CNCF Reference Architecture Contest

The CNCF Reference Architecture Contest - in conjunction with the CNCF End User Case Study Contest - showcases how end users actually build, scale, and operate cloud native systems in production. From platform design to workload patterns, these architectures capture the decisions, trade-offs, and lessons that don’t show up in diagrams alone.

You could present a 5-minute keynote live on stage at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon NA 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah 9-12 November 2026.

Submission guide

How to submit

Participants submit entries via the CNCF Reference Architecture GitHub issue template. The template defines the required structure and ensures consistency across submissions, including:

  • Contact information
  • End user organization(s) backing the submission
  • Problem space and use case
  • CNCF projects included in the architecture
  • Optional but encouraged:
    • Industry or domain
    • Draft architecture diagram
    • Adoption indicators (Established, Developing, Emerging)

Submissions are intentionally lightweight to lower the barrier to entry. Detailed content is developed iteratively after submission. Submitters should be aware that selected entries may be highlighted publicly and may be considered for additional CNCF recognition, including alignment with End User Awards.

For your best chances of being accepted, please review the rest of the information on this page, and you are encouraged to use published reference architectures as a reference.

Goals

The Reference Architecture Contest aims to:

  • Highlight real-world, production-grade cloud native architectures
  • Amplify end-user experiences and design decisions
  • Provide reusable patterns for the broader community
  • Encourage collaboration between end users and CNCF contributors
  • Align with and extend the successful CNCF End User Case Study Contest

Guiding Principles

  • End-user voice first — Submissions should reflect real-world usage and decisions
  • Iterative, not pass/fail — Entries evolve through collaboration and feedback
  • Clarity over completeness — Early drafts are welcome and refined over time
  • Adoption ≠ project maturity — Usage context is independent of CNCF maturity levels

Adoption Indicators

To describe how technologies are used within a reference architecture, the following indicators may be used:

  • Established — Demonstrates strong, production usage within this architecture
  • Developing — Shows active adoption with opportunities for expansion
  • Emerging — Early-stage or exploratory usage

These indicators reflect how extensively a technology is used within a specific architecture (that is, the degree of consumption), rather than a judgment of the technology itself. Adoption indicators are independent from CNCF project maturity levels. A project may be highly mature within CNCF but only emerging within a given architecture, or vice versa.

Submission Review Process

For a detailed outline of the review process and criteria, see the Reference Architecture Submission Process in the cncf/tab repo.

Last modified March 18, 2026: Add initial contest page (f7277f6)