Overview

The OpenID Foundation board of directors established the OpenID Foundation Kim Cameron Award Program in May 2022. Our goal is to encourage representation from young people who have an interest in subjects consistent with the OpenID Foundation Mission, in creating identity standards that are secure, interoperable, and privacy preserving.

The OpenID Foundation Kim Cameron Award is a recognition of the importance of mentoring a new generation of technical domain experts and thought leaders in user centric identity. The Award go to those who’ve demonstrated academic and practical interests in subjects consistent with OpenID Foundation’s Mission. The Foundation is collaborating with the European Identity Conference (EIC), Authenticate and Identiverse Conference organizers to maximize the value of the awards for recipients and the community at large. The OpenID Foundation Kim Cameron Award Program complements similar efforts in partner organizations to ensure diversity, international access and opportunities.

Award recipients will be studying, researching, interning, or working in a field relevant to OpenID Foundation working groups and consistent with Foundation’s Mission. The recipients will be invited to participate in Foundation breakout meetings at the conferences to provide exposure to both the Foundation’s leadership and leading industry technologists.

Award Request Process

The 2023 Kim Cameron Award includes complimentary admission to designated conferences and a $2500 per diem for travel, lodging and meals. Award recipients will be required to submit a blog detailing their experience at the conference to be published on the Foundation’s website and promoted via social channels.

Those interested are to send a request for award (and questions) to director@oidf.org with “2023 Kim Cameron Award Request” in the subject line. The request is to include:

• 300 words or less essay describing why the individual requesting the award is deserving, how it aligns with their current studies/work and how it will help them advance their career in digital identity
• The conference of interest and indicate if the submitter has an accepted presentation at this conference of choice
• A brief professional bio and headshot to be used if selected for an award to announce award recipients on the Foundation’s website and social channels

Please have approval to travel to the conference of choice should you be selected as an award recipient before applying for the award.

Award milestones:

• Friday, March 24, 2023 – deadline to submit award requests for both EIC and Identiverse
• Friday, March 31, 2023 – award recipients announced
• Monday, April 3, 2023 – per diems to be processed week of March 27^th so that awardees can plan travel

How to Assist in Building the Award Program for the Future

The Foundation welcomes members becoming more involved in the award program and they may consider contributing human and/or financial capital via directed funding. For 2023, we anticipate more applicants and have more industry conference partners than we can accommodate.

We are collaborating with members, IDPro, Women in Identity and other partners to best serve applicants and grantees. The Foundation welcomes their continued participation.

Finally, these awards would not be possible without the support of the organizers of Authenticate, EIC and Identiverse so a big “thank you” to them for their continued support and encouragement of the award program in 2023.

For more information on how to contribute to the Kim Cameron Scholarship Program, please contact OpenID Foundation Non-Executive Director, Don Thibeau.