The Java Community Process (JCP) program celebrates success.

December 2023 marked the 25 years of the JCP Program. It is a major milestone for the JCP and Java community, and it could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of the members in the community. It is our commitment to work with the Java community to ensure that Java continues to stay strong and relevant for the current and future developers.

This year, we have the following categories for the annual JCP Awards:

• JCP Member/Participant of the Year
• Java in Education Community Award

• Alan Bateman
  
  Alan Bateman's contributions to the Java Platform and the Java community over the past 20 years have been colossal. Alan started working initially on improving the serviceability of the Java platform. This work was instrumental in the early adoption of Java and Java success in the Enterprise. Alan expanded his role over the years and has been a lead architect for the Java Core Libraries at Sun and now at Oracle. Alan's influence can be seen all over the platform. Alan has been involved in virtually all new major features in the Java platform over the past decade, coordinating work, reviewing design, providing guidance, and helping contributions to the OpenJDK project. Alan's leadership was critical in revamping Java networking and I/O API with the NIO (New I/O) project. Alan was essential to the successful delivery of Project Jigsaw adding a module system to the Java programing language and modularizing the entire platform and the JDK. More recently Alan has been co-leading Project Loom bringing lightweight threads to Java, overhauling the entire threading platform infrastructure. Alan has an encyclopedic knowledge of the JDK. His opinion is widely respected in the larger OpenJDK and Java community. His advice is often asked by leading 3rd party library maintainers to review their approach to adopt new JDK features or addressing issues. Alan is a true asset to the Java community process and well-deserve this JCP award recognition.

• Andrew Haley
  
  Andrew Haley has been a member of the Expert Group for every Java SE Platform JSR since Java SE 7 (JSR 336) in 2010. Through his quiet dedication to the implementation of Java SE 8 (JSR 337) in the OpenJDK 8 Updates Project, Andrew demonstrates the long-term value of specifications and compatibility with APIs from the Java Community Process.

• Don Raab
  
  For his work with the JCP Executive Committee, particularly his co-leading the Java Ecosystem Working Group.

• Sameer Shukla
  
  I would like to nominate Sameer Shukla for the JCP Participant of the Year award, reflecting his deep commitment to advancing Java technology. His expertise in functional programming and contributions to the Java community are demonstrated through a series of insightful articles on platforms such as DZone, freeCodeCamp, and Hashnode. Few of his articles, including
  • Crafting Code with Higher-Order Functions in Java
  • Exploring Java Stream APIs Peek Method
  • Functional Programming in Java

  showcase his dedication to educating and inspiring others about Java's powerful capabilities. Also, he has actively contributed to his current and previous organizations by conducting sessions on Java with other latest technologies/frameworks like TestContainers, SpringBoot 3.2, and Java 21, guiding his colleagues to leverage these tools effectively. His proactive engagement in sharing knowledge and fostering innovation within the Java ecosystem exemplifies why he is a fitting candidate for this award.

• JavaDominicano
  
  JavaDominicano has made significant contributions to the Java in Education initiative. JUG leader Brayan Munoz worked with JUG members to translate the Java in Education presentations into Spanish, which was genuinely appreciated by Spanish speaking communities. He also authored an article about Java in Education, where he explained how some of the JUGs around the world have used the Java in Education materials that are available on the website to teach Java including coding workshops. Brayan and JavaDominicano are the true role models, and there is so much that other JUGs can learn from their achievements and accomplishments.

• Java User Group Bangladesh
  
  Bazlur Rahman, leader of Java User Group Bangladesh, is a Java Champion and a contributing editor at InfoQ. He authored an article on Java in Education, encouraging Java leaders, educators, and students to get involved in the initiative, which was very inspiring. He is a committed leader in the Java community with a passion for community building.

• Java User Group Philippines (JUG PH)
  
  Java User Group Philippines, led by Tristan Mahinay, hosted Modern Java Development Bootcamp in partnership with Developer Connect (DEVCON) Philippines/Manila. It was an enormous success, receiving over 110 registration requests. They integrated Java in Education into their curriculum and focused on students and young professionals learning Java. The JUG also hosts meetups regularly throughout the year to get involved, collaborate, and learn Java from each other and from other organizations.

Description of the JCP Award Categories JCP Member/Participant of the Year - This award recognizes the corporate or individual member (either Member or Participant) who has made the most significant positive impact on the community in the past year. Leadership, investment in the community, and innovation are some of the qualities that EC Members look for in voting for this award.   Java in Education Community Award - Since 2020, the Java in Education initiative has been enlisting Java User Groups to assist in promoting Java in education institutions around the world. This award recognizes the Java User Group that has accomplished the most outstanding work in promoting Java to the next generation of developers.