In 2025, Wiki Loves Earth International continued a special category “Video”.
Wikipedia articles can be illustrated not only with photos but also with videos, which allows uploaders to showcase natural heritage sites broadly from different perspectives.
In this special category, we recognize videos depicting natural monuments worldwide among the participating countries (it was optional for the local organizers).
Check more details about this special category.
This year, we received five videos from Serbia, Kuwait, and Ukraine, which were evaluated by the three jury members:
- Yılmaz Caner Özyayikci (Turkey) — graphic designer, Visual Communication Design graduate, Wikimedian of the Year 2024 (Media Contributor).
- Jan Ainali (Sweden) — wikimedian, co-founder of Wikimedians for Sustainable Development, helps organizations become better at working in the open at Open By Default.
- Saddam Husein (Indonesia) — professional documentary photographer and videographer focusing on environmental issues.
Check more information about the jurors for this category.
And we are happy to present the best videos of the natural heritage sites of Wiki Loves Earth 2025!
1st place
The first winning place goes to a video by Marko Dekic that gathered the highest marks in this category. It showcases the winter stunning bird’s-eye view of Stara Planina (Balkan Mountains) in Serbia and was filmed on 20th January 2025.
The author of the video shares his experience: “It is a real pleasure to film from probably the only perspective that can faithfully convey the grandeur and beauty of Stara Planina, at a time when it is probably at its most beautiful, in winter. Stara Planina is my favorite part of my country, and it really deserves to be seen by others. The snow may make the scene monotonous in terms of colors, but it adds to the complete peace of the whole ambiance… and that is why I have been waiting for years to be able to make something like this. Finally, as a personal experience, I can say that I got quite cold while making these recordings, but I definitely enjoyed it”.
[Video by Marko Dekic, CC BY-SA 4.0.]
One of the jurors, Jan Ainali, commented on this video: “Calm and peaceful video that really gives a good overview of the area”.
Yılmaz Caner Özyayikci added: “I like the winter theme and the video flow — it describes the area quite well”.
2nd place
The video captures a moment of winter “foraging” by a Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus) within the Chahari Kutkivetski nature area, Ternopil region, Ukraine. The footage was recorded on 19th January 2025.
The author of the video shares the story behind its creation:
“At that time, my goal was to film birds of prey. I spent hours sitting in a hide, waiting for them, but with no success. Then one moment, a little mouse ran past the trunk of a fallen tree. After that, I started bringing a handful of grain and scattering it in that spot. Eventually, this mouse would appear, happily nibbling on the grains and even carrying them back to its burrow. And that’s how this video was made — purely by chance.”
[Video by Liubomyr Matviyiv, CC BY-SA 4.0.]
Juror Yılmaz Caner Özyayikci shared: “The flow and technical details are generally successful. Even the animal’s voice is quite detailed. I particularly liked that the sound was recorded this way”.
Another juror Jan Ainali commented: “Nice with the establishing shots and then the introduction of our main character along with its movement and behavior”.
3rd place
The third place was awarded to a video by Serhii Markov, filmed in June 2023. The footage captures a case of cannibalism in snakes: one smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) consuming another on a rocky shoreline of a water body in the Yatsevо area — a state-level forest reserve in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine.
The author shares:
“Since the start of the full-scale war, the closest wild forests I loved have been closed to visitors. I had to shift to observing wildlife in small steppe patches and cliffs near the Dnipro Rapids in the vicinity of the Yatsevo area — and I don’t regret it. Whenever possible, I travel there almost daily, sometimes even for just half an hour, to mentally reset. Mostly, I watch as various rare plant species bloom one after another from early spring until the winter cold, and I always visit the spots where smooth snakes, Sarmatian rat snakes, and green lizards — all protected species — gather. In a way, the scene in the video came as a surprise to me, but in another way, it’s the result of systematic observation.”
[Video by Serhii Markov, CC BY-SA 4.0.]
“An image that tells the story of how the world works. Some eat and some are eaten, so that the ecosystem remains balanced.” — highlighted one of the jurors Saddam Husein.
Yılmaz Caner Özyayikci added: “Although the composition and camera movement are a bit shaky, I think the content is good. Also, the fact that the video has different angles ensures that the subject is well displayed”.
Jan Ainali commented as well that this is a good closeups on an unusual situation.
Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone who has shown their interest in showcasing the natural heritage in such an interesting way. We are looking forward to seeing more beautiful videos next year!
Read more about the results of the previous year.
Celebrate this year’s winnings with us during the Wiki Loves Earth 2025 Award Ceremony on 19th December, at 13:30 UTC on Zoom.
Check the time with your local timezone here.
If you want to participate, please register by filling out this short form, and we will send you an invitation.
And wait for the final top 20 winners to be announced very soon!
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