Google Code-in is our global online contest that invites pre-university students ages 13-17 to learn by contributing to open source software. The contest begins its 7th year on November 28th, 2016. With the start date of the contest rapidly approaching, we are now accepting applications for open source projects interested in being a part of Google Code-in.
Working with young students is a special responsibility and each year we hear inspiring stories from mentors who participate. To ensure these new, young contributors have a great support system, we select organizations that have gained experience in mentoring students by previously taking part in Google Summer of Code.
There were 14 organizations in 2015 that collectively created thousands of bite-sized tasks for students to choose from. Tasks are created in 5 categories:
- Code: writing or refactoring
- Documentation/Training: creating/editing documents and helping others learn more
- Outreach/Research: community management, outreach/marketing, or studying problems and recommending solutions
- Quality Assurance: testing and ensuring code is of high quality
- User Interface: user experience research or user interface design and interaction
Once an organization is selected for Google Code-in 2016 they will define these tasks and recruit mentors who are interested in providing online support for students.
You can find a timeline, FAQ and other information about Google Code-in on our website. If you’re an educator interested in sharing Google Code-in with your students, you can find resources here.
By Josh Simmons, Open Source Programs Office
