Google Code-in is Coming, Focused on Open Source

We're almost done with 2016, and this time of year is when Google announces its annual Code-in contest, which it has just done. Code-in is an an online contest hosted by Google for pre-university students aged 13 to 17. The contest encourages open source and exposes young people to open source.

Here are some of the details on the latest contest.

Google, of course, is no stranger to open source. The company recently open sourced its Show and Tell AI system which can write captions for an image and an open source font called Noto, supporting 800+ languages.

Pre-university students ages 13 to 17 are invited to take part in Google Code-in, the company's global, online contest introducing teenagers to the world of open source. "With a wide variety of bite-sized tasks, it’s easy for beginners to jump in and get started no matter what skills they have," the announcement notes. "Mentors from our participating organizations lend a helping hand as participants learn what it’s like to work on an open source project."

The announcement post adds:

"Mentor organizations are currently creating thousands of tasks for students covering code, documentation, user interface, quality assurance, outreach, research and training. The contest officially starts for students on Monday, November 28th at 9:00am PST.

"You can learn more about Google Code-in on the contest site where you’ll find Contest Rules, Frequently Asked Questions and Important Dates. There you’ll also find flyers and other helpful information including the Getting Started Guide. Our discussion mailing list is a great way to talk with other students, mentors and organization administrators about the contest. For questions about eligibility or other general questions, you can contact us at gci-support@google.com."