sanjay Kumar and Abhijit Dey were second and third, respectively. The top three winners will receive cash awards of BDT 50,000, 25,000, and 15,000.
“These entries exceeded our expectations in both diversity and quality,” said Moheen Reeyad, lead coordinator of the organising team. “We’re proud to see such strong regional participation and commitment to free knowledge.”
Jury and evaluation process
The contest was judged by a five-member international panel: Abdul Momin and Syed Abbas from Bangladesh, Timothy A. Gonsalves from India, Frank Schulenburg from Germany, and Simon Pierre Barrette from France. Their task was to evaluate the images not only on technical merit and composition, but also on their cultural and informational value for use on Wikipedia.
Selected images are already being integrated into articles on Wikimedia platforms, contributing to open-access knowledge on Bengal’s biodiversity. All submitted photographs are uploaded under open licenses, allowing anyone to use, share, or adapt them with proper attribution.
Documenting avian diversity
Photographers submitted entries ranging from portraits of migratory birds to snapshots of native species in their natural habitats. The organisers noted that several uncommon species were photographed and geotagged for the first time on the platform.
Wiki Loves Bangla is part of the global Wiki Loves photography movement, which aims to enhance Wikimedia Commons with high-quality, freely licensed images around cultural and natural heritage. The Bangla version of the contest is coordinated under Bangla WikiMoitree, a shared initiative between Wikimedia Bangladesh and the West Bengal Wikimedians User Group.
As Bengal’s birds find a digital home through thousands of lenses, the contest is also helping global audiences discover Bengal not just through encyclopedic entries but through striking visual records created by those who live alongside its natural wonders.