Oracle has published a roundup of the new Java Champions inducted during 2017. Over 40 new members have been announced, including InfoQ contributor Monica Beckwith.
The Java Champions programme is run by Oracle to recognise professionals outside of Oracle who makes significant contributions to the Java / JVM ecosystem.
Oracle describes the programme as consisting of:
Java technology and community leaders who are community-nominated and selected under a project sponsored by Oracle.
The Champions provide independent feedback and ideas to Oracle and are sometimes invited to confidential briefings and technical discussions with Oracle's Java engineers.
There are fewer than 250 Champions worldwide, with about a third coming from the USA and a third from the EU.
The criteria for selection are publicly available and emphasize leadership, influence and independence as well as technical excellence. The programme is open to everyone who is not an Oracle employee, but candidates have to be nominated by existing Champions and cannot self-nominate.