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Understanding Projects in GSoC (After Organization Announcement)

1️⃣ What a GSoC Project Actually Is

A project is:

  • A specific task or feature the organization wants to implement or improve.
  • Something that can be finished in the GSoC coding period (usually 12–14 weeks).
  • Usually part of an existing open-source software.

Examples:

Organization Project Example
Mozilla Add a new feature to Firefox DevTools
Django Improve the admin interface
TensorFlow Build a demo or optimization for ML models
Linux Fix a specific driver bug or improve a utility

A project is not the whole software — it’s a focused piece you can realistically complete.

2️⃣ Where to See Project Ideas

After orgs are announced (usually February):

a) Organization Website

  • Most orgs list “GSoC project ideas”.
  • Example sections: “Ideas for Students”, “GSoC 2026 ideas”, or “Contribute”.

b) GitHub Repositories

  • Check the org’s repositories.

  • Look for issues labeled:

  • good first issue

  • help wanted
  • GSoC idea
  • Read the issue description carefully; this can be your project.

c) Previous GSoC Projects

  • Look at past years’ GSoC projects for inspiration.
  • Often, you can extend or improve a previous project.

d) Community Channels

  • Discord, Slack, mailing lists, GitHub Discussions
  • Mentors sometimes hint at ideas not publicly listed yet.

3️⃣ How to Choose the Right Project

Ask yourself:

  1. Interest & Passion

  2. Will you enjoy working on this for 3+ months?

  3. Skill Match

  4. Do you know some of the technologies?

  5. Can you learn the rest in 2–3 months?

  6. Feasibility

  7. Is it realistic to finish in the coding period?

  8. Mentor Support

  9. Are there active mentors to guide you?

  10. Contribution Opportunity

  11. Can you start contributing before submitting your proposal?

Tip: Early contributions (bugs, docs, tests) related to the project make your proposal much stronger.

4️⃣ Optional: Proposing a New Project Idea

Some organizations allow students to propose their own idea, but only if:

  • It aligns with the organization’s goals.
  • It solves a real problem.
  • You can explain how you will implement it and why it matters.

How to do it:

  1. Contact the mentor or ask in the community.

  2. Draft a small plan:

  3. Problem you want to solve

  4. How it improves the project
  5. Rough steps for implementation

Mentors will evaluate whether your idea is realistic and useful.