Applications Are Open: Become an AWS Student Builder Group Leader
Lead a community. Build with AWS. Stand out before you graduate.
Applications for the next round of AWS Student Builder Group Leaders are now open.
If you're a student ready to lead, build, and grow - this is your moment to make a real impact on your campus.
As a Student Builder Group Leader, you'll spend 12 months hosting events, shipping projects, publishing what you learn, and growing a community of students building with AWS on your campus. You'll be the person who makes cloud and AI accessible to your peers, and you'll gain career-defining experience along the way.
Applications close Sunday, October 4, 2026, at 11:59 PM PST.
What Are AWS Student Builder Groups?
AWS Student Builder Groups are student-led communities where post-secondary students come together to explore, create, and innovate with AWS. Part of the broader AWS Builder Community, groups meet on campus to learn cloud and AI skills through hands-on events, workshops, and projects. Membership is open to any learner 18+ who's ready to start building.
There are currently more than 1,000 groups across 68+ countries - and we're growing.
What You Get as a Student Builder Group Leader
Group Leaders receive real benefits that accelerate your career and your cloud skills so you can focus on building:
- AWS Credits to help you build real projects on AWS
- Certification vouchers to help you upskill and earn AWS credentials
- QA.com learning license with self-paced courses, hands-on labs, and practice exams
- Badges to showcase your journey - milestone badges as you advance and the Zenith badge for exceptional leaders
- Swag - points redeemable for branded gear as you hit milestones
Direct Connection to AWS Professionals
This is one of the most direct ways for a student to connect with AWS professionals and the broader builder community:
- Direct communication with the AWS team - you'll have a dedicated Account Manager and a Slack channel for ongoing support, questions, and guidance
- Monthly check-ins with AWS staff to share progress, celebrate wins, and get unblocked
- Access to the Student Builder Group Leaders (SBGL) Slack Community - connect with hundreds of Group Leaders across 68+ countries, share resources, and collaborate
- Regional channels to network with leaders near you (North America, LATAM, APJC, EU, India/South Asia, MENAT/SSA, and more)
- Resources built by AWS - event toolkits, presentation templates, branding kits, communication templates, and a Leader's Library of playbooks
- Collaboration opportunities with other AWS Communities and partner events.
- Publish on AWS Builder Center - write articles during your term, sharing your expertise with the global AWS community
You're not doing this alone. You have a team behind you, a community around you, and direct access to AWS.
What This Means for Your Career
A year as a Group Leader gives you a leadership story that stands out in any interview. "I started a community from scratch, grew it to X members, managed a team, and ran 6+ events in 12 months" is a stronger answer than any class project. You'll be a published author on an AWS platform – your Builder Center articles are public, searchable, and tied to your name. Link them on LinkedIn and include them in applications.
You'll walk away with real event management experience: venue booking, marketing, logistics, feedback loops, iteration. That's project management on a resume without needing a PM title first. After 12 months of check-ins, Slack conversations, and collaboration, you know people at AWS - real professional relationships at a major tech company. You'll sharpen your public speaking by presenting, facilitating, and running events repeatedly for a year, building confidence most students don't get until their first job. And through cross-campus collaboration with leaders at other universities, your professional network extends beyond your school before you even graduate.
What You'll Actually Do
As a Group Leader, you'll serve as the primary leader of a Student Builder Group on your campus. Over your 12-month term, you'll host 6+ events - hands-on workshops, certification prep, networking events, career sessions - in whatever format works best for your community. You'll grow your group by recruiting members, building a Core Team of co-organizers, and getting your group officially recognized on campus. Along the way, you'll write articles on AWS Builder Center sharing your journey, tips, and technical projects. At the end of your term, you'll mentor a successor to carry the group forward.
Are You Eligible?
To apply, you must:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Be enrolled in a post-secondary institution (college or university)
- Have at least 12 months remaining at your institution
- Be ready to commit to hosting at least 6 events over 12 months
That's it. No prior AWS experience required - just the drive to learn, build, and lead.
If You're a Student: Apply
If you meet the criteria above, don't wait. This is a chance to gain real leadership experience, earn AWS credentials, connect directly with AWS professionals, and build a professional network that started on your campus but extends far beyond it.
If you are an Educator and/or Community Member: Spread the Word
Know a student who's always building, organizing, or asking, "what's next?" This is for them. Share this post in your classes, department channels, Discord servers, or group chats. Tag the student who should apply.
The program spans more than 1,000 institutions across 68+ countries, and every new leader starts with someone pointing them in the right direction.
Ready?
Applications close Sunday, October 4, 2026, at 11:59 PM PST.
Questions? Email StudentBuilders@amazon.com
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