Contributor Day at WordCamp Asia 2027 will take place on April 9, 2027, in Penang, Malaysia.
One of our main goals is to make Contributor Day work better for new contributors: people who want to get involved in WordPress but are not yet sure where to start, which team fits them, or what their first meaningful contribution could be.
At the same time, Contributor Day should remain valuable for experienced contributors who want to collaborate, move projects forward, mentor others, and work together on things that benefit from being in the same room.
We already have several ideas and activities in the roadmap. Before we develop them further, we would like to hear what would make them useful for you.
What we are planning
More support for first-time contributors
We plan to continue the Contributor Buddy program, giving new contributors identifiable people who are willing to help and guide.
We are also working on better orientation before and during Contributor Day, clearer preparation guidance, and easier ways to find help when you are not sure where to go or what to work on.
Our goal is not simply to bring people into the room. We want more first-time contributors to leave Contributor Day knowing how their Make team works, what they contributed, and how they can continue afterward.
Make Team contribution tables
Make WordPress teams will continue to have contribution tables.
We want to work with Table Leads, team representatives, maintainers, and experienced contributors to prepare useful tasks for different experience levels — from first contributions to work that experienced contributors can tackle individually or collaboratively.
For WordCamp Asia 2027, the Call for Table Leads will be public, giving experienced contributors an opportunity to express interest in helping lead and support their teams.
The Call for Table Leads is currently planned for November 17 – December 22, 2026.
Hands-on Contributor Day workshops
Contributor Day workshops should help people gain the practical knowledge they need to start contributing.
We are especially interested in hands-on sessions that remove common barriers: setting up tools, understanding team workflows, testing, documentation, translation, accessibility, development, and other contribution areas.
The Call for Workshop Facilitators is planned for September 29 – November 24, 2026.
Contributor Stories
Sometimes the best way to understand contribution is to hear how someone else started.
We will again invite members of the WordPress community to share their contributor journeys — including first steps, challenges, unexpected opportunities, and reasons they continued.
The Call for Contributor Stories is planned for October 20 – December 1, 2026.
A new Hackathon experiment
We are also developing a new project-based Hackathon alongside Contributor Day and the main conference days.
The idea is to bring a small number of teams together around carefully selected, well-prepared projects that can create something useful for a real community, organization, or open-source initiative.
The Hackathon is still at an early planning stage, and its final format will depend on the projects and people involved.
The Call for Hackathon Projects is planned for February 9 – March 9, 2027.
Open-Source Library and other ways to connect
We plan to continue the Open-Source Library, where contributors can have short one-to-one conversations with experienced members of the WordPress community.
We are also exploring ways to make it easier for contributors with different interests and experience levels to find each other, collaborate, and continue those connections after the event.
Contributor Day capacity will be limited
This year, Contributor Day has a hard capacity limit of 600 participants.
Registration is planned to open on January 27, 2027 and will close when all available places are booked.
Because we cannot accommodate walk-ins beyond that capacity, preparation and communication before registration will be especially important.
We will publish detailed information about Make teams, workshops, preparation, and other Contributor Day activities before registration opens, so you can make an informed choice about how you would like to participate.
Tell us what would help you contribute
The plans above are still being developed, which is exactly why we are asking for feedback now.
We would especially like to hear from:
- people considering their first Contributor Day;
- contributors who attended previous WordCamp Asia Contributor Days;
- regular Make WordPress contributors;
- previous Table Leads, mentors, workshop facilitators and Open-Source Books;
- people who wanted to contribute before but found it difficult to get started.
What worked for you before? What got in your way? What would make it easier to prepare, find a useful task, ask for help, or continue contributing after WordCamp Asia?
Your feedback will help us decide where to focus our preparation over the coming months.
And if you are interested in helping more directly, keep an eye on the upcoming calls for Workshop Facilitators, Contributor Stories, Table Leads, and Hackathon Projects.
Leave a Reply