Elastic has announced the global launch of the Elastic Contributor Program, initially piloted in Brazil, to recognize and encourage open-source contributions within the Elastic community. The program, which officially begins on September 1, aims to reward contributors with incentives like swag, training passes, and event tickets for their efforts in sharing knowledge and enhancing the Elastic Stack. During the pilot phase, the program saw significant engagement, with hundreds of submissions and contributors being recognized at various levels. Participants, such as Felipe Queiroz, have expressed gratitude for the program's role in their personal and professional growth, highlighting its impact on local communities and the global Elastic community. The pilot's success led to increased community submissions and progress on key development requests, like converting Elastic UI Framework components to TypeScript. The initiative encourages diverse contributions, including code submissions and event organization, with top contributors to be recognized in March 2021.