The Phil Bagwell Memorial Scala Community Award is given to individuals who have made significant efforts to grow the Scala Community. It recognizes someone who is well respected in the community and composes themselves as one of respect. Specifically this person should be: Encouraging, Welcoming, Humble, Optimistic and Kind.
Additionally, the candidate should have significant contributions in one or more of the following areas:
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Technical Benefaction
A candidate should show a clear and measurable technical influence on or within the Scala Community. This influence can take the form of open source contributions, documentation, or bug reports. The candidate should show that not only are they a recognized expert in Scala, but they are willing to share their own work with others.
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Evangelism
A candidate should show a willingness to promote Scala around them. This promotion should be thoughtful, considerate and inclusive. Evangelism can take the form of blog posts, book authoring, forum answers (stack overflow or others) or public speaking. The candidate should show that they are willing to share their knowledge of Scala with others, to the betterment of all.
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Activism
A candidate should show a propensity for building the community around them. This can be done via organizing local meetup groups, organizing conferences, promoting a sense of community and camaraderie in online communities or helping run events. The candidate should show that they are able to bring people together.
Phil Bagwell is remembered for his contributions to building the Scala community. In a 2012 blog post, Prof. Martin Odersky remembers Phil and his special place in the Scala community. This award seeks to build that which he helped start.
Past winners
- 2019: Kelley Robinson
- 2018: Kenji Yoshida
- 2017: Josh Suereth
- 2016: Erik Osheim
- 2015: Bill Venners
- 2014: Lalit Pant
- 2013: Dick Wall
Selection process
Each year, a committee decides who to award, possibly based on nominations from the community. The committee consists of Martin Odersky along with all past winners (who still have time to take part).