Cloud Native Ambassadors are credible advocates for the cloud native ecosystem, driven by their passion for CNCF technologies and projects, as well as furthering the mission of open source.
Ambassadors are an extension of CNCF, furthering the mission of “making cloud native ubiquitous” through community leadership and mentorship.
Could you be the newest CNCF Ambassador? If you have a track record of significant and impactful contributions to the cloud native community, you may already be a Cloud Native ambassador!
We invite you to check out the responsibilities and requirements below. Please apply if you meet all the requirements and are interested in leveling up your Cloud Native journey.
Responsibilities
The Cloud Native Ambassador program will empower an exclusive group of community leaders with support, training, mentorship, guidance, and rewards to. These leaders…
- Engage and enable our community through stimulating events, content, and mentoring
- Improve the experience and reduce friction for community members
- Foster strong community collaboration and relationships
- Attract and onboard new community members
- Provide valuable input and feedback to the CNCF about community programs and initiatives
- Promote cloud native technologies and CNCF projects globally
Requirements
To become an official Cloud Native Ambassador, you must meet the following program requirements:
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Agree to review and sign the Ambassador Standards of Excellence annually
- We will look at contribution scores, factoring in all CNCF repositories.
- Because a thriving ecosystem relies on diverse talents, we deeply value both code and non-code contributions alike—from technical engineering to documentation, community organizing, localized outreach, and event support. Many non-code contributions come from helping with documentation and GitHub issues for the KCD and CNCG repositories. Even commenting on GitHub issues can raise your score!
Evaluation Criteria
Applicants are evaluated based on two or more of the following:
- Active Contribution to a CNCF Project:
- Current voter status
- Member of a SIG (Special Interest Group) or TAG (Technical Advisory Group)
- Community Leadership (Minimum 1 Year/Ideally 2 Years):
- Serving as a Kubernetes Community Days (KCD) organizer
- Cloud Native Community Group organizer
- Being a program committee member for a CNCF event
- Serving as a co-chair for a CNCF event
- Organize cloud native related events
- Public Speaking:
- Speaking at industry or CNCF events about CNCF or CNCF projects
- Mentorship:
- Mentoring through LFX, Google Summer of Code (GSoC), or Outreachy programs, focusing on a CNCF project
- Content Creation:
- Producing content such as blogs, videos, or other resources focusing on cloud native technologies and CNCF projects
- Note: content should align with open-source principles and not be behind paywalls
- Producing content such as blogs, videos, or other resources focusing on cloud native technologies and CNCF projects
Benefits
As a CNCF Ambassador, you are also eligible for ambassador-specific benefits and perks such as:
- Gain recognition for your expertise and contributions to the community
- Network with equally passionate Ambassadors globally
- Receive support, funding, and/or training from the CNCF for hosting events, speaking, creating content, or mentoring others
- Receive discount codes for you to attend CNCF-sponsored events
- Partner with CNCF staff to gain insight and provide input to community initiatives
- Enjoy exclusive benefits, swag, and giveaways
Important Dates
| Applications open to general public | Postponed to the last week of May 2026 |
| Applications Close | Sunday, July 12, 2026 |
| Application Notifications | August 2026 |
| 2026 Ambassadors Announced (Term Begins) | September 2026 |
| 2024 Ambassadorship Cohort Term Ends | October 1, 2026 |
| 2025 Ambassadorship Cohort Term Ends | October 1, 2027 |
Apply
Are you interested in becoming an official Cloud Native Ambassador?
The applications for 2026 have been postponed due to technical difficulties! We will reopen the applications the last week of May and extend the application process into the middle of July 2026.
Have a question in the meantime? Read the Ambassadors Frequently Asked Questions.