The CFS will open on April 9, 2025 and will close on May 2, 2025 at 11:59 pm PT.

Speaker nominations allow individuals to nominate themselves or someone else as a potential speaker for GitHub Universe. Rather than submitting a full session proposal, this process focuses on sharing details about the speaker’s subject matter expertise, experience, and any relevant talks they’ve given.

If you’re nominating someone other than yourself, you’ll need to make sure you have the nominee's permission before submitting their information. The nominee will be notified of the nomination and contacted for additional details to complete the process.

Below is the difference between the CFS process and the speaker nomination process:

• Call for sessions: Submit a full session proposal, including the topic, abstract, and key takeaways with proposed speakers.
• Speaker nominations: Recommend individuals (including yourself) who are experts in their field and could be a great fit for GitHub Universe. No session proposal is required—just share details about the speaker’s background and expertise.

We’ll contact you via email in late July 2025 on the status of your session proposal submission.

• If accepted: You'll receive next steps and access to the Universe Speaker Resource Center.
• If on the alternate list: We need additional time to review your submission and will give you an update by mid to late August 2025.
• If declined: We encourage you to join Universe 2025 as an attendee, and please consider submitting again in the future!

All speakers that were nominated via the speaker nomination process will be notified in late August 2025.

1. You’ll receive a confirmation email that your session proposal and/or speaker nomination has been submitted.
2. You’ll be able to make edits to your submission up until the CFS deadline on May 2, 2025.
3. Once the CFS closes, you’ll no longer be able to make edits to your submission.
4. A committee will conduct a comprehensive review process of all submissions.
5. You’ll hear from us periodically with updates, and you’ll receive an email in late July 2025 about the final status of your submission.

We’d be happy to look into that for you! Please contact us at speakersupport@github.com.

• The nominee’s name and contact information.
• Details about their subject matter expertise and areas of focus.
• Links to past talks, presentations, or recordings (if available).
• Optional: A recommendation or additional context for why they’d be a great speaker for Universe.

No—but we recommend nominating no more than three people for consideration. We're looking for true experts in their field, so we ask that each nomination be thoughtful and well-considered.

Our selection committee will review nominations to identify speakers who align with GitHub Universe’s content tracks and themes. Selected speakers may be invited to lead their own session, co-present with another speaker, or participate in a panel discussion. We’ll work closely with each selected speaker to determine the best format to showcase their expertise and engage the audience.

If you also have a session idea, we recommend submitting it through the CFS instead. Speaker nominations focus on individual expertise, rather than specific session proposals.

While we can’t provide individual feedback for every submission, we’ll notify all nominees of their status after the selection process is complete in late August 2025.

Yes! You can submit a session through the CFS and also nominate yourself as a speaker through the speaker nomination process. If you’re selected through one process, it won’t affect your chances in the other.

A great speaker nomination showcases why the nominee’s expertise and perspective are uniquely valuable for GitHub Universe. Here are some tips:

• Highlight relevant expertise: Clearly explain the nominee’s areas of focus, industry experience, and how their insights align with GitHub Universe's audience and themes.
• Include examples of past presentations: If available, share links to recorded talks, slide decks, or other relevant materials that demonstrate their presentation style and ability to engage an audience.
• Be specific and concise: Focus on what makes the nominee stand out. Avoid generic descriptions and instead emphasize unique accomplishments or contributions to their field.
• Provide supporting details: If nominating someone else, explain why you believe their expertise and voice are important for the event. Share any context that would help the selection committee understand their impact.

Remember, a strong nomination isn’t just about expertise—it’s about demonstrating how the speaker can connect with and inspire the GitHub Universe audience!

You will have the ability to change, edit, or withdraw your submission until the May 2, 2025 deadline.

If you’re missing a piece of information, your submission will be saved, and you can log back in at a later time to enter the information prior to May 2.

All proposals must be complete by May 2 to be considered. Any proposals left with a status of “incomplete” will not be considered for GitHub Universe. Each submission you complete will receive a confirmation email, so if you do not receive one, you will know your session is incomplete. The Call for Sessions dashboard will also provide you with a list of submissions tied to your account, along with their completion status.

1. Incomplete submission: If your submission is not complete or is lacking in detail, it will not be considered. The session title, abstract, key takeaways, and detailed outline portions should be complete and thoughtfully written. If your submission is missing presenters, it will not be approved.
2. Content is sales-focused: The content committee is very good at spotting when a submission is trying to sell a product or service. Our attendees are not looking for a vendor pitch, and we will immediately eliminate those submissions from consideration.
3. Multiple submissions on the same topic: We receive many similar submissions, and with a limited number of slots, the content committee picks the sessions and presenters that they think best addresses the topic. The content committee seeks diverse thought leaders who provide specific details and examples that differentiate them from other submissions.
4. Quality and quantity: The Universe team receives hundreds of proposals and the selection process is competitive! Sessions are chosen based on the quality of the proposal, as well as diversity of content. Submit a thorough, interesting, and unique presentation that will provide relevant and thought-provoking information to attendees and that will catch the review committees’ eye!

No. Keynote sessions are curated separately and are not a part of our CFS process. The proposal you submit will only be considered for a breakout session.

Breakout session (40 minutes): A focused presentation designed to inform and inspire the audience. These sessions typically feature a single speaker or co-presenters sharing expertise, insights, and practical takeaways. While this session type is primarily in a presentation format, audience engagement through Q&A, polls, and/or brief interactions is encouraged to enrich the experience.

Panel discussion (40 minutes): A moderated session where a diverse group of experts debate or discuss fresh, timely, and thought-provoking topics shaping the industry. Panels should showcase a range of perspectives and experiences, challenging conventional wisdom and sparking new ideas. To ensure audience value, a significant portion of the session will be dedicated to Q&A and interactive engagement.

Fireside chat (40 minutes): While similar to a panel discussion, this is a conversation between a moderator and one speaker rather than a group of experts.

Product demo (15-25 minutes): A presentation focused on tips, tricks, and best practices for working in a specific product.

Discussions lounge (60 minutes): A highly interactive gathering where two to three facilitators guides a group of 50+ attendees through dynamic small-group conversations on a specific topic of interest. Prioritizing active participation and collaboration, these discussion-driven sessions do not include slide presentations.

Sandbox session (60 minutes): This session combines both a demo-style and workshop format with practical exercises. Facilitators will demonstrate live the fundamental concepts, tools, or techniques they used to solve a specific challenge in the software development landscape. This will be followed by an opportunity for participants to actively engage in interactive exercises similar to the ones demonstrated to solidify their understanding.

Workshop (90 minutes): Similar to a sandbox session (but without the demo portion), this session type focuses entirely on interactive exercises for a deeper, more immersive learning experience. This is your traditional workshop format, where facilitators guide attendees step-by-step through targeted activities. Participants will actively engage with the material, gaining practical insights and applying concepts in a collaborative setting tailored to enhance their understanding and skills.

Yes, but that person must be aware of and approve your submission. If your session is accepted, and we find that the presenter was not aware, the session will be canceled, and you will not have the opportunity to submit another session in its place.

Yes.

• For breakout sessions and product demos, you can have up to two presenters.
• For a fireside chat, the limit is one moderator and one panelist.
• For a panel, there should only be one moderator and up to four panelists.
• For discussions lounge and sandbox sessions, we recommend a max of three facilitators.
• For workshops, we recommend a maximum of two facilitators.

Yes. If you are accepted to speak at Universe, you will need to review and sign our speaker release form.

The majority of session content will be delivered at the in-person event. If there are any ancillary materials (demos, etc.) that need to be pre-recorded, we will work with you to produce that content.

Speakers will be notified of their session schedule in mid-August 2025. If your session is accepted, we ask that you plan to attend the entire event (October 28-29) and allow for additional travel time, especially if you’re traveling internationally. Depending on the type of session, your rehearsal may take place 1-2 days before the event. Please keep these days available until you receive further details in mid-August.

Yes, if you’re accepted to speak at Universe, we’ll provide complimentary access to a professional speaker coach. You’ll be able to book time with this coach to both aid in storyboarding your content and to practice delivering your presentation. We will also provide group trainings to refine your presentation, facilitation, and demo skills. If you are looking for additional public speaking resources, we recommend checking out the apps Speeko and Yoodli.

If you’re traveling from outside San Francisco, GitHub will fully cover your hotel stay during the event (excluding incidentals). While we’re unable to cover the cost of your airfare to San Francisco or your rideshare to and from GitHub Universe, we understand that unique situations may arise.

If you’re accepted to speak and need additional support, please reach out to us at speakersupport@github.com and we will do our best to accommodate.

Yes. The GitHub events team does everything possible to make sure that we are:

• Elevating voices and perspectives from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and regions with our speaker outreach and selection.
• Approaching and encouraging participation from speakers identifying as members of underrepresented or historically excluded communities in technology.
• Approaching professionals and members of our community who conduct themselves in accordance with GitHub’s Event Code of Conduct and the GitHub Event Terms.
• Supporting our speakers and spokespeople in preparing high-value content for our events.

We are taking all the latest accessibility standards into consideration, as we design the website and build out the in-person experience.

The GitHub Universe team has taken the following steps:

• githubuniverse.com has gone through a site accessibility review.
• All speakers will be provided with accessibility guidelines for presentations.
• Closed captioning is available for all livestream and on-demand content.
• All main stage presentations will have American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and real-time captioning.
• Space will be provided in the agenda for taking a break from deep engagement and for finding a place of focus for your work.

Additionally, we will have designated meditation/prayer and nursing parent spaces.

• We collect any accessibility accommodation requests during the attendee registration process and the CFS process.
• After registration, requests can also be made or updated in your attendee profile.

This year’s venue, Fort Mason Center, involves movement between multiple buildings. We encourage attendees who require mobility assistance to reach out to us as early as possible at universeaccessibility@github.com. If you have any other accessibility needs, please feel free to share them during registration or contact us at the email address above. Your comfort and accessibility are our top priorities!

Happy to help! Please contact us at speakersupport@github.com.