This year we accepted 58 new ambassadors and said goodbye to 48. All ambassadors have given their spare time to the ecosystem in one way or another, whether they are contributing to a CNCF project, preparing a Kubernetes Community Day (KCD), or providing translations for the Cloud Native Glossary. There are many ways to contribute to the ecosystem, and these folks were accepted because they have been doing it for over two years, and offer diverse insight into the ecosystem.

This year we had over 600 submissions, and took one month to review. From current ambassador recommendations, to CNCF insights, to using data analysis tools to dig deep into insights. This process is competitive, and we appreciated having the happy problem of having to turn some good folks away.

On the other hand, we also appreciate a cohort that has been contributing as an ambassador for over 4 years, and is willing to pass the torch, so to speak. Some ambassadors have made it to the Technical Oversight Committee (TOC), and others are doing great in their careers and no longer need the uplift. Whatever the reasoning, thank you to those ambassadors not continuing on this year, for the selfless act of stepping back so others can rise.

Geographic insights

Check out the geographic insights into the new ambassadors, and the cohort as a whole!

New Ambassadors – where are they coming from?

How do these geolocations contribute to the total cohort of 311 ambassadors?

Figure 2: Ambassador regional distribution

Europe still leads the pack with ambassadors, which is on par with CNCF Project contributions with North America coming in second. And while we are still trying to grow in Africa and Latin America, we understand that general open source awareness needs to become more prevalent in those regions alongside cloud native adoption.

What if your application didn’t make it?

Each term is two years, so ambassadors have the chance for reapplication. This year, we had 126 ambassadors reapply, and 123 were accepted back into the program, and 93 are continuing their two-year term (did not need to reapply). There were however, 48 ambassadors that did not reapply, whether they intended to step down, or simply missed applications being open for three months. In the latter case, those folks are either not coming to monthly syncs, or paying attention to the communications we send them (monthly syncs, Slack messages, and emails).

We understand how frustrating it might be if you have applied more than once and have yet to get accepted. What we can say is, don’t give up! We have a new cohort each year, and while it’s not big, there are constantly folks phasing out and phasing in. Keep engaging, sharing your passion, and building up your local communities. Cloud native thrives because of dedicated contributors like you, and we can’t wait to see your continued impact!

Connect with an ambassador near you.