Wikipedia:WikiCup/Advice for younger editors

The WikiCup is an annual competition held on the English Wikipedia to help motivate editors to contribute to the project. It is open to all editors, whether they are new or experienced, young or old. This means that the competition is open to younger Wikipedians, and this page is here to explain what that means. If you have any questions, please contact one of the WikiCup judges whose contact details are on the main WikiCup page.

Are younger Wikipedians allowed to take part in the WikiCup?
Yes! Anyone with a Wikipedia account, as long as they aren't blocked or banned, is allowed to take part. To take part in the WikiCup, you need to sign up to the competition. You can normally sign up for the WikiCup in the run up to the new year, and before the end of January.

Guidance for younger participants
Editing Wikipedia and taking part in the WikiCup can be a lot of fun. You can find some general advice on editing here. There's a lot of good advice there. Take a look, and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the judges. Here are four important rules:


 * Some things are more important than Wikipedia. It's more important to do your schoolwork, spend time with friends and family and get enough sleep, healthy food and exercise. These things need to come before Wikipedia, even if it means you're not going to win the WikiCup.
 * Editing Wikipedia should be fun. If something is stopping you from enjoying editing Wikipedia, talk to another editor (perhaps one of the WikiCup judges), or to your parents. If editing Wikipedia is making you unhappy, you should stop.
 * Never give out private information. Don't tell anyone your real name, the street you live on, the school you go to. Lots of people read Wikipedia, and this may include people who you don't want to know things about you.
 * Respect other editors. Don't forget that everyone on Wikipedia is a real person! If you are nice to them, hopefully they will be nice to you.

Being on the Internet can be dangerous!
Like anything else you do on the Internet, taking part in the WikiCup and editing Wikipedia can be dangerous. Always be safe. Never give out personal information about yourself. If someone is asking for personal information, don't tell them. If someone is upsetting you (for example, saying hurtful things, asking you personal questions or sending you pictures you don't want to see) stop communicating with that person immediately, and tell one of the WikiCup judges or a responsible adult (like a parent or a teacher) and show them this page.

Advice for parents
There is a general page advising parents about Wikipedia which can be found here- Advice for parents. Like most of Wikipedia, the WikiCup is run by volunteers. The Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, is aware of the WikiCup, but does not endorse it in any official capacity. While the WikiCup welcomes younger editors, volunteer time is limited, and none of the judges are childcare professionals; we are all here, first and foremost, to build an encyclopedia. If mature young people want to join us in that, they are more than welcome.

If you have any questions or concerns about the WikiCup, please do not hesitate to contact one of the judges on their user talk page or by email. We are all experienced and trusted members of the Wikipedia community.