Google Summer of Code 2021

[li-boxuan]

Google Summer of Code 2021 program was announced. Any interest in joining it as an organization? The application period for organizations is January 30, 2021 - February 20, 2021.

I took part in it as a student in 2018 and a mentor in 2019, affiliated with another open-source organization. Here are some Pros & Cons I can think of (from an org perspective):

Pros:

1. Great exposure. It is a nice chance to promote your organization. Many college students would start contributing to your organization because they find it interesting, and/or they want to increase the chance that they get selected.
2. Each selected student would dedicate to one project and get paid by Google. Starting from this year, selected students will not be fully working on GSoC, but it's still a substantial workforce.
3. Google offers some compensations not only for students but also for the organization itself.

Cons:

1. First year organization, provided accepted by GSoC, typically only gets 1-2 slots. This might actually be a Pro because more slots require more commitment from the community.
2. Need an administrator for the overall organizing and at least one mentor for each project.

I wonder if this is something thrilling to the community in general, and if the steering committee is interested in giving it a try.