We are happy to announce the winners of the fist edition of the Nextcloud Community Awards! Our jury selected three winners nominated by our community for outstanding and unique contributions to the Nextcloud universe. We have presented the winners at the award ceremony at the Nextcloud Community Conference 2026.

About Nextcloud Community Awards

The Nextcloud Community Awards are a new recognition initiative launched as part of Nextcloud’s 10th anniversary in 2026 to celebrate the people who have made outstanding contributions to our community and ecosystem. Rather than being an industry award or public competition, the awards are intended as a heartfelt recognition of the individuals and teams who have helped shape the Nextcloud ecosystem through collaboration, innovation, and community engagement.

Nextcloud community members submitted nominations in three categories: Best Non-technical Contribution, Hidden Gem, and Side Quest. Our jury carefully reviewed the nominations based on criteria defined for each category. You can read more about the categories in the Nextcloud Community Awards announcement blog.

The jury consisted of Frank Karlitschek (founder and CEO of Nextcloud), Anna Larch (Developer Relations), and Jos Poortvliet (co-founder and VP Communications).

Meet the winners of the Nextcloud Community Awards in 2026

1. Best Non-technical Contribution: Romy Schneider

Open source is about people sharing knowledge, exchanging experiences, and building solutions together. In the true spirit of open source, Romy has built a community structure around the ver.diAktiv!Cloud, a Nextcloud-based collaborative system for volunteers in a department of Germany’s second largest trade union. In her approach, the focus was not on the technology, but on the people using it.

Romy developed an interactive, gamified learning journey for thousands of volunteers using ver.diAktiv!Cloud, enabling them to learn how to use Nextcloud and how to pass knowledge and experience to others, creating a decentralized, peer-to-peer system for support and collaboration.

I was very lucky to be one of the people who could help build the structure around it. To connect the dots, create a learning environment, and make it easier for people to become confident and independent at using Nextcloud.

Romy Schneider

Digital Collaboration & Enablement Expert at OpenSource Praxis-Lab

2. Hidden Gem: Benedikt Schächner

The lesser-known Nextcloud Social app brings decentralized social networking directly into Nextcloud by implementing ActivityPub and connecting a Nextcloud instance to the Fediverse, basically turning Nextcloud itself into a lightweight federated social server. Sadly, the app has not been properly maintained for a long time, until Benedikt took over its development and single-handedly revived Nextcloud Social. A young developer under the age of 18, he cleaned the code base, made the app stable and compatible, and added new features and improvements based on his own ideas.

For the past few years, however, the app has largely stopped working. Right now, there’s going to be a major overhaul. Most of its current code has already been reworked and brought back to life. Today, you can install the app from the App Store and connect with other Mastodon or Fediverse instances from all over the world.

Benedikt Schächner

Student at König-Karlmann-Gymnasium Altötting

3. Side Quest: Marcel Klehr

Many people move to Nextcloud driven by a desire to escape the “walled gardens” of Big Tech. However, bookmarks are one of the toughest parts of browser lock-in. In the Side Quest nomination, the award goes to Marcel Klehr, a developer who has created and maintained floccus, a free and open source bookmark management app that is uncompromising in privacy, for 10 years. Practically, as long as Nextcloud exists.

As the original nomination text said (and we couldn’t have put it better), “In an era where our digital lives are fragmented across multiple browsers and devices, the ability to maintain a unified, private, and self-hosted library of bookmarks is more than just a convenience. It is a matter of digital sovereignty.”

I’ve been working on floccus for 10 years now, and it’s a project that is very dear to my heart. So it means a lot to me to receive this recognition today. Thank you for everybody supporting me and all the people all over the world who use floccus and help make it better.

Marcel Klehr

Software Engineer at Nextcloud

Beginning of a new tradition

We want to thank our community for all the nominations submitted in each of the categories. Our jury’s task to pick the winners has not been easy. With so many exciting projects and contributions submitted, we are certain the Nextcloud Community Awards should become a good tradition of ours. We are looking forward to recognizing more outstanding contributions in the coming years!

The post Meet the winners of the Nextcloud Community Awards 2026! appeared first on Nextcloud.

The Nextcloud Community Conference 2026 is almost here! On September 19th and 20th, we’ll gather at CIC Berlin for a jam-packed weekend of collaboration, learning, and connections. Long-time contributors, open source enthusiasts, or anyone simply curious about the community — everyone is welcome! This guide is designed to help you get ready.

Address: Lohmühlenstraße 65, 12435 Berlin, Germany

Day 1: Saturday, September 19

Admission: 9 AM
Start of program: 10 AM
Party: 6 PM – 9 PM

Day 2: Sunday, September 20

Admission: 9 AM
Start of program: 9:30 AM
End of program: 5:30 PM

Contributor Week: September 21 – 25

Open from 9 AM – 5 PM

Tip: Arrive early to grab a coffee, chat with new friends, and snag a good spot for the sessions!

What to expect

The Nextcloud Community Conference is all about collaboration and innovation. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s waiting for you:

• Forward-thinking keynotes: Hear from thought leaders on topics like digital sovereignty through open source.
• Hands-on workshops: From accessibility to ExApp development, you’ll have the chance to dive deep into practical skills.
• Lightning talks: Interesting, community-led mini-sessions to discover new ideas and projects.
• Nextcloud Hub 26 Summer: Be the first to experience our biggest release of the year!
• Contributor Week: Four extra days to code, design, and plan with the global Nextcloud team and community.

What to bring

• Lanyards: For sustainability purposes, we always ask that attendees who have come before to bring their own lanyard. If you don’t have one, don’t worry! We’ll have plenty of extra lanyards and badges for you to wear.
• Nextcloud t-shirt: If you have a Nextcloud t-shirt, please bring it and wear it! Again, don’t worry if you don’t have a t-shirt yet. Extra shirts will be available for you.
• Headphones: There will be some free time and quiet areas to work, so be sure to bring your own ear buds or headphones if you need them in order to get in the zone.
• Laptop (+ charger): There won’t be any laptops available to rent or to borrow from the venue, so please bring your own if you want to use one.

Event venue

The conference takes place at CIC Berlin, a fun and vibrant co-working space near Görlitzer Park in Kreuzberg, Berlin.

Since 1999, CIC has worked with entrepreneurs, companies, institutions, and public partners to build places and systems that help ideas make it out of the room and into the world. They have campuses across across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Tip: Check out the floorplan to familiarize yourself with the space before you arrive.

Arrival information

Venue address: Lohmühlenstraße 65, 12435 Berlin, Germany

Before arrival, please have your ticket or ticket confirmation ready which you should have received per email.

Once you’ve entered the building, you will be greeted at our registration desk where you will check in, receive a badge and lanyard (if you didn’t bring your own), a Nextcloud t-shirt and a tote bag, and have a chance to ask any questions you might have.

Photos & privacy

We’ll have photographers onsite to capture the fun moments and energy throughout the conference.

If you don’t want to be photographed, stop by the registration desk to get a privacy sticker for your badge.

Accessibility & inclusion

We want everyone to feel welcome and supported.

The venue is wheelchair accessible.

If you require assistance, reach out to the event team ahead of time or during the event.

Our goal is to create a safe, inclusive space for everyone.

Sustainability

Nextcloud is committed to sustainable, responsible practices. Therefore, we will recycle all we can and try to avoid waste.

If possible, we ask you to bring your old lanyard and/or Nextloud t-shirt from a previous event to help our cause.

Code of conduct

We are committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all participants.

We expect everyone to be respectful, collaborative, supportive, and positive.

If you experience or witness any issues, please report them to the event staff immediately.

Code of conduct

Share your feedback

Your feedback helps us improve each year!

After the event, you’ll receive a short survey. Please take a few minutes to let us know how we did and what you’d like to see next time.

Connect with us

Stay connected before, during, and after the event:

• Hashtag: #NextcloudConf26
• Mastodon: @Nextcloud
• Forum: Welcome to the Nextcloud forums
• Instagram: @nextclouders
• LinkedIn: Nextcloud
• Bluesky: @nextcloud.bsky.social

See you in person!

We can’t wait to welcome you in Berlin and work together towards Building a safer digital world — together!

Not registered yet?

There’s still time! Register for the Nextcloud Community Conference 2026 on September 19 and 20 in Berlin, Germany.

Join now!

The post All you need to know before the Nextcloud Community Conference 2026 appeared first on Nextcloud.

The Nextcloud Community Conference is a great place to meet people interested in Nextcloud, open source, coding and privacy. Besides expanding your circle, it’s also an opportunity to learn. Luckily, Nextclouders are eager to share their knowledge through practical workshops. Here’s all you need to know about them.

About workshop sessions at the Nextcloud Community Conference 2026

The workshops take place during afternoon breakout tracks on day 1 and 2, in the second half of the day. You can find the confirmed sessions below and start planning your visit. To find the time and room for each workshop, check our agenda.

To help you find relevant workshops easier, we labeled the sessions by target audience:

Developers

Home users

First-time contributors

Keep in mind that we are still updating our agenda. Make sure to check the final program again at the event to plan smart.

September 19, Saturday:

Browse the full program for Saturday, September 19

September 20, Sunday:

Browse the full program for Sunday, September 20

What else is waiting for you at the Nextcloud Community Conference 2026?

Still deciding whether you belong at the Nextcloud Community Conference? We say yes!

The program is full of activities for everyone. Take a seat at the main stage for a keynote by Nextcloud founder Frank Karlitschek, talks by invited speakers like Paula Grzegorzewska, an exclusive live Nextcloud Podcast recording, panel discussions and roundtables. Hear lightning talks from Nextcloud contributors and app developers. Meet new people during breaks and stay for the party on Saturday evening. And a lot more. Browse the full program and register!

And once the event is over, don’t hurry back home just yet. If you are a member of the Nextcloud contributing community, we invite you to stay for the Contributor Week on September 21–25 to hang out, hack, and join developer sprints.

See you soon?

Join us at the Nextcloud Community Conference!

The Nextcloud Community Conference 2026 takes place September 19–20 at the CIC Berlin. You can also stay with us for the Contributor Week from September 21–25 at the same location. Visit the event page to learn more details.

See you at #NextcloudConf2026!

Learn more

The post Skill up with workshops at the Nextcloud Community Conference 2026 appeared first on Nextcloud.