# Welcome to the Student Guide

A comprehensive guide to increase your chances of being accepted into and succeed during Summer of Bitcoin.

## Boost your selection odds by studying each of the resources below:

* [x] [getting started with Bitcoin](/the-proposal-round/getting-started-with-bitcoin)
* [x] [finding an organization or open-source project to work with](/the-proposal-round/finding-the-right-organization-and-project)
* [x] [getting started with the organization and project](/the-proposal-round/getting-started-with-an-organization-and-project)
* [x] [writing a winning project proposal](/the-proposal-round/writing-a-winning-project-proposal)

{% hint style="info" %}
This guide is a remixed and transformed version of The Google Summer of Code Guides Authors, licensed under the [CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en) license. 
{% endhint %}


# What is Summer of Bitcoin?

Summer of Bitcoin is a global, online summer internship program focused on introducing university students to bitcoin open-source development and design. Students spend 12 weeks during the summer contributing to an open-source project, earn bitcoin as stipend and put their summer break to good use.

{% embed url="<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oXS-b_Os7g>" %}
Lookback at Summer of Bitcoin 2021
{% endembed %}


# Why should you apply?

* To learn about bitcoin&#x20;
* For the love of code and design&#x20;
* An absolutely amazing learning experience&#x20;
* Hone your developer or design skills&#x20;
* Be mentored by highly experienced bitcoin developers & designers&#x20;
* Get involved and build your network with bitcoiners&#x20;
* Your spring-board to the bitcoin industry&#x20;
* Earn bitcoin, the best money we’ve ever had&#x20;
* Contribute to the monetary revolution


# Am I eligible?

* You’re a student enrolled in a university or high school program
* You can communicate effectively and clearly in English, with respect and courtesy
* You have a strong programming or design skill and experience with open-source development
* You have experience with Git or can learn it fast (applicable for developer track)
  * [An Intro to Git and GitHub for Beginners](https://product.hubspot.com/blog/git-and-github-tutorial-for-beginners) &#x20;
  * [How to Write a Git Commit Message ](https://cbea.ms/git-commit/)
  * [How to Fork and Pull-Request on GitHub ](https://jarv.is/notes/how-to-pull-request-fork-github/)
  * [How to write the perfect pull request ](https://github.blog/2015-01-21-how-to-write-the-perfect-pull-request/)
* You are available to work during the summer full-time\
  During the 12 weeks of summer internship, nothing should take precedence over your project, and you should have no major distractions. If you have another job, decide whether you prefer it or Summer of Bitcoin and pick one. If you have more than a few hours a week of extra commitments, you probably should skip participating in the program; it is unlikely that you will be successful.&#x20;
* You have good Internet connectivity continuously over the summer
* You are able to stay in regular close contact with mentors \
  This could be via the usual open-source means (email, chat, Jitsi etc) for the duration of the summer. It is not necessary that you be geographically near your mentor.


# How it works?

* If you’re eligible for the program, the first thing to do is to [apply](https://www.summerofbitcoin.org/apply)!&#x20;
  * [Apply to developer track](https://www.summerofbitcoin.org/apply-dev) if you are a developer&#x20;
  * [Apply to designer track](https://www.summerofbitcoin.org/apply-design) if you are a UX designer&#x20;
* Last date to apply is **February 15, 2026**.
* After you have submitted the application form, you will receive an email acknowledging the receipt of your application.
* Applicants will be screened as per the details provided in their application form, considering their coding or design portfolios and open-source contributions.
* If your application is found suitable, you will receive an email with next steps on February 16, 2026.&#x20;
* Qualified students will participate in the challenge round - an intensive, hands-on bootcamp from February 16, 2026, to March 20, 2026, designed to provide a deep understanding of Bitcoin.
* During the challenge round / bootcamp, students will have access to curated learning resources and be invited to an exclusive Discord server to ask questions and engage in discussions.
* Each week during the challenge round / bootcamp, students will receive a coding or design challenge (based on their chosen track) to test their knowledge of bitcoin and qualify for the next stage.
* Every year, Summer of Bitcoin partners with several open-source Bitcoin organizations. Each organization is represented by one or more mentors who provide a list of project ideas. As an applicant, you're expected to select a project idea based on your skill set and interests, use the project idea as a starting point to write detailed project proposals.&#x20;
* The list of participating organizations and their project ideas will be published on the website by March 31, 2026.
* Each qualifying candidate will receive a login credential to log into the Summer of Bitcoin portal. Project proposals are to be submitted on the portal by April 20, 2026. Learn more about past years' organizations [here](https://www.summerofbitcoin.org/past-programs).
* Candidates will be selected based on the quality of their project proposal, solutions to the bootcamp challenges and proactive contributions to the project they're applying to.

See[ https://www.summerofbitcoin.org/how-it-works ](https://www.summerofbitcoin.org/how-it-works)for a high-level overview and timeline of the program.


# Is it a paid internship?

Selected applicants are paid a stipend on successful completion of their project. The stipends are paid in bitcoin (BTC).

### When is the stipend paid?

Stipends are paid in two installments, one after each successful evaluation.&#x20;

The first evaluation will occur at the halfway point of your project period, from June 29, 2026 - July 3, 2026. The first installment of the stipend will consist of an amount of bitcoin that is equivalent to 40% of the total stipend amount, as determined by the price of bitcoin on the day of payment.&#x20;

The final evaluation will occur at the end of your project period, from Aug 16, 2026 - Aug 30, 2026. The final installment of the stipend will consist of an amount of bitcoin that is equivalent to 60% of the total stipend amount, as determined by the price of bitcoin on the day of payment.&#x20;

### What is the stipend amount?

The total stipend amount is calculated based on your location. Your location is determined by the location of the university you're attending and/or the country you're residing in during the project period.

We use a [Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchasing_power_parity)based calculation to determine the stipend.

For the exact amount of stipend of your location, please refer to the table below.

### Stipend amounts

All amounts are in USD. Stipend will be paid in an equivalent amount of bitcoin (BTC), as determined by the price of bitcoin on the day of payment.&#x20;

| Country                        | Stipend |
| ------------------------------ | ------- |
| Afghanistan                    | $3000   |
| Albania                        | $3000   |
| Algeria                        | $3000   |
| Andorra                        | $4200   |
| Angola                         | $3000   |
| Antigua and Barbuda            | $4800   |
| Argentina                      | $3000   |
| Armenia                        | $3000   |
| Australia                      | $6600   |
| Austria                        | $5400   |
| Azerbaijan                     | $3000   |
| Bahamas, The                   | $4800   |
| Bahrain                        | $3000   |
| Bangladesh                     | $3000   |
| Barbados                       | $6600   |
| Belarus                        | $3000   |
| Belgium                        | $5400   |
| Belize                         | $3600   |
| Benin                          | $3000   |
| Bermuda                        | $6600   |
| Bhutan                         | $3000   |
| Bolivia                        | $3000   |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina             | $3000   |
| Botswana                       | $3000   |
| Brazil                         | $3000   |
| Brunei Darussalam              | $3000   |
| Bulgaria                       | $3000   |
| Burkina Faso                   | $3000   |
| Burundi                        | $3000   |
| Cabo Verde                     | $3000   |
| Cambodia                       | $3000   |
| Cameroon                       | $3000   |
| Canada                         | $6000   |
| Central African Republic       | $3000   |
| Chad                           | $3000   |
| Chile                          | $3600   |
| China                          | $3600   |
| Colombia                       | $3000   |
| Comoros                        | $3000   |
| Congo, Dem. Rep.               | $3000   |
| Congo, Rep.                    | $3600   |
| Costa Rica                     | $3000   |
| Cote d'Ivoire                  | $3000   |
| Croatia                        | $3000   |
| Cyprus                         | $4200   |
| Czech Republic                 | $3600   |
| Denmark                        | $6000   |
| Djibouti                       | $3600   |
| Dominica                       | $3600   |
| Dominican Republic             | $3000   |
| Ecuador                        | $3000   |
| Egypt                          | $3000   |
| El Salvador                    | $3000   |
| Equatorial Guinea              | $3000   |
| Eritrea                        | $3000   |
| Estonia                        | $3600   |
| Eswatini                       | $3000   |
| Ethiopia                       | $3000   |
| Fiji                           | $3000   |
| Finland                        | $6000   |
| France                         | $5400   |
| Gabon                          | $3000   |
| Gambia, The                    | $3000   |
| Georgia                        | $3000   |
| Germany                        | $5400   |
| Ghana                          | $3000   |
| Greece                         | $3600   |
| Grenada                        | $3600   |
| Guatemala                      | $3000   |
| Guinea                         | $3000   |
| Guinea-Bissau                  | $3000   |
| Guyana                         | $3000   |
| Haiti                          | $3600   |
| Honduras                       | $3000   |
| Hong Kong                      | $4800   |
| Hungary                        | $3000   |
| Iceland                        | $6600   |
| India                          | $3000   |
| Indonesia                      | $3000   |
| Iraq                           | $3000   |
| Ireland                        | $5400   |
| Israel                         | $6600   |
| Italy                          | $4800   |
| Jamaica                        | $3000   |
| Japan                          | $5400   |
| Jordan                         | $3000   |
| Kazakhstan                     | $3000   |
| Kenya                          | $3000   |
| Kiribati                       | $4200   |
| Kosovo                         | $3000   |
| Kuwait                         | $3000   |
| Kyrgyz Republic                | $3000   |
| Lao PDR                        | $3000   |
| Latvia                         | $3600   |
| Lebanon                        | $3000   |
| Lesotho                        | $3000   |
| Liberia                        | $3000   |
| Libya                          | $3000   |
| Lithuania                      | $3000   |
| Luxembourg                     | $6000   |
| Macao SAR, China               | $3600   |
| Madagascar                     | $3000   |
| Malawi                         | $3000   |
| Malaysia                       | $3000   |
| Maldives                       | $3000   |
| Mali                           | $3000   |
| Malta                          | $4200   |
| Marshall Islands               | $6000   |
| Mauritania                     | $3000   |
| Mauritius                      | $3000   |
| Mexico                         | $3000   |
| Micronesia, Fed. Sts.          | $6000   |
| Moldova                        | $3000   |
| Mongolia                       | $3000   |
| Montenegro                     | $3000   |
| Morocco                        | $3000   |
| Mozambique                     | $3000   |
| Myanmar                        | $3000   |
| Namibia                        | $3000   |
| Nepal                          | $3000   |
| Netherlands                    | $5400   |
| New Zealand                    | $6600   |
| Nicaragua                      | $3000   |
| Niger                          | $3000   |
| Nigeria                        | $3000   |
| North Macedonia                | $3000   |
| Norway                         | $6600   |
| Oman                           | $3000   |
| Pakistan                       | $3000   |
| Palau                          | $5400   |
| Panama                         | $3000   |
| Papua New Guinea               | $4200   |
| Paraguay                       | $3000   |
| Peru                           | $3000   |
| Philippines                    | $3000   |
| Poland                         | $3000   |
| Portugal                       | $4200   |
| Puerto Rico                    | $5400   |
| Qatar                          | $4200   |
| Romania                        | $3000   |
| Russian Federation             | $3000   |
| Rwanda                         | $3000   |
| Samoa                          | $3600   |
| Sao Tome and Principe          | $3600   |
| Saudi Arabia                   | $3000   |
| Senegal                        | $3000   |
| Serbia                         | $3000   |
| Seychelles                     | $3000   |
| Sierra Leone                   | $3000   |
| Singapore                      | $3600   |
| Slovak Republic                | $3600   |
| Slovenia                       | $4200   |
| Solomon Islands                | $5400   |
| Somalia                        | $3000   |
| South Africa                   | $3000   |
| South Korea                    | $4200   |
| South Sudan                    | $5400   |
| Spain                          | $4200   |
| Sri Lanka                      | $3000   |
| St. Kitts and Nevis            | $4200   |
| St. Lucia                      | $4200   |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines | $3600   |
| Sudan                          | $3000   |
| Suriname                       | $3000   |
| Swaziland                      | $3000   |
| Sweden                         | $6000   |
| Switzerland                    | $6600   |
| Taiwan                         | $3000   |
| Tajikistan                     | $3000   |
| Tanzania                       | $3000   |
| Thailand                       | $3000   |
| Timor-Leste                    | $3000   |
| Togo                           | $3000   |
| Tonga                          | $4200   |
| Trinidad and Tobago            | $3600   |
| Tunisia                        | $3000   |
| Turkey                         | $3000   |
| Turkmenistan                   | $3000   |
| Turks and Caicos Islands       | $6000   |
| Tuvalu                         | $6000   |
| Uganda                         | $3000   |
| Ukraine                        | $3000   |
| United Arab Emirates           | $3000   |
| United Kingdom                 | $6000   |
| United States                  | $6000   |
| Uruguay                        | $4200   |
| Uzbekistan                     | $3000   |
| Vanuatu                        | $6000   |
| Venezuela                      | $3600   |
| Vietnam                        | $3000   |
| West Bank and Gaza             | $3600   |
| Yemen, Rep.                    | $3000   |
| Zambia                         | $3000   |
| Zimbabwe                       | $4200   |

By default, stipends are paid in Bitcoin (BTC) to support learning and adoption. If local regulations or restrictions make BTC payments impractical, you may request an exception for your stipend to be paid in your local currency instead.

Participants that work jointly on a single project will have their stipends split among each other as the program administration sees fit.


# About

Every year, Summer of Bitcoin partners with several open-source Bitcoin organizations.&#x20;

Each organization is represented by one or more mentors who provide a list of project ideas.&#x20;

The list of participating organizations and their project ideas will be published on the website by March 31, 2026. Learn more about past years' organizations [here](https://www.summerofbitcoin.org/past-programs).

As an applicant, you're expected to select a project idea based on your skill set and interests, use the project idea as a starting point to write detailed project proposals.&#x20;

Project proposals are to be submitted on the portal by April 20, 2026. Instructions on how to submit proposals are shared separately over email.

Candidates will be selected based on the quality of their project proposal, solutions to the bootcamp challenges and proactive contributions to the project they're applying to.

You are free to propose your own project idea too, as long as that project idea is from one of the participating organizations.


# Getting started with Bitcoin

There are three modules for learning the fundamentals of bitcoin. The first two modules cover the fundamentals of money and bitcoin. The final module allows you to dig deeper. Each module includes a set of resources. Studying them will help you understand Bitcoin in order to prepare better project proposals and be successful during your bitcoin internship.

{% hint style="info" %}
The resources provided below are supplementary to your learning. Feel free to browse through them and follow your curiosity.
{% endhint %}

### Developer Track

**Module 1: Understanding Money**\
Read chapters I, II, III.1 and III.2 from [What has Government Done to Our Money](https://cdn.mises.org/What%20Has%20Government%20Done%20to%20Our%20Money_3.pdf) by Murray Rothbard.

**Module 2: Grokking Bitcoin**

You may use any or all of the following formats:

1. Grokking Bitcoin Book ([HTML](https://www.rosenbaum.se/book/grokking-bitcoin.html), [Zip](https://www.rosenbaum.se/book/grokking-bitcoin.tar.gz), [GitHub](https://github.com/kallerosenbaum/grokkingbitcoin)) by Kalle Rosenbaum.\
   We recommend using the Zip format to prevent the author’s server from crashing. Download it, unpack and open grokking-bitcoin/index.html in a web browser.
2. Grokking Bitcoin [Video Lectures](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdW8AKJtqW7u7JKzkiXsDxNFlOrmjGwDJ)
3. Grokking Bitcoin [Lecture Slides](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fSVvE9Ak-Bo53GCyRj7cZ3FFzD2nYcHj?usp=sharing)

**Module 3: Bitcoin and the future of money**

* Read [The Bullish Case for Bitcoin](https://vijayboyapati.medium.com/the-bullish-case-for-bitcoin-6ecc8bdecc1)&#x20;
* [Set up a Bitcoin wallet, receive and send bitcoins, and explore the Bitcoin blockchain using bitcoin-cli ](https://www.rosenbaum.se/book/grokking-bitcoin.html#app1)
* [Run a full node ](https://bitcoin.org/en/full-node)
* [Bitcoin Whitepaper](https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf)&#x20;
* [Lightning Network Summary](https://lightning.network/lightning-network-summary.pdf)&#x20;
* [Mastering Bitcoin](https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook) as a technical reference textbook&#x20;
* [Mastering Lightning](https://github.com/lnbook/lnbook) as a technical reference textbook for the lightning network&#x20;
* [Lightning Network resources](https://www.lopp.net/lightning-information.html)&#x20;
* [Onboarding to Bitcoin Core](https://github.com/willcl-ark/onboarding-to-bitcoin-core) by Will Clark&#x20;
* Ask questions and find answers at <https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/>&#x20;
* Fun and insightful documentaries on Bitcoin:&#x20;
  * [Hard Money Film ](https://www.hardmoneyfilm.com/)
  * [Bitcoin is Generational Wealth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rnqst5qCgA)&#x20;
  * [This Machine Greens](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-7dMVcVWgc)&#x20;
* [The many rabbit-holes of Bitcoin ](https://www.swanbitcoin.com/canon/)
* [An exhaustive list of Bitcoin information](https://www.lopp.net/bitcoin-information.html)

### Designer Track

**Module 1: Understanding Money**\
[What has Government Done to Our Money](https://cdn.mises.org/What%20Has%20Government%20Done%20to%20Our%20Money_3.pdf) by Murray Rothbard - read chapters I, II, III.1 and III.2 for a high level history and understanding of money.&#x20;

**Module 2: Mastering Bitcoin**

* [Mastering Bitcoin](https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook) - chapters 1, 2&#x20;
* [Mastering the Lightning Network](https://github.com/lnbook/lnbook) - chapters 1,2,3
* [Additional Lightning Network resources](https://www.lopp.net/lightning-information.html)&#x20;

**Module 3: Bitcoin, open-source design and the future of money**

* Read [The Bullish Case for Bitcoin](https://vijayboyapati.medium.com/the-bullish-case-for-bitcoin-6ecc8bdecc1)&#x20;
* Study [bitcoin.design](https://bitcoin.design/) guide\
  \- Getting Started\
  \- Designing Bitcoin products\
  \- Onboarding\
  \- Private Key Management\
  \- Payments\
  \- Case Studies
* Learn how [Open source design](https://opensourcedesign.net/resources) works
* Fun and insightful documentaries on Bitcoin:&#x20;
  * [Hard Money Film ](https://www.hardmoneyfilm.com/)
  * [Bitcoin is Generational Wealth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rnqst5qCgA)&#x20;
  * [This Machine Greens](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-7dMVcVWgc)&#x20;
* [The many rabbit-holes of Bitcoin](https://www.swanbitcoin.com/canon/)
* [An exhaustive list of Bitcoin information](https://www.lopp.net/bitcoin-information.html)


# Finding the right organization and project

To find an organization or project that might be interesting for you, we suggest selecting an area of computer science that is of interest to you, or a programming language you enjoy working in and then seeing if there are any project ideas related to that area or language.&#x20;

All organizations and projects are tagged with categories of programming language or topics. Use those tags to filter organizations based on your skills and interests. For each organization, take some time to learn more about what they do (i.e., Google them!). The organization's mission, it's size and range of applications may all influence your interest in working with them. Realize that through Summer of Bitcoin, you will be joining an open-source community. Ideally, you'll find an organization that you are enthusiastic to be a part of.&#x20;

Start by compiling a list of potential project ideas that catch your interest. For each idea, take some time to carefully consider what is being proposed, how its scope might be better defined, and how it might fit in with the larger picture.

Ultimately, find something you LOVE working on and do your homework (more on that in the next section). Finding something you love is important because you'll be working on the same project for the whole summer, and probably after too. Also, it will give mentors more hope that you might be successful with the project.


# Getting started with an organization and project

Now that you have shortlisted a few organizations and their project ideas, doing your homework (coming prepared) is important because Bitcoin, as most technology open-source communities, is very talent driven.&#x20;

Here are some ways to come prepared when getting started with an organization and project:

1. **Join the community and make connections**\
   All of the open-source organizations have an open place where members of the community hang out. For each of the participating organizations, you'll find links to their discord, slack or telegram groups on the project ideas page on our website. Join their groups, lurk around the different channels and introduce yourself. Your goal should be to connect with the community members and make a good first impression.&#x20;
2. **Communicate clearly and respectfully**\
   *Avoid making your sentence so long, dense and complicated that your readers will get lost trying to follow its meandering, splitting logic such that they will have to read it three times just to make sense of what you’re trying to say and then respond to you asking for clarification even though you could have used small, short sentences to make the point that you wanted to make without confusing the reader and wasting their time.*\
   \
   In short, use brief, complete sentences. *Not* like the above sentence. Avoid SMS abbreviations. Be friendly, polite and a joy to work with. People want to work with other people whose company they enjoy. Your goal is to help create and maintain an atmosphere around your contribution that is enjoyable.
3. **Try&#x20;*****not*****&#x20;to make a bad first impression, have extremely poor English or be rude and hostile.** \
   Bad first impression will seriously damage your chances of selection, even if you are a great programmer or a designer. Don’t address your mentors as sir or ma’am. Address each other by their first name or nick. Most open source communities have their own Code of Conduct (formally or informally). Be sure you are aware of the Code of Conduct and are treating everyone with respect.
4. Before you begin reaching out to a mentor regarding a project idea, here is what we expect you to do:
   1. ***Read*****&#x20;the project’s website and documentation entirely.** You should be able to answer what it does, what problem it is solving, why it’s an important problem to solve, how it works, who are the developers behind it. You must cover the project’s documentation at least to the point where you feel like you can ask questions that are not already extensively covered in the docs.&#x20;
   2. ***Use*****&#x20;the project’s software.** If it’s an app, install it and run it. If it’s a website, visit it and play with it. If it’s a library, build it and try writing a sample app using its APIs. If you are not a user of the project, how can you help develop it?&#x20;
   3. ***Study*****&#x20;the developer guide or contribution guidelines.** Visit the project’s codebase on GitHub. Build it from source in your local environment, run it, use it. If you're in the design track, see <https://bitcoin.design/contribute/> for tips on how to contribute.
   4. If you found a bug while using the software or reading the project documentation, don’t just point us to it. Create an issue explaining the bug, and a pull request fixing the issue. Always follow the contributor guidelines and best practices of the project when discussing in GitHub issues or creating pull requests in GitHub.&#x20;
   5. Browse through all the open GitHub issues of the project. There are always easy issues that you can help with. Re-read the issue if you don’t get it the first time. Reproduce the bug. Investigate the part of code that is causing it. Participate in the discussion on how to fix it. Create a pull request with your fix clearly documenting your code and explaining your approach in the PR. Patiently wait for the project maintainers to review it. When they comment, be steadfast with addressing their comments and feedback. Never abandon a PR. Ensure to see it through a merge or a closure.&#x20;
   6. Fixing issues is not only about learning the code base, it’s also about making friends within the community, and demonstrating how professional you are.&#x20;
   7. Ideally, we require all applicants to submit a patch. This does not need to be accepted and merged, but it does need to be online and available for potential mentors to inspect. Contact your mentors if you are unsure what would be an appropriate patch to submit. If you’re completely new to open-source contribution, refer to [how to contribute a patch to a GitHub hosted Open Source project.](https://www.hanselman.com/blog/get-involved-in-open-source-today-how-to-contribute-a-patch-to-a-github-hosted-open-source-project-like-code-52)&#x20;
   8. Doing all of the above means you have convinced us that you can accomplish your project independently. It means you have experience contributing to open-source projects, you have done your homework and research and you are one of the best people to become a project contributor.&#x20;
   9. Once you’re through all of the above steps, we really welcome your questions, but they should not invade anyone's privacy. We recommend not to approach any mentor on their personal accounts (i.e: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter etc...) Open Source does not only mean the source code is public but it also means public communication. So we suggest keeping discussions on the Discord channel in our server. In some cases, the project may have their own Discord/Slack/IRC, ask us so we can point you to it. Once again, private email conversations or messages on personal accounts are strongly discouraged, unless something is really personal.

{% hint style="info" %}
If you’re unsure about your English skills, use [Hemingway Editor](https://hemingwayapp.com) to check the grammar and readability of your writing.&#x20;
{% endhint %}


# Writing a winning project proposal

You've narrowed down your search of organizations and projects, you've read all the documentation, made first contact, you've started communicating directly with potential mentors, perhaps even contributed to the codebase. Now it's time for the critical process of turning a project idea into a project proposal.

### Evaluating the project idea

The project idea you’re interested in captures all that you need to know in order to prepare a strong proposal. It includes a high level description of the idea, what are the expected outcomes and resources you should read to gather more information about the idea. Make sure you go through each of these diligently. In some cases, your potential mentor(s) will have lots of ideas and preconceptions about each project that were not included in its original description on the Project Ideas page. Consider any further questions you might have about the project, how it might be implemented, and what it would entail. If there's still anything unclear about the project idea and requirements, get your doubts cleared. Formulate your questions and suggestions regarding each idea into a clear and concise communication and as much detail as possible.

You may even consider preparing mock-ups (illustrations, powerpoint, or google docs) to help clarify your understanding and vision of the project. You will want to discuss the scope of the project idea, including which parts are critical versus optional for the summer timeline. This process will directly feed into your proposal and ideally distinguish it from all the others. Just think about it: if you've helped clarify the project idea and contributed to an actual plan of action, it makes it an easy process for mentors to evaluate your proposal and give it a high ranking!

### Asking the right questions

Learn to ask smart questions. Refer to [Catb’s Guide To Asking Smart Questions](http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html). It is one single resource that can make it or break it; it teaches the art of asking good questions and patience to look through existing answers.

If you reach out to the mentor asking something like

> Hey, I would like to contribute to X! Where do I start?

They will politely point out available online resources (especially this guide), and you will not generate any special interest. Everyone is busy, and there is so much stuff going on that you will never get noticed if you don't stand out of the crowd.

Instead, carefully prepare your message to your mentor and go with something like

> Project idea X talks about improving library Y. Library Y already has features R and S, and I think feature T would also be useful because of A, B and C. I have already thought about how we could go about implementing T in library Y: \[DESCRIBE WHAT YOU HAVE THOUGHT]. Can you advise if I’m thinking in the right direction? Or if I am missing something?

Of course, this is just a rough template, but the idea here is that you must own the project idea as if it is yours, justify it and then show that you have already thought about the problem and your doubts. Then, and only then, your mentor might step up and accept to guide you. But no one will do the work of preparing the project proposal for you beyond what they have already done in the project idea description. Don’t feel like you’re working for your mentor, or for Summer of Bitcoin. You’re working for the community and your mentor is helping guide you where you are stuck, but it is you in the driver’s seat. Make sure your mentor knows you by name (in a positive way) before the proposal deadline ends.

It might seem like a ton of work. However, it is also one of the most rewarding experiences in terms of professional growth.

{% hint style="info" %}
The earlier you start engaging with your mentor and preparing your proposal, the better. Sharing your proposal early helps you get early feedback.
{% endhint %}

### Preparing a draft proposal

Below are certain elements of the proposal that you must include. Proper attention to these elements will greatly improve your chances of a successful proposal. Remember, the point of your proposal is to show you are the best candidate and that means showing that nobody knows the project better than you!

#### Name and Contact Information&#x20;

Putting your full name on the proposal is not enough. Provide full contact information, including your discord nick, time zone, email address, university name, country, GitHub, LinkedIn or website.&#x20;

#### Title&#x20;

Your title can be the same as that of the project idea.

#### Synopsis&#x20;

Start your proposal with a short summary, designed to convince the reviewer to read the rest of the proposal. Describe the project in about 50 words. Avoid directly copying the description from the organization’s project ideas page.&#x20;

#### Project Plan&#x20;

This will form the core of your project proposal. Describe how you would go about the project, detailing sequentially what you would do.&#x20;

Include a brief, clear work breakdown structure with milestones and deadlines. You may want to start your summer by producing some kind of white paper, or planning the project in traditional Software Engineering style.&#x20;

If your project proposal involves building a user interface, include wireframes or mockups. Provide the class and method structures wherever applicable. Which source files, classes, methods, functions, etc do you plan to work on? Will you be adding a fresh module as opposed to modifying some existing components? Lay out the pseudo code if you can. This is not required, but it can show that you are dedicated enough to get a start, and can demonstrate how things will work for more complicated projects. You don’t need to go as far as prototyping every single function, but you should have a vision of how it will all eventually work at a reasonable level of detail, such as important data structures and algorithms, which libraries or packages you will use and why, what will your tests look like. If you're in the design track, explain how you would go about each step in the process of design thinking and user research.

Split all of it into sections or phases. Make sure to label each of the deliverables as optional or required. It’s OK to include thinking time (“investigation”) in your work schedule. Overall, your deliverables should include investigation, coding and documentation.&#x20;

{% hint style="info" %}
Have a realistic plan. It's better to have a lighter proposal that can deliver a polished and mergeable piece of code than a heavy proposal that is half done by the end of the summer. This is best achieved by constantly communicating with mentors through the proposal round. Seek early feedback!
{% endhint %}

#### Project Timeline&#x20;

This is the second most important section. Describe how you will allocate time toward each of your deliverables right from the first day to the final submission day. Split it up into smaller time periods (such as two weeks) and describe what you would do in each period. You can also further split each deliverable into smaller segments and allot a time frame for each segment. As an example, "Days 1-7: Implement and test interface X" is better than "Days 1-20: Implement feature A".

{% hint style="info" %}
Be completely clear about outside time commitments as part of your proposal. Do not surprise an organization with your time commitments later on.
{% endhint %}

#### Future Deliverables&#x20;

The organization would like to have students who would stick around after the program, become full-time contributors and help the organization grow. Share what you could do more in the project after the internship period is over.&#x20;

#### Benefits to Community&#x20;

Don’t forget to make your case for a benefit to the project/organization, not just to yourself. What is it solving? What would it allow users to do? Describe some use cases. Why would Summer of Bitcoin and the project/organization/mentor be proud to sponsor this work? How would open source or society as a whole benefit? What cool things would be demonstrated?

#### Biographical Information&#x20;

Summarize your education, work, and open source experience. Be sure to communicate personal experiences and skills that might be relevant to the project. State things that make you stand out from the crowd. Convince your mentor that you are a perfect candidate for the project and you can do the work.&#x20;

If there was a competency test attached to your idea, explain how you performed the tasks. Link to the code or article that came out of it.

{% hint style="info" %}
If you've contributed already to the project you're applying to (or other open-source projects), list all the bug fixes you’ve made or code reviews you’ve participated in. Name the issue, attach a link to the issue, describe briefly how you solved the issue and how it helped the project. If you're in the design track, share the design artifacts you have contributed with.
{% endhint %}

### General Notes

There is no page limit to a proposal, however, if your proposal is less than 6 to 8 pages, you didn’t include enough details. Ensure to set the permissions to Google doc as *anyone can edit* so mentors can provide their comments.

{% hint style="info" %}
Don't be that person: Cut and pasting an idea from the projects page and turning that in as your project's description is a big no-no. You'll be expected to research and submit your own words about how to accomplish the project your way, not just state the end result.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
All rules of scientific plagiarism apply. Make sure you've authored your proposal yourself, and reference your sources of information.
{% endhint %}

### Submitting your proposal

You will be asked to submit your draft proposal on our website by logging into your account, visiting your project idea and clicking edit where you’ll be able to provide the link to your google document. You can edit the draft as many times as you wish before the proposal deadline.&#x20;

There is an official limit of three submitted proposals, which means you can submit a maximum of three project proposals for any three ideas you’re interested in. Ensure they are all high-quality proposals. If you have several strong possibilities for the same organization, consider submitting several proposals. Mentors will figure out which one they like best. But avoid sending many medium-quality proposals and concentrate on fewer high-quality proposals.

### References for writing a good proposal

We have compiled a list of some high-quality past proposals and tips to write a winning proposal:

#### Tips :

[How to Write a Winning Proposal - Part 1 ](https://7asecurity.com/blog/2019/07/how-to-write-a-winning-proposal-business-and-gsoc-1-2/)

[How to Write a Winning Proposal - Part 2](https://7asecurity.com/blog/2019/07/how-to-write-a-winning-proposal-business-and-gsoc-2-2/)

#### Example proposals authored by past Summer of Bitcoin students:

[Summer of Bitcoin 2021 | Utreexo | By Andreas Kouloumos ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U_RBFL6qdqIGoB6uZNZAgmqwArPkiUCHglOxpEX3KDo/edit)

[Summer of Bitcoin 2021 | Lightning Network Research | By Eduardo Miranda ](https://github.com/Lagrang3/mincostflow/releases/download/v1.0/main.pdf)

[Summer of Bitcoin 2021 | Alby Design | By Adithya Vardhan ](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vvBH1gF4idqbUSsDNmjEQP0mJIhEzNBJ/view)

[Summer of Bitcoin 2021 | Bcoin | By Anmol Sharma ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SO3DMQpY-rotbZ5p3WhjlOV8cct7PFUItlLXE8RoG28/edit)

[Summer of Bitcoin 2021 | Bitcoin Core | By Animesh Bilthare ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uhOotKunpzqIjRTyCP5ifbXFEg4Iz86z0dObsmzeSkM/edit#)

[Summer of Bitcoin 2021 | Bitcoin Design | By Autumn Domingo ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U_RBFL6qdqIGoB6uZNZAgmqwArPkiUCHglOxpEX3KDo/edit)

[Summer of Bitcoin 2021 | BDK | By Cesar Alvarez ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jlX0OwJl1iLlzjh2gGoQ15JAx4H98DNXFa91hUZ2I-M/edit)

#### Example proposals authored by past GSoC students:

[Google Summer of Code (GSOC) sample proposal | by Ashray Malhotra ](https://medium.com%2F@medium.com/@ashray.malhotra/google-summer-of-code-gsoc-sample-proposal-10fdff883963#.at2b6ydpa)

[GSoC 2016 Proposal - Accuracy Review of Wikipedias | by Priyanka Mandikal](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NIYgCbklTCxBjk8r_NcVMzdZ-KGH1D4OtCbJiX-6H0I/edit)[ ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NIYgCbklTCxBjk8r_NcVMzdZ-KGH1D4OtCbJiX-6H0I/edit)

[GSoC 2017 Proposal - Word by Word Subtitle Sync | by Saurabh Shrivastava](https://github.com/saurabhshri/GSoC-2017-Accepted-Proposals/blob/master/CCExtractor/CCAligner%20-%20Word%20by%20Word%20Audio%20Subtitle%20Sync/5565268630700032_1490805743_Word_by_Word_Subtitle_Sync_by_Saurabh_Shrivastava_CCExtractor.pdf)

[GSoC Proposals accepted for KDE](https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1Iqk8MTix2CN1pAgqhZqhefKTwiA7P73zQH9N46lvyB0)

[Archive of GSoC proposals](https://github.com/saketkc/fos-proposals)


# Being turned down

So your proposal wasn't selected for Summer of Bitcoin?

Don't despair! You now have an idea of how bitcoin works and why it’s an important project. You also probably have a good understanding of the various project communities working on bitcoin. This knowledge will help set the stage for your bitcoin journey in the future.

### What to do now?

First, don't take it personally. Just like when you apply for a job, there are several reasons why you might not be a right fit for your project.

So, where to go from here? There are several strategies you can consider to go forward positively.

### What might you have done differently?

Some example questions to think about:

1. Was there a mismatch with my skills and the project requirements? If so, what skill areas can I work on to be better qualified next year?
2. Did I engage enough with the community during the application process?
3. Was my communication with the project community professional, thorough and in public in a true open-source spirit?
4. Did I contribute to the project during the application process?
5. Was my project plan clear and detailed?&#x20;

Introspecting about what you might be able to do differently next time is a great pathway to success.

### Find ways for doing the project anyway

For those contributors with the drive to forge ahead without financial support, you may find that the project communities are welcoming to all contributions! Don't be afraid to approach your community, dive into their code base and find ways to contribute with bug fixes and code reviews. &#x20;

Remember, all of the current contributors started somewhere in the beginning, most without any financial support and eventually found a way to become part of the project and sustain their living.

### Stay connected

If you've already invested time and energy getting to know a community, stay involved! Subscribe to relevant mailing lists, participate in chat channels, or fix small bugs that you have time for.

There are also many non-code ways you can contribute to software. If you're interested in documentation, graphic design, release testing, public relations or marketing, most projects welcome contributions in these areas. Taking on small non-code projects can be a great way to stay connected and build a reputation in a community. The [bitcoin.design](https://bitcoin.design) community is a great place to hang out if you're interested in open-source design and UX.&#x20;

### Try a new organization

Maybe that project wasn't the right fit! Part of selecting a project is selecting a community that works with you. Re-read our [chapter ](<https://guide.summerofbitcoin.org/the-proposal-round/finding-the-right-organization-and-project >)on finding the right organization and project. Keep looking until you find the right fit!&#x20;

### Keep trying

Just keep trying. **Never give up**. If none of your proposals get accepted, sit back and relax. You have a whole year ahead to improve your chances with the open-source community by contributing as much as you can.

&#x20;


# Evaluating your mentee during mid-term

This article shares a few tips on evaluating your mentee's project performance during their mid-term evaluation.

* [x] **Halfway There**\
  Mentees are expected to complete 40-50% of their project by the first evaluation which is the halfway point of the program if they want to pass their evaluation. Based on your pass/fail decision, we'll organize the stipend payment for your mentee. If a mentee fails the evaluation, they will no longer be part of the program and will not receive any payments from Summer of Bitcoin. <br>
* [x] **When In Doubt, Fail The Student­**\
  This is harsh-sounding advice. However, we've learned that more than 80% of the students who are reported as marginal at or before the first evaluation eventually fail or withdraw from the program. Whatever problems your mentee is currently having, they are likely to be worse than you currently appreciate, and to get worse rather than better over time. You are not doing your mentee, much less yourself, a service by prolonging the agony. \
  \
  Most students and their mentors have a great time and get a lot done. If you are having the other kind of experience, it's best for us to cut losses and try again next year. There are dozens of other interns diligently working on their projects and if we give an intern a pass simply because we feel guilty failing them (even though they are not meeting deadlines or communicating) then we are doing a disservice to all of the other hardworking interns.\
  \
  Students need to understand that we take the Summer of Bitcoin experience seriously and value the mentor's commitment and expect them to do likewise.<br>
* [x] **It’s Not&#x20;*****Impossible*****&#x20;to Turn Things Around**\
  A true story: Once upon a time there was a student with limited English. The mentor considered the communication difficulty as a potential issue, but the student was enthusiastic, and hoped to use the program as an opportunity to improve his English.\
  \
  The onboarding went well, but during the first half of the project period, progress drifted off track. The student’s mentor was much busier with work than was anticipated, and the student became stuck several times with various issues. The student failed to proactively ask for help, and the mentor didn’t catch this, so the student became disheartened.\
  \
  At the midterm, progress was disappointing, and the project came close to failing the student. But as the mentors looked at how they might try to rescue the situation, and after discussion with the student, they came up with a concrete plan. The student had a job in the lab for about 8 hours a week, which he agreed to put on hold until the end of summer. Each day the student updated a Google doc with what he was working on. This included reviewing any outstanding issues which might block progress. The student would camp on slack during the hours he worked on his project.\
  \
  Additionally, a second mentor was brought in, so that a mentor would always be available when the student might be working. Progress was discussed daily. The organization also made it clear that if the plan didn’t succeed, that the failure would reflect badly on both the project and the student. All those involved were happy to work to address any additional issues that might come up.\
  \
  By the final evaluation, the student was almost back on his original project plan, and had completed all the required goals.\
  \
  It is possible to rescue a failing Summer of Bitcoin contributor, but we need to really consider the issues, and come up with a plan to address them. If this is the case for your mentee, please feel free to reach out to us. We'll sort it out together.<br>
* [x] **Mentor, Heal Thyself**\
  This is also an important time for self-evaluation. Are you managing your time adequately? Do you know where the project is at and where it is going? Are you enforcing the deadlines you set? Are you integrating your mentee into your community? Take this period as an opportunity to get feedback from your mentees! Is there any way that you could have helped them more? How does the mentee think you might be more effective as a mentor? Ask them directly for feedback.