For PyCon APAC 2017, in order for us to increase opportunities to attend the conference, we have a Financial Aid program ready.

Philosophy/Outreach

Everyone – even the conference chair – pays for PyCon registration. That way, we can assist those who might otherwise not be able to attend. This includes major diversity and outreach programs to attract new speakers, students, and attendees.

The financial aid program is about the community nurturing itself by making itself more accessible at PyCon. It is true to the spirit of PyCon, by helping to make the information and interactions available to everyone.

Previous PyCon MY didn’t have a financial aid program due to budget constraints, but for PyCon APAC 2017, we do.

Financial aid recipients have some part of their expenses (which can include travel, hotel and registration) paid for with the PyCon budget. We actively encourage people to apply for financial aid. The PYCON MY PLT welcomes and encourages applications from students. While we wish we could give grants to everyone who applies, we do not have the funds to do that. Our goal is to get the most people to PyCon APAC by optimizing the funds we have.

Our financial aid will be granted based on the following, in no particular order:

• Financial need: Tell us what’s stopping you from joining us?
• Desire to attend: Do you really really want to come to PyCon APAC in Malaysia?
• Level of experience in programming: How long have you dabbled in Python?
• Contributions to open source
• First-Time Attendance: Have you ever attended a PyCon in Malaysia or anywhere else?
• Priority to under-represented groups, i.e students, overseas and female attendees
• You’re submitting a talk

Financial reimbursement will only be provided for:

• Travel expenses
• Accommodations
• Ground Transportation
• PyCon APAC subsidized ticket 

Financial reimbursement does not cover:

• Food
• Miscellaneous expenses

Note that financial aid will be given in the form of a reimbursement and proof of purchase (such as receipts) will be required for the reimbursement process. It is the attendee’s responsibility to provide these proof. 

To ensure a high attendance rate, our goal is to provide financial aid to as many attendees as we can. This means instead of sending aid for 1 person who requires a larger amount, we’d prefer to split and send the same total amount to multiple attendees instead.

All reimbursement will be provided during or after the event itself. Disbursement of funds will be onsite during the conference, by check only, in MYR. No funds will be disbursed prior to the event. The check can be cashed at any CIMB bank branch in Malaysia.

Only those that have filed their disbursements will be allowed to pick up a check. For obvious reasons, no reimbursements will be processed for attendees who fail to attend the conference. We hope to see you there and thank you in advance for interest and much appreciated co-operation.

How many grants do we have?

In an effort to ensure as many people as possible can attend PyCon APAC 2017, we will be providing financial aid to 12 (10 has been announced) attendees with a maximum grant of MYR500 per applicant.

Are there any prerequisite to applying for the Financial Aid?

No, but we do put more weight on applications from students and under-represented groups like women.

After filling in the form with your particulars, we will need you to send in your photo ID (passport, student card if you’re a student or identity card if your’re Malaysian) for verification purposes to financial-aid@pycon.my. Please send in documents in English or Bahasa Malaysia only.

When is the closing date and announcement of successful applicants?

Application for this financial aid is open to all until 0000 MST, 10th July 2017. The 10 successful applicants will be announced on 9th August 2017.

Please apply via the PyCon APAC 2017 – Financial Aid Application and don’t forget to send a copy of your identification document to financial-aid@pycon.my. Applications without identification document will be considered invalid.