Java Champion
A Java Champion is a leader and visionary in the Java technology community.
Java champions are nominated by members of the Java community and must be unanimously approved by a committee of existing Java Champions. Requirements for acceptance generally include a high level of influence in the community, a strong track record for innovation, open source project or educational leadership, authorship of books or papers about Java, and/or public speaking in the Java field.
The Java Champion program is sponsored by Oracle, although the group itself is independent from the company. Champions have the opportunity to influence the direction of future upgrades and versions of Java by offering suggestions and feedback to the company’s developers. This honor is distinct from the JavaOne rock star designation which is granted to JavaOne conference speakers and based on attendee survey results.