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Everything you need to know before applying to the AWS Community Builder Program and my golden advice

·987 words·5 mins

Everything you need to know before applying to the AWS Community Builder Banner

One of the most wonderful times of the year has started, and I couldnโ€™t be more excited! ๐ŸŽ‰

Applications for the AWS Community Builders program opened on January 7, and to help you craft an outstanding application for the 2026 intake, a group of incredible AWS Community Builders held sessions around the globe, andโ€ฆ in multiple languages! ๐Ÿฅฐ


Why become an AWS Community Builder?
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As an AWS Community Builder, youโ€™ll have access to some truly amazing benefits, including:

๐Ÿ’ซ Exclusive learning opportunities with AWS experts, plus resources to supercharge your content creation

๐Ÿ’ซ AWS credits for personal projects, certification vouchers, and, of course, some epic swag

๐Ÿ’ซ And the best part: a global community of 3,000+ builders, AWS Heroes and AWS superstars โ€” including Jason Dunn, Farrah Campbell, Elizabeth Fuentes Leone, Shafraz Rahim, Nelly Andrade, Carol Milanez, Carolina Araujo, Derek Bingham ๐Ÿฅ‘, Mouna Neelakanta, Ridhima Kapoor, Corey Strausman, Gunnar Grosch, Mike Chambers, Darko Mesaroลก, Aaron Hunter, Alejandra Bricio, Hazel Saenz, Brooke Jamieson, Jeff Barr, Maish Saidel-Keesing, Uliana Cรกceres ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ, Natalia Stones**, and many more โ€” all united by one goal: your success! ๐Ÿš€


What is the program?
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The AWS Community Builders Program is a global initiative designed to empower AWS enthusiasts to connect, learn, and share knowledge with the wider technical community.


Who can apply?
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The program is open to technical content creators (18+) of all experience levels, backgrounds, and technical areas.

You donโ€™t need to be an AWS expert or a senior professional (I applied when I was a graduate)!

You should definitely consider applying if you are someone who:

  • Learns and builds on AWS (or is eager to start)
  • Already shares knowledge through articles, blogs, videos, podcasts, talks, or open-source contributions (especially during 2025)
  • Actively contributes to a tech community

๐Ÿ‘‰ If this sounds like you, your place is here with us!


Helpful resources before you apply
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Iโ€™m not going to reinvent the wheel here. At the end of this article, youโ€™ll find:

  • Recordings of all the sessions we hosted worldwide (many in local languages)
  • Links to my favorite articles about the program

Everything you need to feel confident and prepared to apply and join us as an AWS Community Builder! ๐Ÿ’ก


And finallyโ€ฆ my golden advice ๐ŸŒŸ
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โœจ Take the time you need to craft a stellar application โœจ

Applications opened on January 7 and typically remain open for about two weeks.

This is not about who submits first. It’s about who submits best.

๐Ÿ“Œ Focus on strong, thoughtful answers. Use the STAR method to structure your responses.

Tell your story: who you are, why you contribute to the community, how you make an impact, and donโ€™t be afraid to show your passion for helping others.

๐Ÿ“Œ Choose impactful examples. Ask mentors, mentees, or role models for guidance to identify your most meaningful and well-produced content.

Submitting examples is a crucial step. Donโ€™t skip it!

AWS looks closely at quality, accuracy, consistency, and impact, so choose wisely.


Wrapping up ๐ŸŽ
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Take your time, prepare your application with care (and love ๐Ÿ’œ), and explore the resources below to craft a remarkable submission.

๐Ÿ‘‰ And when you are ready to apply… Click here!

I canโ€™t wait to see you joining us soon in the AWS Community Builders channel as one of the new members! ๐Ÿ’ž๐Ÿซ‚๐Ÿคฉ๐Ÿ’–


๐ŸŒŽ Live sessions about the AWS Community Builders
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(And a dream team of AWS Community Builders role models you definitely should follow and connect with!**)

๐ŸŽค In English:
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๐Ÿ“ Africa - Thelma Laryea, Fatima Aruna, Endah Bongo-Awah, Omshree Butani, and me. ๐Ÿ‘‰ Review the announcement here!

AWS Community Builders Africa session
Becoming an AWS Community Builder - Africa session


๐Ÿ“ Europe - Darya Petrashka, Endah Bongo-Awah, ๐ŸŒ€Anda-Catalina Giraud, Elizabeth Adรฉgbajรบ, Nagaswetha Mudunuri, Anton Antanovich, and me. ๐Ÿ‘‰ Watch it here!

AWS Community Builders Europe session
AWS Community Builders - What is and How to Become One - Europe


๐Ÿ“ India - Abinaya S V, Jeevitha Murugan, Omshree Butani, Poonam Pratik Patel, Pooja Ranjan, Varsha Verma โ˜๏ธ, and me. ๐Ÿ‘‰ Watch it here!

AWS Community Builders India session
AWS Community Builders - What is and How to Become One - India


๐Ÿ“ NAMER - Bansi Delwadia, Jenn Bergstrom, Amelia Hough-Ross, Darya Petrashka, Joanne Skiles, PhD, Margaret Valtierra, and me. ๐Ÿ‘‰ Watch it here!

AWS Community Builders NAMER session
AWS Community Builders - What is and How to Become One - NAMER


๐Ÿ“ Oceania - Dale Orders, Olga Shabalina, Christina Chen, Natalia Nam, Mai Nishitani, Stephen Sennett, and me. ๐Ÿ‘‰ Watch it here!

AWS Community Builders APJ session
AWS Community Builders - All You Need to Know - Oceania session


๐ŸŒ In multiple languages:
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๐Ÿ“ Brazil (Portuguese) - Amanda Silva de Souza, Lays Rodrigues, Amaury Borges Souza, Flรกvio Pimenta, Felipe (KiKo) de Freitas Campos, Dan Rezende, and me. ๐Ÿ‘‰ Watch it here!

AWS Community Builders Brazil session
AWS Community Builders - Tudo o que vocรช precisa saber - Brazil


๐Ÿ“ LATAM (Spanish) - Verรณnica Rivera, Sary Libreros, Brenda Galicia, and Carolina Herrera Monteza . ๐Ÿ‘‰ Watch it here!

AWS Community Builders LATAM session
Conviรฉrtete en AWS Community Builder - LATAM


๐Ÿ“ China (Chinese) - XIAOFEI LI, RURU Cheng, ZHITONG LIU and Christina Chen. ๐Ÿ‘‰ Watch it here!

AWS Community Builders China session
AWS Community Builders - session China (in Chinese)


๐Ÿ“ Israel (Hebrew) - Eyal Estrin โ˜, Orel Bello, Rotem Levi โ˜๏ธ, Yedidya Schwartz, and Ophir Zahavi. ๐Ÿ‘‰ Watch it here!

AWS Community Builders Israel session
AWS Community Builders - session Israel (in Hebrew)


๐Ÿ“ Egypt - UAE (Arabic) - Asmaa Elalfy, Abdelrahman Ahmed ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ธ, Mahmoud Abdelrahman, Noureldin Ehab and Mohamed Rizk. ๐Ÿ‘‰ Watch it here!

AWS Community Builders Egypt and UAE session
AWS Community Builders - Egypt and UAE session (in Arabic)


๐Ÿ“ Some of my favorite articles:
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You can also find this article on my LinkedIn articles session, where all the incredible AWS Community Builders ans AWS employees mentioned here are tagged**.

Suzana Melo
Author
Suzana Melo
Suzana Melo is a full-stack developer and a certified AWS Cloud Practitioner who transitioned into software development in her 40s without a tech background. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications and has over 20 years of experience. As a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion, she actively works on initiatives that empower women and underrepresented groups in tech, mentors juniors and graduates, and drives tech community enablement across APAC, Europe, and the Americas. Suzana is an AWS Community Builder, an AWS User Group Leader in Sweden, and volunteers as a Social Media Specialist for Women in Tech Sweden.