Why is there a theme, and must all presentations relate to it?
Please read the blogpost about the Wikimania theme to learn about it, and why it was chosen. All presentation submissions must relate to the theme or, if they do not, they must explain in the session description why they are sufficiently important topics to justify an exemption. Therefore, the theme will be "tightly held, but losely defined" - the program committee encourages applicants to make submissions which respond to the theme in innovative ways. For example: 'software localisation' is a topic which can be described in the 'access and accessibility' framework for the theme.
Why are we using a separate website to accept submissions, rather than on-Wiki like in previous years?
The most important piece of feedback from last year's program committee was that the "Wiki submission and email tools completely failed". This meant a LOT of extra manual work and delays. As a result we have moved to using software dedicated for the purposes of conference submission management. Because it is a private form (not public on-wiki) this also means we can ask non-public information to help improve the diversity of the conference presentations. To mitigate the loss of transparency that the on-wiki system provided, we will be publishing the title, author, and abstract of ALL presentation submissions on this wiki after the program committee has made its decisions. We are using the software EasyChair which does require submitters to register an account. However, it was also used for Wikimania 2016, meaning that if you submitted a proposal for that Wikimania you can re-use those login details.
Can I propose a session in a language other than English?
English will be the standard language of the conference, however you may make a proposal for a presentation in a language other than English. The proposal itself must still be in English so that the committee can review it. If you wish to present in another language you should explain why you believe there will be sufficient audience attending Wikimania Cape Town who will understand, and benefit from, a non-English presentation. One way you can do this is by linking to a discussion on your home-wiki where a lot of people express interest in attending such a session. It would be helpful if you could also demonstrate that the probable attendees of your session come from multiple countries. If several popular sessions for a specific language are submitted, the program design may accommodate placing all those sessions together in a group together. Please be aware, that professional translation/interpretation services will not be provided at Wikimania Cape Town.
Is there a water shortage in Cape Town? Will this affect Wikimania?
Will making a proposal for a presentation help my chances in receiving a scholarship?
No. There is no relationship between the selection criteria for scholarships and the program. One of the [optional] questions for program submissions does ask if you received a scholarship, but this is only for statistical purposes - so we can report what proportion of submissions are made by people with scholarships, and what proportion of the eventual program is being presented by scholarship holders.
