NBC and Wikimedia Malta renew collaboration on National Book Prize

The National Book Council (NBC) and the Wikimedia Community Malta (WCM) renewed their collaboration to increase accessibility and improve the the quality of information about Maltese Literature on Wikipedia and Wikidata, particularly information related to the National Book Prize since its launch in 1971.

This renewal builds upon the work done in 2025, when two wikimedians in residence were announced who organised several meetings and workshops to gather information and create the necessary data as wikidata.

In 2025, the wikimedians in residence gathered the data required in structured entries, which included references, sources, and photos of each winner of the Prize from different sources, including the archives of the National Book Council and newspaper cuttings digitally stored in libraries.

The next step is for this Wikidata to feed the Maltese Wikipedia in a structured way so that it remains accessible to the public. It is also necessary to strengthen the community of people who contribute to the project, especially since several individuals showed interest during the activities held throughout 2025 and also during the Malta Book Festival. At this year’s edition of the Book Festival, workshops will be organised on how to write articles and upload photos to this global platform.

The Wikidata compiled throughout 2025 will also serve as a reference point so that in 2026, work can begin on writing articles about the winning authors of the National Book Prize, providing more comprehensive and detailed information. In keeping with the spirit of the global Wikipedia community, these articles will be written by those who show interest and who receive training in article writing with WCM. Besides making information available to anyone wishing to learn more, these articles help preserve the bibliographic heritage of Maltese Literature, and strengthen the academic relevance of, and research into, literature written in smaller languages.

Last year, the wikimedian in residence from this collaboration, Enriquè Tabone, represented Malta with this project about the National Book Prize during the WikiCite 2025 conference in Bern, Switzerland.

You may download this presentation from here, which includes interesting information, such as information about the relation each Prize winner has with the rest of the world, and how Book Prize winners are splitbetween men and women.

If you would like to find out more about this project, or contribute to it, fill in this short form: http://wikimalta.org/kotba