Gov/en/Portal:R&D/Open-Calls:Successful-Appeals

💡 In simple words: Sometimes people receive a fine or a bill that is not fair. Some people write a letter to say "this is not right", and they win. WikiDeal is collecting these winning letters, with all names removed, so that many more people can learn how to defend themselves politely and legally. The best letters can win a reward.

🎯 In 20 seconds (scientific summary): This early bird open call, part of the First Wave of WikiDeal Open Calls, collects anonymised model letters of appeals and oppositions that successfully overturned unfair constraints, together with proof of the successful outcome. The call starts in Switzerland, with the door open to France and possibly the United States at a later stage. Submitted models must be fully neutralised (no names, no dates, no places) yet accompanied by evidence that the appeal actually succeeded. A first tranche of CHF 1,000 in direct cash is proposed for Switzerland, within a global envelope envisaged up to CHF 100,000 for about 1,000 models as the call extends to other regions. The resulting model library is reserved to WikiDeal subscribers, including AI-assisted search over the collection. Proposals are posted on the discussion page of this call, with a mandatory AI transparency disclosure.

Open Call Status
Wave	First Wave (Early Bird)
Status	Launched
Members / Commission	Undetermined (Under construction)
Chairperson	TBD
Facilitator	TBD

💬 Submit a proposal: open to all. No email needed: just log in, then post your ideas and links in the Discussion tab of this page. You can then raise a Request for Comments (RFC) to draw attention to your proposal and get community comments.

Open call: successful appeals and oppositions against unfair constraints

Item	Detail
Status	Launched
Informal launch	21 July 2026, opening day of Wikimania 2026 in Paris
Deadline	None (open, rolling call)
Reward	First tranche of CHF 1,000 in direct cash (Switzerland); global envelope envisaged up to CHF 100,000 for about 1,000 models (no guarantee*)
Access	The resulting model library is reserved to WikiDeal subscribers
How to propose	Post your proposal on the discussion page of this call
Disclosure	AI transparency disclosure is mandatory

What this call is about

This open call invites contributors to share model letters of appeals and oppositions that have actually succeeded in obtaining relief from unfair constraints. The goal is to build, step by step, a list of the conditions under which contestable decisions can be revised, illustrated by concrete, proven cases.

What is collected here is proposed as a base of discussion: creative but legally valid letters, based on sound legal interpretations and valid grounds, that can be reused as templates in a relatively wide range of similar situations. The final objective goes in the direction of producing hundreds of models that use concrete cases to justify the revision of contestable decisions.

Scope and countries

All domains are welcome in principle, but the call deliberately starts with simple domains and with a limited set of countries:

• Switzerland first: the initial tranche of rewards is dedicated to Swiss cases.
• France: the door is open, and French cases are welcome as the call extends.
• United States: possibly at a later stage.

This progressive opening is proposed so that quality, verification and partnerships can be built solidly before the call scales to other regions.

Concrete use cases

Examples of the kinds of successful appeals and oppositions this call is looking for include:

• Cancellation of car and parking fines
• Cancellation or reduction of municipal fines
• Cancellation or reduction of cantonal fines
• Public transport fines successfully contested
• Postponement of invoice due dates successfully obtained
• Tenancy law: successful oppositions in landlord and tenant matters
• Family law: successful appeals in family-related administrative or judicial decisions

These are use cases based on mechanisms that can apply elsewhere: legal interpretations, valid grounds and procedural rights that a wide public can learn from.

Anonymisation and proof

Two conditions apply to every submitted model, and both are equally important:

1. Full neutralisation: the letter must be anonymised, with no names, no dates and no places. The model must be reusable as a template, free of any personal or identifying information.
2. Proof of the successful outcome: each model must be accompanied by evidence that the appeal or opposition actually succeeded, for example a neutralised copy of the positive decision or confirmation received in response.

A letter without proof of success, or a letter that is not properly neutralised, does not meet the conditions of this call.

Ranking criteria

Submitted models are ranked by usefulness and by exception, following two criteria:

• Usefulness for a wide public: how many people, in how many situations, could realistically reuse this model?
• Added value and angle: what does this model bring that is exceptional, an original argument, a creative legal interpretation, something more?

The spirit of this call can be summarised as "imagination in power": creative, valid models, applicable to a relatively wide use case, are what this collection is looking for.

Subscriber access

Submitting a proposal is open to everyone. However, the resulting library of models, documents and cases will be accessible for WikiDeal subscribers only, as a specific access right.

This subscriber access also covers AI-assisted use: it is envisaged that an AI can search and explore these models, but only within WikiDeal subscriber access.

Partnerships

This call is designed to be run in a context of needs analysis together with:

• Consumer support and consumer protection organisations
• Organisations providing free or very low-cost legal advice

Partnerships with these groups are envisaged in order to identify contributors whose model opposition letters, with proof of the result but fully neutralised, can enrich the collection. These partners are also well placed to help verify quality and relevance.

Reward

The reward structure is proposed as follows:

• A first tranche of CHF 1,000 in direct cash, dedicated to Switzerland only.
• A global envelope envisaged up to CHF 100,000 in rewards for about 1,000 model letters, as the call progressively opens to other regions.

This call is intended to be very participative: everyone can propose their letter, earn some money, and collect meaningful cash Rewards (no guarantee*). The general rules of the game of the Open Calls apply, including the maturity criterion for reward distribution.

Status and timeline

This is an early bird call, for pioneers. Its informal launch is planned for 21 July 2026, the opening day of Wikimania 2026 in Paris. There is no deadline: the call is open and rolling, and submissions are reviewed as they arrive.

How to propose

• Post your proposal on the discussion page of this call.
• Alternatively, or in addition, you can write to info@wikideal.net.
• An AI transparency disclosure is mandatory: state clearly whether and how AI tools were used in preparing your submission.

This call follows the micro-call spirit of the First Wave: many contributors, several winners, and a collection that grows over time.

Closing condition

Unlike a call with a single selection round, this call remains open and rolling. Models are accepted, reviewed and ranked continuously, and reward tranches are released progressively as the collection and its funding grow.

State of the art

Helping people contest fines, invoices and administrative decisions is not a new field. A rich ecosystem of consumer organizations, public agencies and legal-tech services already provides template letters and guidance, and they do valuable work. What is proposed here goes in the same direction as this existing movement: WikiDeal would reinforce and complement these resources, not compete with them (see also the partnerships section).

Across jurisdictions, the underlying principles of consumer protection appeals are similar: provide evidence, and respect the deadlines. In Switzerland, an opposition ("Einsprache") is in principle filed within 30 days. In France, the contestation of a fixed fine is governed by articles 529-2 and 530 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Switzerland

• FRC, Fédération romande des consommateurs: model letters reserved for members, covering insurance, air transport, debt collection and enforcement proceedings, tenancy, and more.
• Recent AI-assisted tools for contesting fines (parking, SBB/CFF, traffic): NoFineAI and NextLetter.

France

• ANTAI, the official national agency for automated offence processing, with its portal for designation and contestation of fines.
• Motorist associations such as 40 Millions d'automobilistes, and many free template sites covering taxes, social benefits (CAF), fines, tenancy and insurance disputes.
• Legal letter generators such as Wonder.legal and GenieAI.

United States

• A well-established "fight your ticket" movement, with state-by-state templates (GenieAI, for instance, covers all 50 states).
• Numerous legal aid organizations and university law clinics that assist people with appeals and administrative disputes.

What WikiDeal adds

Most existing resources offer generic templates, without documented proof that a given letter actually succeeded, and without any ranking by usefulness or success rate. What is envisaged with this open call is a reinforcement of the existing landscape: a shared library of appeal letters that are proven (each accompanied by evidence of the favourable outcome), anonymized, and classified by usefulness and by exception, made available to subscribers together with AI-assisted search. Partnerships with the organizations mentioned above are proposed as a natural basis for this effort, so that their long-standing expertise and WikiDeal's evidence-based, mutualized approach can strengthen each other.

See also

• Open Call: main page
• Open Call: tutorial videos on small loans
• Open Call: URL structure