The DjangoCon US financial aid committee uses Grorg, a Django app created by Andrew Godwin to anonymously score applications. Once all applications have been scored, the committee makes the final decision on how our funds should be allocated.
We scored each application in random order from 1 to 5 based on the following criteria:
- What is the realistic benefit to the applicant?
- Does the applicant have clear, specific, concrete, realistic ideas about what they will gain from attending the conference?
- Do I feel the applicant really, really wants to attend DjangoCon US?
- What is the overall value for money? The goal is to help as many people as possible attend DjangoCon who otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
- What is my overall feeling about the application?
Overall, we look for concrete ideas and commitments in applications. We try to choose those who need it and those whose lives and careers will most be affected by attending DjangoCon US. We tried to ensure that speakers are able to attend while also giving opportunities to non-speakers and attendees new to the Django community. As you can imagine, the choice is not easy.
Our selection criteria and process is borrowed from the DjangoGirls Organizer’s Manual and suggested by Daniele Procida.