The best images to have appeared on Wikipedia and been awarded the “featured picture” status. There are some incredible photos in this collection.
Featured pictures are photos that have been chosen as some of the best quality on Wikipedia. This list includes over 12,000 photos out of a total of well over 54 million used on the site.
We’ve collected some of the best from the last few years for you to enjoy.
A selfie at 70,000 feet
One featured picture shows pilot Christopher Michel taking a selfie while in Lockheed U-2 at 70,000 feet.
The impressive thing about this height is the pilot is high enough to see the curvature of the Earth. It’s also twice the flight ceiling of commercial airliners.
Atlantis Liftoff
This photo was chosen as picture of the day on Wikimedia Commons in 2009. And shows the awesome view of the Space Shuttle Atlantis as it lifts off.
“Sandwiched by billowing clouds above and smoke and steam clouds below, space shuttle Atlantis hurtles past the lightning mast on top of the fixed service structure on Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis will rendezvous with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope on the STS-125 service mission. Liftoff was on-time at 2:01 p.m. EDT. Atlantis' 11-day flight will include five spacewalks to refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments that will expand Hubble’s capabilities and extend its operational lifespan through at least 2014. The payload includes a Wide Field Camera 3, Fine Guidance Sensor and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph.”
The Roztochia Biosphere Reserve
This is a photo of a natural heritage site in Ukraine and one that was selected as a special award winner for best aerial photography on Wikipedia.
It shows the Roztochia Biosphere Reserve, a site that’s 74,800 hectares (289 sq mi) in size and handles everything from agriculture to stock-breeding and fish farming.
During a spacewalk, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi is seen waving at the camera with a brilliant backdrop of Earth below.
This awesome photo also told the story of happenings at the station too as Noguchi and Discovery crewmate Steve Robinson we busy replacing an essential gyroscope when the photo was taken.
An empty bucket train
The second-place winner from 2018’s competition came from Bolivia and shows an empty “bucket train” on the tracks between San Pedro and Ascotan, Chile. An incredible backdrop includes the San Pedro volcano dwarfing the long line of train carriages.
Frosted bubble
A classically beautiful frozen bubble caught in the middle of freezing over. This image won third place in 2018 and it’s easy to see why.
Two male Phyllomedusa rohdei frogs
Some of the best photos are those close-up images of nature, our world and the creatures in it. This image from Brazil shows one frog casually leaping over one of his buddies - how doesn’t seem best pleased about it. The image won the Picture of the Year award in 2017 and came with this caption:
“Phyllomedusa rohdei is a species of frog in the family Hylidae with a purple and orange colouration in the inguinal region. In the picture, two males vie for a branch, one passing over the other. Photographed in the Atlantic Forest, Michelin Reserve, Igrapiúna, Bahia, Brazil.”
Royal Pavilion in Phraya Nakhon Cave
A breathtaking view of the Royal Pavilion in Phraya Nakhon Cave in Thailand. It was originally snapped in 2015, but went on to be used in multiple places on Wikipedia in the time that followed before snatching second place in the 2017 competition.
Two Tower of London ravens
These might look like two normal ravens, but they’re actually special:
“Jubilee and Munin, Ravens of the Tower of London. Jubilee was hatched in Somerset in 2012 and wears a gold band. He was given to the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee. Munin was hatched in North Uist in 1995 and wears a light green band. She is the oldest raven at the tower. Identification confirmed with Chris Skaife, Ravenmaster at the Tower. "
Another brilliant image of nature at its finest and another award-winning photo - this time the first place winner from the 2016 competition.
Wild elephants in the road
This award-winning photo comes from Khao Yai National Park in Thailand and shows some magnificent wild elephants casually wandering down a long manmade road.
