WikiCup update: full speed ahead!

WikiCup update

May sees the beginning of Round 3 of the 2013 WikiCup, with 33 of the original 127 competitors remaining. The WikiCup is an annual competition on Wikipedia in which competitors are awarded points based on the number of pieces of audited content they can produce during the year; "audited content" here meaning individual featured articles, featured portals, featured lists, featured pictures, featured topics, good articles, good topics, did you knows and in the news items. A small number of points are also awarded for good article reviews. This is the fifth WikiCup held in roughly the current format, which is based on a lower-key competition which had been held for two years before that. Though the rules are set before the beginning of the competition, "judges", currently J Milburn and The ed17, coordinate the competition; others, like bot-writer Jarry1250, help behind the scenes.

This year's competition sees another step towards a focus on importance. Highly important articles, lists and portals are awarded more points, and importance is judged based primarily on the number of Wikipedias on which the article, list or portal features. For instance, from just the last few days, Sven Manguard was awarded three times the usual points for the featured portal Portal:Sports, while Cwmhiraeth was awarded 7.2 times as many points for her impressive expansion leading to a did you know from sea. Extra points are also awarded for longer did you knows to discourage the mass-production of very short articles and for did you knows of very old articles to encourage expansion of forgotten articles. Despite these changes, the WikiCup is still very different from The Core Contest, which is much shorter, focuses on improvement to core articles exclusively and is judged by a panel, rather than being about the accumulation of points. This year has also seen the WikiCup used as a locus for collaboration, with competitors finding others eager to help write on certain topics.

Big scorers so far this year include Sturmvogel_66 (2010's winner), Miyagawa (a finalist in 2011 and 2012), Casliber (a finalist in 2010, 2011 and 2012) and Hawkeye7 (a newcomer to the WikiCup). Very high scores in Round 2 suggest that this year's competition may prove one of the most competitive yet. 16 will progress to Round 4 at the start of July, while 8 will enter the final in September; this year's winner will be declared at the end of October. Those interested in following the WikiCup's progress can sign up to receive the monthly newsletter.

Featured articles

Six articles were promoted this week.

Michigan State Trunkline Highway System (nom) by Imzadi1979. The State Trunkline Highway System is composed of all the state highways in Michigan, including interstate roads. The Michigan Department of Transportation is tasked with the maintenance of the 9,716-mile-long system that spans across all of the 83 counties included in the state.
Ezra Meeker (nom) by Wehwalt. Meeker (1830–1928) was an American pioneer who traveled the Oregon Trail by wagon as a young man. After his family relocated to Indiana when he was a boy, Meeker married Eliza Jane Sumner in 1851, moving to Oregon the following year. In his old age, he worked to memorialize the Trail, writing several books, and continuing to promote the Trail until his death at age 97.
Nauru Reed Warbler (nom) by J Milburn and [[User:Jimfbleak|Jimfbleak]]. The Nauru Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus rehsei) is a passerine bird endemic to the island of Nauru in the Pacific Ocean. The species is the only passerine, and one of only two breeding land birds, found on the island.
SMS Prinzregent Luitpold (nom) by Parsecboy. The Prinzregent was the fifth and final vessel of the Kaiser class of battleships of the German Imperial Navy. Laid in October 1910, the ship was commissioned into the navy on August 1913. Along with her sisters, the Prinzregent Luitpold participated in all of the major fleet operations of World War I. She was scuttled along with her fleet in June 1919.
Ancient Egyptian deities (nom) by A. Parrot. In ancient Egypt, several gods and goddesses formed the core of prehistoric Egyptian religion. They represented natural forces and phenomena, and the Egyptians appeased them through rituals according to their divine order.
Fort Yellowstone (nom) by MONGO and [[User:Mike Cline (talk · contribs)|Mike Cline (talk · contribs)]]. Fort Yellowstone was a U.S. Army fort established in 1891 inside the national park of the same name. A total of 60 structures were built inside the fort since its establishment, and those facilities now hold the headquarters of the Yellowstone National Park administration, the Horace Albright Visitor Center and staff accommodations.

Featured pictures

Ten featured pictures were promoted this week.

Solar flare (nom) created by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and nominated by Mrandrewnohome. On August 31, 2012, this coronal mass ejection traveled into space at over 900 miles (1,400 km) per second. This photo was awarded second place in the Wikimedia Commons Picture of the Year contest for 2012.
Zygoballus rufipes (nom) created by Kaldari and nominated by Tomer T. Zygoballus rufipes is a jumping spider found in the Americas. George and Elizabeth Peckham first described the species in 1885 from a specimen found in Guatemala.
High-density polyethylene pipe (nom) created by Tomascastelazo and nominated by Tomer T. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is commonly found in plastic bottles, pipes, and lumber.
Great Cormorant (nom) created by JJ Harrison and nominated by Samaksasanian. The Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is a common seabird. Its size and weight vary widely.
F-16 Fighting Falcon (nom) created by United States Air Force Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway and nominated by Pine. The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is sometimes nicknamed "Viper" due to its resemblance to the Colonial Viper starfighter from the science fiction series Battlestar Galactica. It is a multirole fighter and still in production, though it is now produced by Lockheed Martin.
U.S. Banknotes (North Africa series) (nom) created by Godot13 and the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution and nominated by Godot13. Similar to the Hawaii overprint series, the North Africa series was produced during World War II for circulation in Europe and Northern Africa.
Dick Lugar (nom) created by Office of Senator Richard Lugar and nominated by Bonkers The Clown. Richard Lugar (born 1932) was a United States Senator from Indiana who served from January 1977 to January 2013. A member of the Republican party, he chaired the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations from January 2003 to January 2007.
Point Pinos Lighthouse (nom) created by Frank Schulenburg and nominated by Tomer T. Point Pinos Lighthouse was first lit in 1855, and is still in active service with the United States Coast Guard. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
United States Notes, Series 1928 (Serial #1 Set) (nom) created by Godot13 and the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution and nominated by Godot13. The Series 1928 United States Notes were the first modern-era U.S. notes to be printed only in $1, $2, and $5 denominations.
Fantine (painting) (nom) created by Margaret Bernadine Hall and nominated by Crisco 1492. Fantine is an oil on canvas painting by Margaret Bernadine Hall (1863–1910) that hangs in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, England. The subject is the character Fantine from Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables.

Featured portals

Two featured portals were promoted this week. Quotes are from the lead sections of the portals.

Sports (nom) nominated by Sven Manguard. "Sport (or, in the United States and Canada, sports) is all forms of competitive physical activity which, through casual or organized participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical ability and provide entertainment to participants."
Geography (nom) nominated by Cirt. "Geography is the science that studies the lands, the features, the inhabitants, and the phenomena of the Earth."