It is now a tradition for Sunlight to invite a number of open government activists, coders, journalists, policymakers, scholars and a whole bunch of other folks from around the world to join us for a series of informal conversations during the days around TransparencyCamp, our largest annual opengov gathering. In 2014, we are opening up the process again and invite you to come and share the TCamp experience with us!

Apply now for an international travel stipend to attend TransparencyCamp on May 30-31, and the international portion of TCamp held on May 29 and June 2 in Washington, D.C. This travel stipend is open only for participants outside of the U.S. The deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. EST on February 24.

For those unfamiliar, TransparencyCamp is Sunlight’s largest community gathering, a two-day event focused on bringing together folks from a number of different backgrounds with an overlapping interest in government transparency. As an “unconference,” TransparencyCamp relies on the participation of attendees to set the environment and even the agenda. It’s a unique and fun experience, and it’s one that we’re committed to making as accessible as possible — that’s why we offer a partial travel stipend for participants beyond the U.S.

The international portion of TCamp provides a way for guests from a variety of political contexts to share their experiences, ideas, expertise and challenges in a more intimate setting. It’s a great opportunity not just to connect your work with the global open government network, but to absorb multidisciplinary learnings and creative solutions from peers working as journalists, developers, technologists, policy-makers, government officials, academics and advocates. Last year, we had an overwhelming response to the program, with over 400 applicants expressing interest.

This year, the “rules” are pretty much the same. Everyone is welcome to apply and we hope to gather a diverse set of non-U.S. participants, especially encouraging women and members of underrepresented groups to apply. Our programming is in English, so before you apply, please note that English proficiency is essential. The international travel stipend is open only for participants who can attend both TCamp and the international program portion.

But a few things have changed since last year. In our attempt to infect an increasing number of folks with the idea of government transparency, we are giving preference to newcomers — those of you who have never been to TCamp before. However, we still encourage our previous TCamp guests to apply, as we’re thinking of extending last year’s successful mentorship program to the international event. Also, this year’s international program will have a special focus on the intersections of technology and political power, and the transparency of political funding; do keep that in mind when applying for the stipend.

Do you want to be part of the TCamp experience? Apply now!