The PyCon US Blog

I am proud to announce a new special event to PyCon 2013. This event comes courtesy of  Lynn Root , who approached us with a crazy idea some time ago - offer an introduction to Python tutorial, free of charge to a different demographic - Young Coders (or, coders to be!). The course is called " The Young Coder: Let's Learn Python " and it is going to be great . Quoting from the page: This free tutorial will explore how to program using Python by making games. We will start with learning Python's simple data types, including numbers, letters and strings, and lists. We will also explore comparisons, if-statements, and loops. Finally, we will combined our new knowledge by creating our own game using the PyGame library. This is one of those idea that when proposed I slapped my forehead and said "Why didn't I think of that?!" - but of course the best ideas for PyCon come from our community members and those working on the forefront of outreach and educati...

It is my pleasure to announce that PyCon 2013  has dropped the price of student registration  from the price it has been since 2008 - we have lowered it to $100 (USD). Part of PyCon has always been community - and outreach. One of the greatest things PyCon, the Python Software Foundation and the community can do is to always strive to lower the cost of attendance for the next generation of Python programmers. PyCon US 2012 was the biggest Python conference in the history of the language - we had more students, a more diverse attendance and more sponsors and attendees than ever. Most of all - PyCon is about the community. From it's volunteers who pour hundreds of man hours to make PyCon happen, to the speakers, tutorial instructors and poster presenters without whom, PyCon would not be possible. To the myriad of sponsors whose contributions help PyCon happen, and keep it affordable - PyCon is first and foremost a community conference. This is why I am happy to make this change - ...

… Or how to sell PyCon 2013 sponsorship to your team and boss! As we round up the volunteers, activate the mailing lists, and get the community hyped up for another year of PyCon, there’s another group we need to engage:  the sponsors . PyCon 2012 had an amazing outpouring of support from  a record 133 sponsors , and with your help, we’re trying make 2013 another record breaker. Sponsors are what make this conference possible. From low ticket prices to financial aid to video recording, the organizations who step forward to support PyCon in turn support the entire Python community. They make it possible for so many to attend, for so many to present, and for the world at home to watch along. Along with the benefits sponsorship gives the conference and the community, we think they come in exchange for an excellent set of benefits to our sponsors. See our full prospectus at  https://us.pycon.org/2013/sponsors/prospectus/ . Recruiting What better place to find Pyt...

We're glad to announce that Community Voting Process has started for  PyCon Argentina 2012 .  You can select your preferences among more than 82 talks proposed and 11 tutorials/workshops .   This year, we're opening the Scientific and Extreme tracks, with more  than 12 proposals each! Please help us voting your prefered talks for the conference following  the next link (registration required):  http://ar.pycon.org/2012/ activity/vote Admittance is free of charge (gratis), to register, please complete  the following form:  http://ar.pycon.org/2012/user/ register PyCon Argentina 2012 Keynotes This year, the pre-confirmed keynote presenters are: Massimo Di Pierro (US) - De Paul University: web2py / FermiQCD Andrea Gavana (DK) - Maersk Oil: wx.lib.agw & 2D/3D visualization Brett Cannon (CA) - Google: python core developer: importlib py3k pypy Christophe Pettus (US) - PostgreSQL Experts: Django & ORMs Craig Kerstiens (US...

We are glad to announce that the registration for PyCon Japan is open . You can now buy tickets for the conference/party before the date in case we reach the fixed number. Don't miss the opportunity to meet us. The PyCon Japan 2012 will be in Tokyo from September 15(Sat) to 16(Sun) (2days). There is an English track for foreign developers and keynote speaker is Armin Ronacher . Also, PyCon JP Party will be held at night of Day 1 (September 15). One more opportunity, Sprint Day is September 17(Mon, National holiday) . Everyone can join with no fee the Sprint even if you're not able to attend the conference/party. We're looking forward to seeing all of you in Tokyo!

Do you want to help make PyCon 2013 awesome? Have time to invest before the conference? We're looking for folks that would be interested in serving on the Program Committee. The committee reviews talk proposals for talks at PyCon and select which ones will be on the PyCon program -- an extremely important task. We need your help: a large, diverse program committee is the main way we ensure a fantastic program. So if you are interested in joining the committee, we would love to have you! Serving on the program committee does require a time commitment on your part. Here's roughly what's involved for committee members: Participation on the mailing list between now and the conference. We use the mailing list to discuss policy, schedule review sessions, and generally coordinate our activity. Reviewing talks on the PyCon website as they come in. Between now and the submission deadline we'll review proposals and work with prospective speakers to help them put forth th...

It is with a great deal of pride on behalf of the entire Python Community, the Python Software Foundation and all of the PyCon volunteers that we announce PyCon 2013 is a go . Today, July 9th we officially open the doors - our Call For Proposals is officially open, meaning the entire community can submit talks, tutorials and posters. PyCon 2013 will be held March 13-21st in the same Santa Clara location as 2012. We are extremely excited - last year alone saw PyCon US grow to over 2300 attendees, with 135 sponsors. This year we have set a hard cap on attendance of 2500 attendees, and we are on track to hit that. We also have a lot of surprises up our sleeves for PyCon 2013, we want to destroy all of the records set in 2012 - attendees, sponsors, talks, community - we want to make this a watershed year for the entire Python community and set the momentum for the future. We are also pleased to announce that not only is sponsorship open that includes a bunch of new benefits for sp...

That's right folks - the PyCon US team starting planning and executing for PyCon 2013 before PyCon 2012 even ended . We're revving up our engines as we speak to fully launch PyCon 2013, March 13th-21st in Santa Clara CA once again. Last year we had over 2300  attendees from all over the world - PyCon 2012 was the largest gathering of Python hackers in history . This year, we've set a hard  cap of 2500 total attendees (this includes sponsor registrations). We fully expect to sell out the conference once again - and we've got huge  things in store for 2013. PyCon 2013 will be the last year we hold it in Santa Clara for this cycle - PyCons 2014 and 2015 will be held in Montreal Canada, and this is my final year as PyCon chair - so let's make this one as epic a blowout as last year's was. With our launch, we are now signing up launch day sponsors - these sponsors get additional billing, visibility and, well community appreciation for being launch day partners, an...

On behalf of Indian Python Software Society (IPSS) and the Python community in India, I am glad to announce the dates and other details of PyCon India 2012 . PyCon India 2012 would be held during Sep 28 - 30 2012 at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore . A purely volunteer effort, it is being hosted for the fourth time in India. The last edition was conducted at Pune, India during Sep 2011. This time we have opened up the online registrations early. Register early to avoid the late rush. We look forward to seeing you there and expecting your support for making the conference a grand success!

(Hobart Tasmania, 15 June 2012) With both of our keynotes announced, PyCon Australia is very proud to be able to reveal the programme for the 2012 conference, to be held on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 August 2012 in Hobart, Tasmania. Following an impressive response to our Call for Proposals the conference will feature three full tracks of presentations and tutorials, across two days, covering all aspects of the Python ecosystem, presented by experts and core developers of key Python technology. Our keynote presenters,  Mark Ramm, Engineering Manager on Juju at Canonical , and  Kenneth Reitz, Python lead at Heroku  will be joined by a wide array of presenters covering a broad range of backgrounds, including industry, research, government and academia. As ever, PyCon Australia is a great place to keep up-to-date with the latest trends in Python web technology: From Heroku, Lincoln Stoll will be presenting on the  12 Factor Method for building software-as-a-service apps . Other web rela...

Today - June 15, 2012, is the last day to submit a proposals for  talks  and  tutorials. Don't miss your chance to speak at the largest gathering of the German-speaking Python community. Talks and tutorials in English are welcome if you are not comfortable with German. The second  PyCon DE  will be held October 29 - November 3, 2012 in Leipzig, Germany.

We are pleased to announce the keynote speaker for PyCon Japan 2012 - Armin Ronacher of Pocoo Team . Armin Ronacher is one of the founding members of the Pocoo Team, a group of enthusiastic Python developers responsible for the Sphinx Documentation Tool, the Jinja2 template engine and more. Recently he developed the Flask micro-framework. He is currently working for Fireteam , a game services company in London. Currently, we are accepting your Call for Proposals until 30 June . There is an English track in PyCon Japan and we are willing to communicate with foreign developers. Send your proposal and join us on this opportunity!

PyCon Finland will take place October 22-23 in Espoo. The first day will feature presentations and the second is reserved for sprints and hands-on sessions. We are currently accepting proposals for both talks and sprints. If you would like to give a presentation, organize a sprint or see presentations on a particular topic, please see instructions at http://fi.pycon.org . The deadline for proposals is the first of August. The organizers will notify accepted presenters and sprint coordinators by the 28th of August.. The presentation slots will be 20/40 minutes + 10 minutes of discussion at the end. Shared sessions are also possible. The language for the presentations should be English to encourage international participation. We are also trying to find a keynote speaker. If you know a good speaker who might be persuaded to come please let us know. Pycon Finland is not possible without corporate sponsorship. If you are interested in sponsoring this year’s event, please contact Py...

PyCon Philippines , set to occur on  June 30  and  July 1 , is the first Python programming conference held in the Philippines. PyCon is a volunteer run effort that brings together Python developers from a variety of backgrounds and skill levels into a friendly, cooperative environment in order to educate, inspire, and work together. This event is possible due to the hard work and contributions of members of the Manila Python users group, the support of the Python Software Foundation, various members of the Python community, our gracious sponsors, and many others. Early bird tickets are available until June 15th. After that tickets will be at the full price, so buy your tickets before it's too late! PyCon Philippines Logo

PyCon Australia and Google Australia are pleased to announce that they're joining forces to offer gender diversity delegate grants to women who wish to attend PyCon Australia in 2012. These grants will cover up to $AUD500 of travel, accommodation and registration costs for women living outside of the Southern Tasmania region to attend this year's conference. These grants aim to reduce the financial barriers to attending PyCon Australia 2012, by subsidizing the registration and travel costs of people from diverse groups, who contribute in important ways to the Python community. More information can be found at  http://2012.pycon-au.org/diversity_grants Eligibility In order to be eligible for one of the grants, you must be: A woman, aged 18 or older A professional, enthusiast or student interested in, or currently working in Python-related fields or projects Planning to attend both days of PyCon Australia 2012 In order to be eligible for the travel and accommodation gran...

There is still a few days to submit a proposals for  talks  and  tutorials.  The new deadline is June 15, 2012. Don't miss your chance to speak at the largest gathering of the German-speaking Python community. Talks and tutorials in English are welcome if you are not comfortable with German. The second  PyCon DE  will be held October 29 - November 3, 2012 in Leipzig, Germany.

The second PyCon JP 2012 in Japan, will be held at Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology University in Tokyo, 15(Sat.), 16(Sun) September . It will be for 2 days and feature 3 tracks. Also, 17(Mon.) September will be for the Sprint day. Now, we're accepting your proposal. If you would like to participate, visit the PyCon JP 2012 CFP page for more information. Submission deadline is 30 June . Main sessions will be in Japanese in order to increase accessibility of local audience, however any proposal in English are equally accepted. (This conference can be a good chance for local developers to communicate with developers in the world.) For more information on http://2012.pycon.jp/en/index.html . Any questions and comments are welcome, email to us (contact at pycon dot jp). WE ARE WAITING YOUR PROPOSAL NOW!

We are glad to announce that the registration for the  second PyCon DE  in Leipzig is open. You can now buy  tickets at the early-bird rate until end of June before prices will go up. Don't miss the opportunity to come the larges meeting of the German-speaking Python community and secure your ticket now. If you plan not only to come but also to contribute, you can submit a proposal for a talk or a tutorial. A wide variety of Python-related topics are welcome. More details in an  earlier post . The  second PyCon DE  will be in Leipzig from October 29 through November 3, 2012. One tutorial day, three days with talks and two days with a barcamp, code retreat  and sprints will provide different ways to communicate about Python. There will be social events to give everybody ample opportunity to network with like-minded Pythonistas.

Apac PyCon 2012 is here. Be sure to register for it at http://apac.pycon.org  and come experience the wonderful talks from our keynotes and speakers at Singapore!

PyGotham II : "Mostly Python, some random, all awesome", will take place  June 8th and 9th, 2012 on the Hornblower cruise ships moored at Pier 40  in Manhattan, NY.  Our second year promises to be a blast, with quality  tracks for all skill levels, after-conference sprints and parties,  keynotes and Q & A panels, and some amazing sponsors.  Join us this  summer, learn, and have a a geeky-great time.