The OpenSSL Foundation announces scholarship opportunities for the OpenSSL Conference 2026

The OpenSSL Foundation serves individual developers, academics, nonprofits, and non-commercial distributions that work with OpenSSL. We are committed to ensuring that members of these communities can participate in the OpenSSL Conference to be held in Prague, Czech Republic on October 13-15, 2026 and are pleased to offer a limited number of scholarships for this year’s conference.

Scholarships are funded through the generosity of the Foundation’s donors and sponsors. We are especially grateful to our Code Protectors, whose ongoing support helps make opportunities like this possible.

Applications are now open!

Hear from Last Year’s Scholarship Recipients

The inaugural OpenSSL Conference scholarship program helped bring contributors, students, and security and open source enthusiasts from around the world to Prague. Many left feeling more connected to the OpenSSL community, inspired to contribute, and equipped with new knowledge they could bring back to their local communities.

As scholarship recipient Nikolas Gauder shared:

“The conference really motivated me to become more involved with OpenSSL and open-source security in general.”

For Arif Mehsud, the opportunity reinforced the value of global collaboration:

“Meeting experts and contributors from around the world highlighted the power of collaboration and shared knowledge in the open-source community.”

Arif plans to bring what he learned back to Pakistan’s cybersecurity community, helping strengthen local understanding and practical use of modern cryptography.

And Khushi Chhillar described how the experience transformed her relationship with the project:

“I’m no longer just studying OpenSSL; I feel like I am now part of it.”

After spending years learning independently, Khushi found value in meeting maintainers, participating in technical discussions, and experiencing firsthand how the OpenSSL community collaborates and mentors new contributors.

We are excited to continue the scholarship program in 2026 and support the next generation of contributors, researchers, and security professionals helping strengthen the open source security ecosystem.

Eligibility Requirements

Scholarships are intended for individuals who are not paid by a commercial employer to engage with OpenSSL projects. For instance:

• Individual developers
• Students and academics
• Nonprofit staff
• Maintainers of free and non-commercial distributions

If your participation in OpenSSL-related work is part of your paid employment, we encourage you or your employer to support your attendance through conference registration or sponsorship opportunities.

What’s Included

Scholarships will cover:

• Conference registration
• Three nights of lodging at the conference hotel, including breakfast
• Lunch and coffee breaks during the conference
• Official conference networking events

Scholarships do not cover:

• Travel to and from the conference
• Optional ticketed activities not included in conference registration
• Incidental expenses

Transferability

Scholarships are awarded to an individual and are non-transferable. They are valid only for the 2026 OpenSSL Conference and cannot be deferred to future events.

Selection Process

Scholarships will be awarded based on:

• Past and current involvement with OpenSSL projects
• The impact conference participation is likely to have on future contributions
• Our goal of fostering a diverse and engaged conference community

We expect interest to exceed available funding, so applicants are encouraged to provide thoughtful and detailed responses.

Timeline

Applications Open: Jun 17, 2026

Application Deadline: Jul 15, 2026

Notification of Award: Jul 21, 2026

Apply Now