Google Season of Docs provides support for open source projects to improve their documentation and gives professional technical writers an opportunity to gain experience in open source. Together we improve developer experience through better documentation and raise the profile of technical writers in open source.
For 2023, Season of Docs is pleased to announce that 13 organizations will be participating in the program! The list of participating organizations can be viewed on the website.
The project development phase now begins. Organizations and the technical writers they hire will work on their documentation projects from now until November 6th. For organizations still looking to hire a technical writer, the hiring deadline is May 10th.
How do I take part in Season of Docs as a technical writer?
Start by reading the technical writer guide and FAQs which give information about eligibility and choosing a project. Next, technical writers interested in working with accepted open source organizations can share their contact information via the Season of Docs GitHub repository; or they may submit a statement of interest directly to the organizations. We recommend technical writers reach out to organizations before submitting a statement of interest to discuss the project they’ll be working on and gain a better understanding of the organization. Technical writers do not need to submit a formal application through Season of Docs, so reach out to the organizations as soon as possible!
Will technical writers be paid while working with organizations accepted into Season of Docs?
Yes. Participating organizations will transfer funds directly to the technical writer via OpenCollective. Technical writers should review the organization's proposed project budgets and discuss their compensation and payment schedule with the organization before hiring. Check out our technical writer payment process guide for more details.
General Timeline
May 10 |
Technical writer hiring deadline |
June 14 |
Organization administrators start reporting on their project status via monthly evaluations |
November 21 |
Organization administrators submit their case study and final project evaluation |
December 5 |
Google publishes the 2023 Season of Docs case studies and aggregate project data |
May 1, 2024 |
Organizations begin to participate in post-program followup surveys |
See the full timeline for details.
Care to join us?
Explore the Season of Docs website at g.co/seasonofdocs to learn more about the program. Use our logo and other promotional resources to spread the word. Review the timeline, check out the FAQ, and reach out to organizations now!
If you have any questions about the program, please email us at [email protected].
By Erin McKean, Google Open Source Programs Office