Are you thinking of speaking at PyCascades?
Great! We're looking forward to reading your proposal!

Never considered speaking at PyCascades? We think you should! We love proposals from:

• People who've never spoken before (we've got mentors for you!)
• People new to Python
• People who use Python in their spare time
• People who want to talk about something that isn't specifically Python

What We Are Looking For:

What adventure are you having with Python? Did you build something you're excited about? Did you learn something neat? What interesting problem have you solved recently? What do you wish someone would have told you years ago? Talks can be about anything that someone in the
Python community would be interested in hearing about.

We’re excited to be back in person this year, this time in Seattle, Washington! Our focus this year is on in-person talks, but we may have a limited number of streamed remote and/or prerecorded talks. Don’t let the in-person nature of the conference discourage you from submitting a talk!

Schedule

• CFP Opens: Monday, December 4th, 2023
• CFP Closes: Thursday, January 4th 2024 AoE
• Speaker Invitations Sent: Week of January 20th 2024
• Conference dates: April 5th - 8th, 2024 (Talk days on the 6th & 7th, Social Hour on the 5th, and Sprints on the 8th)

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Submission Guidelines

Please read instructions completely. It will make it much easier for us to review all of the proposals and announce our selections as quickly as possible.

As you're writing your proposal, keep in mind:

• Talks will be 25 minutes long.
• We will have an MC introduce/interview you before hand.
• Q&A after the talk may be offered for speakers - in the case that it is, it will be offered as an opt-in option.
• By submitting a proposal, you agree to follow the PyCascades Code of Conduct.

In particular, speakers should be conscious of the fact that they are in a professional context with audience members from many different backgrounds. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate, and neither are language or imagery that denigrate or demean people based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, physical appearance, disability, or body size.

We'd also ask that you also be mindful of jokes told at the expense of other languages, platforms, or tools. This is a conference for people who love Python, not people who hate Ruby/Windows/iOS/etc.

• Talks do not need to be about Python but your talk is more likely to be selected if relevant to the Python community. You can look at the list of talks from previous years (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) to get a feel for the overall topics.
• You can (and are encouraged to!) submit as many talk proposals as you’d like, but keep in mind that only one talk per speaker will be accepted.

Health & Safety Policy

Our top priority this year is health and safety, and we’re taking our Health & Safety Policy seriously. We’re committed to centering this policy around fact-based recommendations from public health experts, not simply meeting the minimums required by local ordinances. We are also listening to community feedback around our Health & Safety Policy policy, and appreciate the feedback we’ve received so far. Additionally, we’re going to continue our conversations as the conference date approaches, so we can strengthen requirements if necessary.

Additionally, we are pursuing interactive remote options for those who do not wish to or cannot attend in person.

We recognize that choosing to attend a conference is a personal health decision, and the protocols we put into place play a large role in that decision. As such, we will not relax or remove these policies after registration opens.

Read our Health and Safety Policy.

Structure

Your proposal must include the following sections:

• Title: This is what will be shown in the schedule.
• Abstract: A short description of your talk. If your talk is accepted, the abstract will be published on the conference website.

This is the place to tell people:

• What you'll be talking about.
• What they'll learn from your talk.
• What background experience they should have to get the most out of your talk.
• Description: an in-depth explanation of your talk, read only by reviewers.

An outline of your talk along with a time breakdown is encouraged but not required.

Please do not include any personally identifiable information in the description, as this will effectively de-anonymize the proposal.

• Speaker Profile: The speaker profile section will be hidden from the reviewers when they read through all the talks. After discussing the talks and narrowing down the selection, the profile section will be revealed and then the team will make a final decision.

The following sections are optional:

• Notes: This is where you would tell the reviewers anything they need to know about your talk that doesn't fit in another section. Such as any additional equipment you might need, whether or not you’ve given this talk before, etc.
• Tags: You can add a list of comma separated tags to give reviewers a quick overview of the topics you'll be covering. Tags are not required, but the reviewing team loves tags and we encourage using them.

CFP Resources

The PyCascades Youtube channel is the best place to get inspired and view talks from past PyCascades Conferences

New to public speaking or submitting a CFP? Want to be sure you get selected as a PyCascades Conference speaker?

VM Brasseur has compiled a list of public speaking resources to help speakers write talk proposals, prepare, and give their talk: Public Speaking Resources

Allison Kaptur has compiled a list of PyCon talk proposals to help potential speakers see how to write a talk proposal that will get accepted: Example Proposals

Nina Zakharenko has written a comprehensive guide on how to propose, prepare, and give technical talks: Ultimate Guide to Memorable Tech Talks

CFP FAQ

Q. Is there a required competency to be a speaker? Do I need to be a CTO/have a PhD etc.

No, you do not need to be those things! If you have knowledge about particular technical subject matter, please share! We support and encourage first time speakers to apply.

Q. What should I present on?

You can present on core technologies and a solution, a work project & its challenges, a project you created for fun, etc! You can find inspiration from past talks on our YouTube channel

Q. How do I stay connected

If you aren’t already subscribed, sign up for our newsletter to hear the latest news about the conference, including dates, venue, and financial aid!

This Call for Papers closed on 2024-01-05 04:00 (US/Pacific).