Guide
How to join Kong Champions in 2026
How to become a Kong Champion in 2026. What they ask, what you get, and how to apply on Kong's official Champions page.
Apply on Kong's site
Kong Champions is a contribution-first program for people who share Kong expertise in public and help grow the community. Give and take. Apply on Kong's official pages.
I run Ambassador Directory. I am a Cursor ambassador and a Raycast ambassador. I am not a Kong Champion. The rule here is give and take: you advocate through forums, blogs, video, webinars, and speaking, and you get a private group, a line to Product and Engineering, recognition, events, swag, and an early look at product. If the deal is a tracking link, it is the wrong program.
This page is a how-to. Apply on konghq.com/community/kong-champions, not through this directory.
What they ask
Official framing: top advocates who help engage and grow Kong's global presence. They share expertise and passion through forum discussions, blogs, video testimonials, webinars, or speaking at events. They are the core foundation of the community.
The official page covers customers of all sizes and stages, plus representatives of the open-source user community and the partner ecosystem. It is not customers only.
Official contribution examples: a technical blog or a co-hosted webinar or user call; product feedback or a review; speak at an event such as API Summit by Kong, or host a Meetup; record a video, join a customer success story, or be featured in media; a confidential conversation with an analyst or a future Kong customer.
Official copy says you tell them your interests, goals, and areas of expertise. They share contribution opportunities plus the rewards and swag you can earn. They encourage Champions to pick opportunities that match their interests and availability. I will not invent a quota.
The listing on this site asks for active forum and community participation, expertise in API gateways and Kong, and content sharing plus knowledge transfer. The listing describes frequent contributors who share expertise through forum discussions, blogging, speaking at local events, and monthly user calls with the Kong team.
I will not invent a follower count, credit amount, or acceptance rate.
What you get
The exchange is support for the work, not a commission.
Official why-become copy names professional development (content, webinars and user calls, speaking such as API Summit), First Look (early access to new product features and the chance to share feedback first), peer connections, exclusive Champion-only events, and extra-special swag.
The listing on this site tags Access and Co-marketing. Official copy does not publish a credit amount. I will not invent one.
- Access to a private, Champions-only group
- Direct links to Product and Engineering to provide feedback
- Recognition for your expertise in the broader market
- Connection with other Kong users and industry leaders
- The opportunity to shape the future of Kong and its products
- Access to exclusive, Champions-only events
- The ability to earn exclusive swag
- Early product access (First Look on the official page)
Not Partner Champions, and not the Contributor Program
Kong also publishes Kong Partner Champions at konghq.com/community/kong-partner-champions. That page is for Kong partner professionals and has its own apply form. This how-to is the main Champions program.
The Kong Contributor Program at konghq.com/community/open-source-contribution is a points-and-swag contribution track. Official copy there says frequent contributors may become Champions, and that if you are already contributing you are halfway there. It is not the Champions application.
This page is Kong Champions. Contribution. Forums, blogs, webinars, speaking, product feedback. Not CPA.
How to apply
Read the listing on this site so you know the ask and the perks. Then apply on Kong's official Champions page. Do not send an application through Ambassador Directory. We list programs. We do not take applications for them.
Official hub: https://konghq.com/community/kong-champions
The Apply Now button on that page jumps to the form on the same page at #apply. Use that published page. I will not invent a separate form URL.
Official process: applications are open. A review committee evaluates applications monthly.
Partner Champions apply page (partner professionals): https://konghq.com/community/kong-partner-champions
Contributor Program (not the Champions form): https://konghq.com/community/open-source-contribution
Intro blog (August 2022): https://konghq.com/blog/news/united-as-one-our-kong-champions-program
That 2022 blog is older. I will not treat its Slack, training-course, or Champion-count copy as current official perks.
A 2019 press release linked a Google Form. That is not the current apply path. Use the form on https://konghq.com/community/kong-champions.
Related API and developer-tool programs
If Kong Champions is the wrong fit, these live listings sit in a similar API or contribution-first developer-tools lane. Apply on that company's official page, not through this directory.
If you want the perk buckets, start there. If you want a general apply path, start with how to get in. Twilio Champions and Nx Champions are the other how-tos on this site for a similar champion-directory lane.