In 2026, as Armenia prepared for its parliamentary elections, Wikimedia Armenia and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom joined forces once again to organize the “Wikipedia for Freedom of Elections” initiative. The project aimed to improve Armenian Wikipedia’s coverage of electoral rights, democratic participation, and related topics while engaging both experienced and new contributors.

A total of 119 people applied to participate, including 55 newcomers. To help new editors join the Wikimedia movement, Wikimedia Armenia organized a series of online and offline Wikipedia training sessions, introducing participants to Wikipedia’s editing principles, reliable sourcing, and article creation.

“Wikipedia for Freedom of Elections” WikiCamp in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia

Participants worked from curated lists of missing articles, gradually expanding Armenian Wikipedia before the project’s main event – a five-day Wikicamp held in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia from 24–28 June. The camp brought together 34 editors and 9 staff members, with young people playing a central role: 30 participants were between 16 and 24 years old, demonstrating the project’s continued success in attracting and empowering the next generation of Wikimedians.

Beyond collaborative editing, the camp included a session on democratic participation led by electoral expert Mariam Hoveyan, who introduced participants to the principles of free and fair elections, citizens’ electoral rights, and informed voting. The educational program was complemented by team-building activities, discussions, games, a film screening, and an excursion, creating an engaging environment that strengthened both editing skills and community ties.

Throughout the camp, participants worked in small groups with experienced Wikimedia trainers who provided guidance, reviewed articles, and supported newcomers. Many articles were translated and adapted to include information relevant to Armenia, making the content more valuable for local readers.

The project concluded with impressive results. Across the training period, preparation phase, and Wikicamp, 53 contributors created 406 new articles, adding more than 15 million bytes of free knowledge to Armenian Wikipedia. At the closing ceremony, the ten most active contributors received certificates jointly awarded by Wikimedia Armenia and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

By combining civic education, youth engagement, and collaborative knowledge creation, “Wikipedia for Freedom of Elections” once again demonstrated how Wikimedia organizations can initiate successful and long-term collaborations with external organizations, and contribute to both free knowledge and informed democratic participation.