How Wikimedia Hackathon 2025 Redefined Tech Boundaries

I attended my first Wikimedia Hackathon in Istanbul two weeks ago. I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I barely knew anyone, and the idea of walking into a room full of experienced contributors was both scary and fascinating. But I reminded myself that how it all turns out would ultimately be up to me.

Hackathons are done a little differently here. I arrived with no team but trusted I would find a place to contribute. Unlike the competitive, fast-paced hackathons I was familiar with, this one focused more on collaboration. It brought together like-minded people to work on ideas, build new tools, and improve existing solutions for the Wikimedia community. And I think that’s a more sustainable way to grow not by pitting people against each other, but by fostering collaboration.

Finding My Place and Getting to Work

The first day kicked off with the opening ceremony and project pitches. Contributors from across the Wikimedia ecosystem developers, researchers, designers took the stage to share what they were working on. Some pitched tools they’d been building for months, while others shared fresh ideas and invited collaborators to join in. What stood out to me was how welcoming it all felt, It was all about building together. But as the pitches went on, one project stood out the ProVe tool, presented by Nathan Gavenski, a professor at King’s College London.

I came into the hackathon with the intention of working on the Wiki Education Dashboard, and I had already picked out an enhancement issue to tackle. But I also kept an open mind. As the pitches rolled in, I realized this was a space where you could explore. You didn’t have to stay fixed on one thing. You could jump into a project that inspired you even if it wasn’t something you initially planned for.

ProVe is a reference verification tool for Wikidata. It uses language models to verbalize claims and collect HTML sources to support them. It was a fascinating idea and although I had no experience working on MediaWiki tools, I saw room for improving the user interface. So I switched gears and joined Nathan’s team.

The codebase was new, and I didn’t fully grasp the tool at first. But Nathan was welcoming and helped me understand the basics. I focused on the UI improvements bringing a better visual flow and layout while he handled the underlying logic. We also discussed using other tools to further enhance the UI, and I’m excited to continue collaborating with him beyond the hackathon.

Despite it being my first Wikimedia hackathon, I managed to submit pull requests for both the ProVe tool and the Wiki Education Dashboard task I originally signed up for. It felt great to see my contributions come to life not just in code, but in collaboration.

• ProVe tool UI improvements

• Add support for courses with timelines but without set meeting days

The environment was different from any hackathon I’d seen. There was no rush to be the first or the best. Instead, it was about sharing knowledge, growing ideas, and building things that mattered to the Wikimedia mission. Everyone was here for the same reason: to contribute, learn, and help each other move forward.

Learning from Experts vs Social Moments

One of the best parts of the hackathon wasn’t just the projects it was the people.

I had the chance to connect with contributors from all over the world, and the conversations I had were just as valuable as the code I wrote. I met Fabien Kaelin, a Research Engineer at the Wikimedia Foundation, and we had a really eye-opening conversation about how LLM's might impact Wikipedia usage. He shared how the Foundation is actively researching ways AI can support not replace the way people access and contribute to free knowledge. That discussion left me thinking deeply about the future of open information.

I also got to meet Joely Rooke, Loren Johnson, and Mohammed Sadat, who all work with Wikimedia Deutschland. Joely shared her experience contributing to both Wikimedia and Wikibase projects, and it was great to see the kind of impact they’re making from a program and infrastructure perspective.

And then there was debt the program manager for outreach programs in the foundation who I met during my Outreachy Internship with the Foundation. Meeting her in person was such a full-circle moment. It reminded me how real and human this open-source world is, beyond usernames and commits.

Beyond the work, there were fun moments too. The food was fantastic from breakfast to lunch and everything in between, it kept everyone energized. On Our last day of the hackathon, we enjoyed a beautiful boat tour of Istanbul, sailing through the city’s iconic waterways and I even joined a group from Asia for a dance, a wonderful mix of cultures coming together that really highlighted the global spirit of the community . It was a perfect way to wind down after an intense and inspiring few days.

Everyone I met was kind, approachable, and eager to share whether it was their work, advice, or just a friendly chat. For someone attending their first hackathon, it made all the difference.

Reflections : What I’m Taking With Me

Coming into my first Wikimedia hackathon, I wasn’t sure what to expect or even what I would work on. I registered under the Wiki Education Dashboard project with a clear task in mind, but quickly found myself drawn to new opportunities and collaborations like improving the ProVe tool UI with Nathan.

This experience gave me more than just code contributions. I saw how a community can come together, support each other, and create in a way that feels sustainable and inclusive. I met people who live and breathe the Wikimedia mission, and their passion gave me a new sense of purpose in my open source journey.

Watching others code through the night, share ideas, and build solutions reminded me why I love contributing to open source. It’s about more than just technical skills it’s about being part of something bigger, something that can change how knowledge is shared and accessed worldwide.

The hackathon also gave me a sense of reflection I realize I need to do more. I’m now exploring other areas of the Wikimedia projects that fascinate me, eager to expand my contributions beyond what I started with.

I came back from Istanbul with fresh inspiration, a clearer direction, and a stronger desire to contribute not just in code, but in design, collaboration, and community building. Next year, I hope to come better prepared, to own a project, and to deepen my impact.

For now, Let’s keep hacking, one line of code at a time