This last Ramadan, Wikipedia called on volunteer photographers in the Levant region to capture photos of their daily dishes during the holy month.
Titled The Levant Food Photo Contest, the competition is a push to enrich and support regional content on the platform. Images were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, free to use by media as well as help illustrate articles on Arabic Wikipedia pages.
A total of 171 photos were submitted, out of which five were selected as winning images.
Palestinian photographer Osama Silwadi, who judged the competition, told The National that he was primarily looking for pictures that showed the cultural and civilisational aspect of food preparation and table arrangement.
"Food and cooking are among the most important cultural aspects of any people," he said. "Food photography isn't easy either. It requires knowledge and taste in organisation and design, and good choice of colour and backgrounds that work with the dish."
The five winning images were of the following dishes in order from first place to fifth place: hummus with meat, grilled fish, kollaj stuffed with cream, shakshuka and stuffed vegetables. The images will now be used in Wikipedia entries for those dishes.
The winners have also received certificates and awards, although details have not been disclosed.
