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Financial Aid Applications Due January 1!

While PyCon has some of the more affordable ticket prices around, at rates that haven't changed in a million years, a lot of other expenses go into conferences. For a lot of our attendees, travel and hotel costs add up. For that reason, we offer financial aid! When we include all types of attendees - tutorial, conference, and expo - there were 2660 people registered for something at PyCon 2014. Around 715 of them registered at the hobbyist rate and 185 at student rate, together comprising a third of our delegation as people paying their own way. Even some at our corporate rate end up footing the bill beyond their entry ticket. While some of them may be local, a significant majority of our attendees have to travel and stay in a hotel. When you look at where everyone's coming from, 10% of our attendees are from one of 50 countries outside of the US and Canada. Last year, 14 people came from literally the other side of the world: Australia. That's not a cheap flight. If

Looking for volunteers @ the PyCon 2015 Education Summit

The Third Annual  Python Education Summit , held during  PyCon  on Thursday  April 9th 2015 , is coming together. We are gathering some excellent talk ideas (click here to see some of the proposed talks). Thanks to those who have summited talks so far. As with any event, the Education Summit can't be pulled off alone, so we are asking for volunteers. Some of the roles that you can help with include: Keynote Speaker Team : help us identify and invite Keynote speakers(s) Call for Proposal Manager : help us support the call for proposal process (answer questions, process submissions, etc) Emcee : help emcee for our second track in the afternoon Publicity Rep(s) : support us in advertising via the twitters/facebooks/etc Ushers/go-fers : help ensure that the actual event runs smoothly If you would like to help,  please contact  Chalmer Lowe  or  Jessica Nickel .  NOTE : Even if your schedule doesn't allow you to support through volunteering, please feel free to sign u

PyCon 2015 Tutorial Schedule Announced

Tutorials Schedule After a busy few months of competitive reviews, the tutorials team within our program committee has completed their process and have come up with an awesome schedule… ta da!  https://us.pycon.org/2015/schedule/tutorials/ Led by Stuart Williams and Ruben Orduz, a fantastic team came together to shape this schedule, including Carol Willing, Ian Cordasco, Harry Percival, Allen Downey, Richard Jones, and Kenneth Love. Thanks to everyone for their efforts, both in reviewing and in submitting! Register for Tutorials On April 8 & 9, the two days preceding the conference talk dates, attendees have an opportunity to attend up to four different tutorials. Each day offers both a morning and afternoon session, each providing three hours of learning split by a snack break, with lunch in between the sessions. Our instructors come from a variety of backgrounds, including full time educators or trainers, authors, domain experts, and in a lot of cases, they've cre

PyCon 2015 Education Summit - Call for Proposals

A guest post by  Chalmer Lowe . PyCon 2015 Education Summit The  Python Education Summit , held during  PyCon  on Thursday  April 9th 2015 , is gathering of teachers and educators focused on bringing coding literacy, through Python, to as broad a group of audiences as possible.  We invite educators from all venues to consider joining the discussion, share insights, learn new techniques and tools and generally share their passion for education. We are looking for educators from many venues: authors; schools, colleges, universities; community-based workshops; online programs; and government. If you are interested in attending this summit, presenting or have questions, please contact  Chalmer Lowe  or  Jessica Nickel . Invitations are subject to availability. Education Summit - Call for Proposals Do you have a story to share on education and Python? We are actively looking for presenters for the Python Education Summit and have extended the submission deadline. If you are int

There are under 50 early bird tickets left!

We are now down to the final 50 discounted tickets, and we expect them to sell pretty quickly! If you buy now, you can save up to 25% on corporate tickets or 15% on individual tickets. Student tickets are $25 off if you buy early, coming in at just $100. After these 800 early bird tickets are sold we'll be onto the regular rates, and we're expecting our fourth consecutive sell out. Don't wait too long or you may miss out. See  https://us.pycon.org/2015/registration/ for all of our registration details and buy your tickets today! Our program committee is wrapping up the talk and tutorial selections, which we're hoping to have available soon, with the schedule to follow.

What's so special about the sprints?

Some people love the stuff that goes on before PyCon, and with good reason. The tutorials are probably the best tech training value around, the language summit and education summit (my baby!) are amazing chances to connect with the movers and shakers, and the young coder sessions are exploding with energy and learning. So if you find yourself showing up at PyCon earlier and earlier each year, who could blame you? But as cool as the pre-conference stuff is, we all know the main conference is even better. So many quality talks that everyone wants to be in at least two places at once the entire time, the keynotes, the lightning talks, the expo hall, the posters, not to mention the open spaces, hallway track, parties, dinners, and lunches. It just goes on and on. So it's no wonder that by the time Sunday afternoon rolls around everyone is a bit overloaded. People start filtering out, to catch planes, drive home, etc., and by Sunday evening things are definitely much sparser, and on M

Posters due November 1, Early Bird tickets 50% sold

We're coming up on the end of our call for poster proposals! After the sugar rush of Halloween on October 31 (you all eat the candy right away, right?), poster proposals are due as long as it's November 1 somewhere in the world. Since their start in Atlanta, the poster session has grown to be a key part of the conference, and we look forward to another successful run in 2015. If you ask me, the poster session is one of the best parts of PyCon. I presented a poster on two PSF initiatives (sprints and outreach) back in 2012 and had a great time sharing those committees, talking with people about what they were doing, how they could get involved, and a lot more. It was a great medium to make that presentation because it took attendees from being passive participants to active in the direction of what we talked about every few minutes. For more information on the poster session, see our Call for Proposals ! Registration Early bird ticket sales are just over 50% sold out! If

Update on talks & tutorials, program committee, and registration!

Last week we wrapped up another great call for talks and tutorials , leading to a ton of excellent proposals for our Program Committee to work through in order to shape the PyCon 2015 schedule. I can already tell that it's going to be a great one; another one of those years where we could make several full conference schedules out of this body of proposals. Tutorials Tutorials saw a 40% increase in proposals, up to 99 submissions. This is the biggest jump I've seen, as tutorial proposal numbers have been relatively steady over the years, with small rises or falls here or there. This shouldn't come as a surprise given the growth of Python's use in education, both institutionally and otherwise. We've always gotten a bunch of full-time educators interested in sharing their knowledge with the Python community, and we're getting more. The majority of instructors, however, come from outside of academia, with everything from book authors to project creators being

Last day to submit talks and tutorials!

Today is the day! As long as a clock tells you it's Monday September 15 somewhere on earth, submissions for PyCon 2015 talks and tutorials will be accepted. If you're submitting a poster, that deadline is November 1. CFP details:  https://us.pycon.org/2015/speaking/cfp/ Dashboard (where you submit):  https://us.pycon.org/2015/dashboard/ CFP announcement post:  http://pycon.blogspot.com/2014/08/pycon-2015-call-for-proposals-is-open.html Go for it!

Last Chance to Submit a Talk or Tutorial!

Last chance! This weekend is your last chance to submit a  talk  or  tutorial  proposal for  PyCon 2015 ! The deadline is end of day  September 15, 2014 . To submit a proposal,  create an account , head to your  PyCon dashboard , fill out a  speaker bio , and then  submit your proposal . We've put together  proposal resources ,  advice , and a  sample proposal  to help answer some common topics surrounding our  call for proposals . Submit a Proposal  Financial Aid PyCon gives out over $100,000 in  financial aid  each year, with preference given to those speaking at PyCon, so please don't let money stop you from submitting a proposal! Apply for Financial Aid  Childcare PyCon is also proud to be offering subsidized  childcare  for the second year in the row! High staff ratios have been arranged so that all children will get exceptional personalized care. Register for Childcare  Registration Registration  for PyCon opened just a few weeks ago

PyCon 2015 Registration is Open!

It's that time again: registration for PyCon is now open! Here are some quick details: The last three PyCons have sold out. We expect the same for 2015.  The same low rates we've had for years are in effect, including the 50% discounted student tickets. Early bird rates are in effect for the first 800 tickets sold. Financial Aid is available! We accept applications through January 1, 2015. While the event takes place in Canada, ticket prices are in USD. Click here to register! PyCon is simply a tremendous value. The conference takes place over three days and includes a total of 95 talks, a set of great keynotes, and includes breakfast and lunch. Add in all of the Open Spaces and Birds of a Feather sessions and the fact that over 2,000 Python users are in the same place and the deal gets even sweeter. If you buy your tickets early, you can save 15-25%! On top of that, it's led by two days offering 32 tutorials at a cost of $150 each, with morning and after

Welcoming a new co-chair and the next PyCon host city!

As PyCon 2015 gets underway with a fresh new website and a recently opened Call for Proposals , the conference organizers, led by chair Diana Clarke and co-chair Mathieu Leduc-Hamel, would like to welcome Brandon Rhodes  to the team as co-chair . Brandon has been a prolific speaker in the Python community, covering a wide array of topics in the talks he's given at PyCon US since 2008, each PyOhio since 2011, PyCon Poland, Code Mash, DjangoCon Europe, and both PyCon Canadas, as well as the presentations he's given to user groups. Along with speaking, he's volunteered in several capacities, including assisting with the A/V crew. He's also authored the second edition of Foundations of Python Network Programming, and has written a host of helpful blog posts and some quite complete Stack Overflow answers. Overall, he's a very active and helpful member of the Python community. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Brandon at the PyCon 2011 sprints in Atlanta to wa

PyCon 2015 Call for Proposals is open!

The PyCon organizers are thrilled to announce the opening of PyCon 2015's Call for Proposals for talks, tutorials, and posters! We've seen a lot of growth in response to our CFP over the years, and our program committee is expecting a ton of proposals this time around. In 2012, you put us to work with 374 talk proposals and followed up the next year with 458. For 2014, 107 more talk submissions came in, for a jump to 565. We'll be accepting proposals through September 15 for talks and tutorials, and posters are accepted through November 1 . We want everyone to be a part of making PyCon what it is, which is why we invite everyone to submit proposals, and we invite everyone to be a part of the program committee. It's your PyCon, not mine. Whether you started with Python yesterday or you've been writing it since the 90s, everyone has different experiences, different knowledge, and a different story to tell. This is why we aim to strike a balance between beginner,

PyCon 2015 has launched!

The PyCon organizers are thrilled to announce the launch of PyCon 2015 ! Following up a wildly successful 2014 event - the first major PyCon held outside of the US - Montréal again plays host to the Python community's annual gathering April 8-16. As with the previous three years, 2015 is sure to be a sell out show, with this fall's ticket sales expected to move quickly. A new year brings a new website, with Caktus Group creating yet another beautiful site for the Python Software Foundation. This year's site takes some visual cues from the conference venue, the Palais de Congrès de Montréal , featuring a colorful glass exterior reflected in the strands and highlights found around the site. PyCon simply would not be possible without the generosity of its sponsors , especially those signed on early for today's launch. Sponsorship allows PyCon to do the types of things it does with financial aid and children's programs, and allows for affordable conference rate

PyConZA 2014 Registration Open

PyConZA is coming to Johannesburg. After two successful conferences in Cape Town, it’s time for PyConZA to spread its wings and head north for this year’s national gathering of Python software developers, which is taking place at The Forum in Bryanston on the 2 & 3 October. Ticket sales are open! Early bird tickets available while stocks last! Talk submissions are already flowing in for this year’s PyConZA -- so if you’d like to speak, please submit a talk now! Topics submitted include: the IPython Notebook, using Python in Blender, repurposing old telescopes with new Python software, a Pygame tutorial, rethinking building Python web applications, a practical introduction to advanced testing strategies, building the internet of things using Raspberry Pis, and building Python communities in Africa. This year we also have a mentor program for new speakers. Come and join us! """Usage: %s %s attendee|speaker|sponsor""" import webbrowser

Introducing Poster Sessions to PyCon JP 2014

We are now two months away from PyCon JP 2014! Thank you to everyone who have responded to our Call for Proposals. Applications are now being reviewed by the organizing committee and the result will be sent out shortly. We thank you for your patience. We also have a news to share: This year we are introducing poster sessions, in addition to talk sessions. Applications are now open through our website. We strongly feel that communication between participants is the key for the success of Python community and that is why we decided to introduce poster sessions. Smaller audience leads to much deeper feedback and discussions. You may also want to show a hands-on demo rather than giving a presentation. If you've felt that giving a presentation is not the best way to convey your work then this may be the right thing for you. Some things to note before you apply: You can apply for poster sessions even if you have applied for talk sessions. Poster sessions will

PyCon JP 2014 Registration Open

We are pleased to announce availability of PyCon JP 2014 tickets. PyCon JP 2014 is the biggest Python event in Japan, consisting of keynotes, talks, dev sprints and tutorials (paid separately). As with every year, we expect the event to be very international. There will be sessions in both Japanese and English. You can purchase the ticket for the main conference (13-14th September) from the below website. PyCon JP 2014 Registration infromation Please note that the after party is included in the price, unlike previous years' PyCon APAC in Japan. You're all encouraged to connect and network with fellow pythonistas! Price for the ticket is 10,000 yen. If you purchase your ticket before 10th July you'll receive 25% early bird discount - that'll be 7,500 yen, including the after party. Don't miss it! We also have Patron Sponsor tickets (20,000yen). Proceedings from Patron tickets will be used to provide discounted student tickets. It is your chance to

PyCon JP 2014 Call for Proposals

The annual PyCon JP 2014 will be held at Plaza Heisei in Tokyo. The schedule is as below. Tutorial: 2014 September 12(Fri) Conference: 2014 September 13(Sat)-14(Sun) Development Sprints: 2014 September 15( Mon / Public Holiday in Japan) We are currently seeking proposals for talks for this event. Visit the PyCon JP 2014 Call for Proposals page for more information. Submission deadline is 20th June . As with every year, we are expecting many international participants to the event, so English talk proposals are absolutely essential. We plan to make at least one out of three talk tracks fully English. This is your chance to introduce the topic you love to Pythonistas in Japan! For more information visit our official website . Any questions and comments are welcome, email to us (2014 at pycon dot jp).

PyCon AU Early Bird Registration Open and Financial Aid Available

We are delighted to announce that online registration is now open for PyCon Australia 2014. The fifth PyCon Australia is being held in Brisbane, Queensland from August 1st – 5th at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and is expected to draw hundreds of Python developers, enthusiasts and students from Australasia and afar. Starting today, early bird offers are up for grabs. To take advantage of these discounted ticket rates, be among the first 100 to register. Early bird registration starts from $50 for full-time students, $180 for enthusiasts and $450 for professionals. Offers this good won’t last long, so head straight to 2014.pycon-au.org and register right away. PyCon Australia has endeavoured to keep tickets as affordable as possible. We are able to do so, thanks to our Sponsors and Contributors. We have also worked out favourable deals with accommodation providers for PyCon delegates. Find out more about the options at 2014.pycon-au.org/register/accommodati

Call for PyCon 2015 Launch Day Sponsors

Following an amazing PyCon 2014 , the first of two years in Montréal, we're well underway with the planning efforts for PyCon 2015. The website is being prepped and as we get that going, we also begin the search for sponsors. The 2014 launch day began with 17 sponsors, and quickly grew to 128. Are you or your organization interested in being a part of an even bigger launch for the best PyCon yet? Sponsorship is what allows PyCon to do what it does. It enables us to fund programs like Financial Aid and subsidized child care , bringing more people to PyCon who otherwise may not have made it. It also allows us to run events like the Young Coders tutorials, bringing Python to children. Sponsorship brings great benefits to its supporters. What better place to hire Python developers than at the largest collection of them around the world? Our expo hall and job fair are a great place to make connections with over 2,000 Python developers. For more thoughts on sponsorship benefit

One free booth, two free tickets, and a priceless community: An Edtech Startup's PyCon Postscript

We love success stories. In this post, Trinket co-founder Elliott Hauser shares his experience being part of the Startup Row at PyCon 2014 in Montréal. The email from Yannick started like this: "Elliott, Our judges have selected Trinket for final consideration to participate in Startup Row at PyCon 2014. Congratulations!" We'd won a free booth and two free tickets to the otherwise sold out PyCon 2014 in Montreal. Awesome! We launched our newly designed teaching platform at the conference, met some amazing Python educators at the Education Summit, and got the Trinket name out to the best coding education community around . PyCon and the community that suffuses and animates it were the perfect launchpad for our new platform. Community Python's educational community is incredibly strong. A selection of the people we met at the event should demonstrate how rich the community is. Naomi Ceder (who organized the summit along with Jessica Nickel + Chalmer