Outreach programs/Application template

This is the template for candidates who want to apply to mentorship programs such as Google Summer of Code or Outreachy.

The sooner we know about your project proposal the better. We can save you a lot of time by bringing more eyes to your draft and pointing you to the right direction. We encourage you to start drafting your application as soon as possible by submitting a proposal task in Phabricator, that you associate with the project tag of the program you are applying to (via "Add Action... > Change Project Tags").

Please take a look at real examples of good past GSoC/Outreachy project proposals which got accepted.

If you have questions, see Outreach programs/Life of a successful project.

See also:
 * selection process
 * lessons learned

Take this as a guideline. You can respond literally to the questions or find other ways to provide equivalent information.

Note: Outreachy has released their own application format with specific questions related to academic commitments and eligibility. Please include answers to these questions as well, in case you are applying for an Outreachy internship.

Information about you

 * Name:
 * Email:
 * IRC or IM networks/handle(s):
 * Web Page / Blog / Microblog / Portfolio:
 * Resume (optional):
 * Location:
 * Typical working hours:

Synopsis
Short summary describing your project: what it means to accomplish, and how it will benefit MediaWiki or Wikimedia projects such as Wikipedia.


 * Possible mentors:

Deliverables
Please describe the details and the timeline of the work you plan to accomplish on the project you are most interested in (discuss these first with the mentor of the project).

Include a brief, clear work breakdown structure with milestones and deadlines. Make sure to label deliverables as optional or required. It’s OK to include thinking time (“investigation”) in your work schedule. Deliverables should include investigation, coding, deploying, testing and documentation.

Participation
We don't just want to know what you plan to accomplish; we want to know how. Briefly describe your work style: how you plan to communicate progress, where you plan to publish your source code while you're working, how and where you plan to ask for help. (We will tend to favor applicants that demonstrate a clear vision for what it means to be an active participant in our development community.)

About you
Education completed or in progress:

How did you hear about this program?

Will you have any other time commitments, such as school work, another job, planned vacation, etc., during the duration of the program?

We advise all candidates eligible to Google Summer of Code and Outreachy (previously known as FOSS Outreach Program for Women) to apply for both programs. Are you planning to apply to both programs and, if so, with what organization(s)?

We don't just care about your project -- you are a person, and that matters to us! What drives you? What makes you want to make this the most awesomest wiki enhancement ever?

You don't need to write out your life story (we can read your blog if we want that), but we want to know a little about what makes you tick. Are you a Wikipedia addict wanting to make your own experience better? Did a wiki with usability problems run over your dog, and you're seeking revenge? :-) What does making this project happen mean to you?

Past experience
Please describe your experience with any other FOSS projects as a user and as a contributor:

Please describe any relevant projects that you have worked on previously and what knowledge you gained from working on them (include links):

What project(s) are you interested in (these can be in the same or different organizations)?

Do you have any past experience working in open source projects (MediaWiki or otherwise)? If so, tell us about it! If you have already written a feature or bugfix in a Wikimedia technology such as MediaWiki, link to it here; we will give strong preference to candidates who have done so.

Any other info
Please add any other relevant information -- UI mockups, references to related projects, a link to your proof of concept code, whatever. There are no specific requirements, but we love to see people who love what they're doing. Show us you're excited about this project and have an interest in the background and are considering how best to make your idea work.