Kotlin Ecosystem Mentorship Program: Results and Winners | The Kotlin Blog

The Kotlin Ecosystem Mentorship Program (KEMP) pilot successfully connected mentors and mentees to collaborate on real Kotlin open-source projects, resulting in meaningful community contributions. Out of ten selected pairs, four completed the two-month program, with one pair winning a trip to KotlinConf 2026 in Munich. The winning pair, comprising mentor Ruslan and mentee Clare Kinery, focused on the Android client of BitChat, where Clare made significant UI and UX improvements. The program highlighted the value of open-source collaboration, offering mentees hands-on experience and mentors fresh contributions while improving onboarding processes. The initiative received strong community interest, with 80 mentee and 29 mentor applications, and plans to continue based on the positive feedback and outcomes.