# A Short Guide for the Aspiring GSoC Participant!

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/a-short-guide-for-the-aspiring-gsoc-participant/135197>\
**Category:** Community\
**Tags:** gsoc, guide\
**Created:** [January 22, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/a-short-guide-for-the-aspiring-gsoc-participant/135197 "2026-01-22T02:03:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![TheCedarPrince](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/thecedarprince/32/17323_2.png) [@TheCedarPrince](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/TheCedarPrince)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/a-short-guide-for-the-aspiring-gsoc-participant/135197/1 "2026-01-22T02:03:20Z")

</div>

Hey there future GSoC-er!

Your friendly Julia Language GSoC co-admin, @TheCedarPrince, here! It is that fun time of year again where I see tons of aspiring GSoC-ers asking questions about how to get started within Julia as well as where they can start looking for project/contribution areas!

If you are an aspiring Julia GSoC-er, this guide is for you! I put this guide together initially alongside an LLM but then have tailored it to be a compact guide for questions you may have. If you have any questions, please let me know and we can update this guide!

With that said, read on!

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# Table of Contents

1. [Getting Started with Julia GSoC](#getting-started-with-julia-gsoc)
  - [Step 1: Choose a Project](#step-1-choose-a-project)
  - [Step 2: Connect with the Community](#step-2-connect-with-the-community)
  - [Step 3: Start Contributing](#step-3-start-contributing)

2. [Where Is the Julia Community?](#where-is-the-julia-community)
3. [Resources](#resources)
  - [Installation](#installation)
  - [Learning Julia](#learning-julia)

4. [Community Guidelines](#community-guidelines)
  - [Standards and Culture](#standards-and-culture)
  - [Success Factors](#success-factors)

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# Getting Started with Julia GSoC

## Step 1: Choose a Project

- Browse the project ideas list: [Projects](https://julialang.org/jsoc/projects/)
- Review open issues in your package or project area of interest
- Identify projects that match your skills and interests

## Step 2: Connect with the Community

- Join the Julia community on Discourse, Slack, or Zulip
- Introduce yourself in the `#jsoc` Slack channel
- Ask questions about your chosen project
- Contact potential mentors to discuss project ideas

## Step 3: Start Contributing

- Review existing issues related to your project area
- Make small contributions to Julia or relevant packages
- Build a portfolio demonstrating your commitment and ability

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# Where Is the Julia Community?

**Slack** ([The Julia Language Slack](https://julialang.org/slack/))

- **Potential GSoC-ers are strongly encouraged to join here!**
- Join the `#jsoc` channel to meet other contributors and mentors!

**Discourse** ([https://discourse.julialang.org](https://discourse.julialang.org))

- Best place for technical or long-form questions you want to be permanent or preserved for the future

**Zulip** ([https://julialang.zulipchat.com](https://julialang.zulipchat.com))

- Unlimited message history and better mark-up support!

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# Resources

## Installation

The recommended installation method is using **juliaup** , which installs and maintains the latest stable Julia version.

- **Installation instructions** : [Installing Julia](https://julialang.org/downloads/)
- **Alternative** : Manual downloads available at [Installing Julia](https://julialang.org/downloads/)

## Learning Julia

- Getting Started Tutorial: [Getting Started with Julia](https://julialang.org/learning/getting-started/)
- Modern Julia Workflows: [https://modernjuliaworkflows.org](https://modernjuliaworkflows.org)
- Official Documentation: [https://docs.julialang.org](https://docs.julialang.org)

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# Community Guidelines

## Standards and Culture

All participants must respect the [Julia Community Standards](https://julialang.org/community/standards/). The community is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture.

## Policy on Generative AI (LLMs)

We adhere to the [Julia Contributing](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md) guide and Community Stewards policies regarding Generative AI use within the Julia Community:

> **If your pull request contains substantial contributions from a generative AI tool, please disclose so with details, and review all changes before opening.**

## Success Factors

- **Competition** : GSoC is extremely competitive for Julia
- **Prior contributions** : Significantly improve acceptance chances
- **Early mentor contact** : Essential before applying
- **Start early** : Successful applicants often have contributions and prototypes before application
- **Demonstrate ability** : Must show Julia and general programming proficiency by program start
- **Community engagement** : Active participation is valued and expected

* * *

Thanks everyone and if you have any questions, I encourage you to post below so we can make this a strong community resource!

Cheers and happy preparing for GSoC!

~ tcp 🌳

P.S. Mentors, if you would like to add any suggestions or thoughts, please also share your perspectives! 😃