In 2015, the Magento community created over 2,500 pull requests and issues for Magento 2.0 on Github, presented over 500 talks on Magento or at Magento-centric events, produced over 100 podcast episodes centered around Magento, organized conferences and meetups in over 24 different countries, wrote three books about Magento, contributed to official product documentation, wrote countless blog posts to raise awareness and education and answered thousands of questions on both StackExchange and the Magento Forums.

We truly have an amazingly prolific and active community. Thank you!

I’m incredibly excited that today, at MagentoLive France, Mark Lavelle announced a formal program called Magento Masters to recognize our top individual contributors.

Today’s announcement is the culmination of over six months of research and strategic planning to develop an initiative that elevates our most active community members, recognizes them for their contributions, and empowers them to help others learn more about the Magento platform and to succeed in our ecosystem.

Types of Magento Masters
There are three types of individuals selected to be Magento Masters:

• Makers: Makers are frequent contributors valued by Magento and other community members. They actively engage with others in the Magento Community, sharing ideas, insights, and constructive feedback.

• Mentors: Mentors are top contributors to the Magento Community who are highly active educating others and developing resources for them. They have proven expertise on building successful Magento implementations.

• Movers: Movers are Magento’s top advocates and ecosystem thought leaders who have demonstrated their expertise in driving innovation through Magento solutions. They are influencers in the industry in delivering best-of-class Magento implementations and advocate for Magento at industry events.

Rewards & Benefits
In addition to formal recognition at Magento’s annual Imagine conference, other benefits may include:

• Invitations to special events

• Involvement in community feedback opportunities

• Discounts on events and certifications

• Quarterly Magento Masters calls with the Magento team

• Recognition online and at Magento branded events

Selection Process

Magento Masters are selected through a rigorous selection process that takes into account Magento U certification and contributions across the community including speaking engagements, the Magento Forums, Magento StackExchange, Magento-centric events, the Magento codebase, and translations.

A Magento Master is any individual involved in the Magento ecosystem who regularly participates in the community, is a good steward of the brand, helps to create a positive environment, and consistently adds value to the community.

Magento Masters are selected annually, inducted and formally recognized at Magento’s Imagine conference.

Within the next two weeks, we will be reaching out to nominees for the 2016 Class of Magento Masters. I’m really looking forward to introducing you to them!

Want to set yourself up as a Magento Master for 2017? A good way to start is to get involved in our community on the Magento Forums.