Wikipedia wins prestigious Spanish prize

Wikipedia, the free, collaborative encyclopaedia has been awarded Spain’s Princess of the Asturias Prize for international co-operation. The award was presented by the Spanish king and queen, the Tribune de Genève reported earlier this week.

As a whole, Wikipedia comprises 37 million articles in 288 languages.

“We are rewarding a brilliant and generous idea, a way of working that’s a universal symbol for team working and more than a mere collection of data”, King Felipe VI stated in the presence of Jimmy Wales, who founded Wikipedia in 2001.

Wikipedia is the world’s sixth-largest website in terms of visitors. It is managed by the charitable Wikimedia Foundation, employs some 200 persons and is supported wholly by donations.

The prestigious Princess of the Asturias awards have been bestowed each year since 1981 by a foundation of the same name, recognising people or institutions for their work on an international scale in various categories such as the arts, sciences and sport.