Nitesh Gill, Program Officer (Community) with the recently formed Open Knowledge Initiatives (OKI) team at RCTS-IIITH, has been awarded an Honourable Mention at the Wikimedian of the Year 2025 awards. 

This global recognition is a celebration of her unwavering commitment to the Wikimedia movement and the values of open knowledge, equity, and community leadership. 

Some of her notable contributions and achievements within Wikimedia and the larger free knowledge ecosystem include: 

• #100Wikidays: A challenge where Wikimedians commit to writing one article per day for 100 consecutive days. Nitesh took on this challenge in 2017 and never stopped. She is now the only woman Wikimedian to maintain a consecutive WikiDays streak for a record number of years, demonstrating rare consistency and dedication. 
• Bridging the Gender Gap: Nitesh’s work is deeply focused on closing gender gaps in Wikimedia content, participation, and leadership. Thanks to her sustained contributions, Punjabi Wikipedia now has more articles about women than about any other gender. She played a key role in organizing Wiki Women’s Camp 2023 and also co-conceptualized and led the She Leads program to support and strengthen women’s leadership in the Wikimedia movement. 
• Regional Movement Building: Nitesh continues to inspire Indian and South Asian Wikimedia communities to collaborate and grow. She co-led WikiConference India 2023, one of the region’s most significant gatherings, and continues to host regular South Asia–wide Wikimedia community calls, fostering collective dialogue and action. 

These are, of course, just a few among many meaningful contributions Nitesh has made to the Wikimedia world. Read more about her in the official blog published by the Wikimedia Foundation on this occasion. 

Hearty congratulations to Nitesh on this well-deserved honour and in celebrating the impact of her leadership, care, and consistency in working with open knowledge communities and beyond.

August 2025