Membership requirements

The criteria used to determine if someone is eligible for Ubuntu Membership are not rigid, since contributions to Ubuntu and the community can take on a variety of forms. However, those seeking Membership should be aware of some of the broad requirements the Membership Board has set.

Length of time

There is no precise length of contribution time required for Membership. However, we recommend individuals applying for Membership have at least 6 months of sustained Ubuntu-related contributions along with supporting testimonials from other contributors in the community.

Contribution types

Membership is not limited to technical contributors. All contributions are valued and recognized whether you contribute to artwork, documentation, providing support on the forums, the answers tracker, IRC support, bug triage, translation, development and packaging, marketing and advocacy, or anything that helps support Ubuntu or the Ubuntu Community.

Upstream contributions

Ubuntu benefits from contributions to upstream projects – Debian specifically. However, while contributions to those projects are appreciated and worth being recognized, involvement in downstream Ubuntu is required for Membership. After all, it’s all about Ubuntu Membership.

Testimonials

It is important that Members demonstrate the ability to interact with others. Detailed endorsements from others are important criteria that get evaluated during the application process, because they give better insight into specific parts of the community.

Testimonials from members of various parts of the community are appreciated, even if they’re not Ubuntu Members themselves. We encourage prospective members to reach out to both fellow contributors and official Members to see if their contributions meet the standard and to ask for their endorsement.

Ready to apply?

If you think you meet these requirements, discover how to prepare and submit a membership application.