Dear fellow Emacsians,
We are excitedly calling for your participation for EmacsConf 2026,
planned for December 12 and 13, 2026 (Sat-Sun)! Please submit your
proposal by September 18, 2026 (Friday). See below for details on
how to send in your proposal, or chat with us about them and about
other ways of participating and volunteering around EmacsConf via
our main IRC channel #emacsconf on the Libera.Chat network.
(Please direct any replies for this message to myself or to the
emacsconf-discuss list, so as to help minimize off-topic chatter
on the other lists Cc'd on this message. Thank you.)
_______________________________________
EMACSCONF 2026 CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
Online Conference
_______________________________________
December 12 and 13, 2026
1 Call for participation
========================
What have you found exciting about [Emacs] lately? Have you figured
out a good workflow? Used Emacs for something interesting? Come share
what you've been learning at EmacsConf 2026 and meet other enthusiasts
along the way! All backgrounds and all levels of experience are
welcome. Emacs isn't just a text editor, it's a way of life!
[EmacsConf 2026] will be a virtual conference on *December 12 and 13,
2026 (Sat-Sun, 9AM-5PM UTC-5 America/Toronto, which is the same as
2PM-10PM UTC)*. We hope to get your talk proposal by **Friday,
September 18, 2026.**
If there are similar proposals, we'll work with people so that the
talks can cover different facets.
Wondering what to talk about? Check out this [list of ideas] or the
[talks from previous conferences]. Got an idea for a talk but not
sure if you're the right person to present it? Let us know at
[[email protected]] and we can add it to the idea list.
[Emacs] <https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/>
[EmacsConf 2026] <https://emacsconf.org/2026/>
[list of ideas] <https://emacsconf.org/ideas/>
[talks from previous conferences] <https://emacsconf.org/talks/>
[[email protected]]
<mailto:[email protected]?subject=EmacsConf idea&body=>
2 Important dates
=================
Here's an outline of important dates in the months leading up to the
conference:
Call for Participation June 27, 2026 (Saturday)
Proposal submission deadline September 18, 2026 (Friday)
Prerecording submission deadline October 30, 2026 (Friday)
EmacsConf 2026! December 12 and 13, 2026 (Saturday and
Sunday)
Please note the deadlines are meant to be target dates we'd love to
get your proposal and prerecorded video by, rather than strict
deadlines. Don't stress out if life happens and you need more time,
just let us know!
3 Talk formats
==============
Ideally, talks will be prerecorded so that you can script and edit
them as tightly as you want, and so that they can be captioned for
accessibility. Here are the talk options:
- *5-10 minute lightning talk:* just the essentials! If you can
squeeze your prerecorded talk into 5-10 minutes by focusing on the
essentials (not by talking super quickly!), we might be able to
repeat it during the conference in order to fill gaps.
- *20-minute talk:* short enough to keep people's attention, long
enough to get into some details.
There will be time for questions and answers after your talk, so you
don't need to include that in your talk timing. Just like in previous
EmacsConf, you can answer questions via a live video conference, IRC
([Internet Relay Chat]), the Etherpad (a web-based collaborative
document), the wiki, or email (your choice). The stream will move on
to the next talk at the scheduled time, but interested people can keep
hanging out with you for a longer conversation.
If you are not available during the conference itself but you have a
neat idea that you'd like to share, please propose it anyway! You can
always handle questions after the conference, and we might even be
able to coordinate with other Emacs meetups for events in other time
zones.
We may have time for a few longer sessions. If you'd like to be
considered for a longer time slot, please include an outline for the
extra time in addition to your 20-minute proposal. Other session
formats such as tutorials, workshops, and hangouts are welcome as
well.
[Internet Relay Chat] <https://chat.emacsconf.org>
4 Submitting your proposal
==========================
[Send us your idea] as soon as you can, so that you can have more time
to work on your talk. (Proposal deadline: **Friday, September 18,
2026**)
If you need help, you can email us publicly at [[email protected]]
or privately at [[email protected]]. You can also come and
say hi to us on our IRC channel `#emacsconf' on `irc.libera.chat' port
6697 (TLS) using [your favourite IRC client].
Here's an Org TODO you can copy in case that's what you use to
organize your tasks:
,----
| * TODO Submit proposal to EmacsConf 2026
| DEADLINE: <2026-09-18 Fri>
|
| - Details: https://emacsconf.org/2026/cfp/
| - Submit: https://emacsconf.org/2026/submit/
| - Dates for conf: Dec 12 and 13, Sat-Sun, 9AM-5PM UTC-5 America/Toronto,
which is the same as 2PM-10PM UTC
| - Questions:
| - public: mailto:[email protected]
| - private: mailto:[email protected]
| - IRC: irc.libera.chat
|
| Note: 2026-09-18 is a target date and we'd love to get your proposal
| by then. It's not a *deadline* deadline, so don't stress out if life
| happens. Just let us know!
|
| Thanks for sharing what you're learning!
`----
[Send us your idea] <https://emacsconf.org/2026/submit/>
[[email protected]] <mailto:[email protected]>
[[email protected]] <mailto:[email protected]>
[your favourite IRC client] <ircs://irc.libera.chat:6697/emacsconf>
5 Know someone who might have something to share?
=================================================
All kinds of people use Emacs for all kinds of things. We'd love it
if EmacsConf 2026 could highlight interesting perspectives and reflect
the diversity of our community. If you know someone who might have a
good idea for a talk, please reach out to them and encourage them to
submit a proposal. Many people (especially from underrepresented
groups such as women, people of colour, non-developers, etc.) might
not consider themselves proficient enough to share their thoughts. If
you let them know that you value their knowledge and experiences, and
maybe even suggest something that you think others would like to hear
about, they may realize that they do have something worth sharing and
that we would love to hear from them.
6 Want to volunteer?
====================
If you would like to help with the conference (planning the sessions,
reviewing proposals, helping with infrastructure, making sessions more
accessible, editing video transcripts, checking in speakers, reading
questions out loud, organizing notes, etc.), please see our
[volunteer] page. Volunteers get early access to talks and learn lots
of things along the way. We'd really appreciate your help in making
EmacsConf 2026 the best one so far!
[volunteer] <https://emacsconf.org/volunteer/>
7 Commitment to freedom
=======================
We remain fully committed to freedom. You'll be able to participate
in EmacsConf using [free/libre software], and we use free/libre
software to organize and run the conference. You can find some notes
about our setup and process at <https://emacsconf.org/infra/>.
[free/libre software] <https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html>
# [[elisp:(org-md-export-to-markdown)][Export this file to Markdown]]
# [[elisp:(org-ascii-export-as-ascii)][Export this file to ASCII]]
#+title: EmacsConf 2026 Call for Participation
#+subtitle: Online Conference
#+date: December 12 and 13, 2026
#+options: author:nil toc:nil
#+begin_export md
[[!meta title="Call for Participation"]]
[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2020 Amin Bandali, Sacha Chua,
David Bremner<br />
Copyright © 2021 Amin Bandali, Sacha Chua, Leo Vivier,
Sebastian Crane<br />
Copyright © 2022-2026 Amin Bandali<br />
Copyright © 2023-2026 Sacha Chua"]]
[[!tag blog]]
[[!date "2026-06-27"]]
<!-- cfp.md is exported from cfp.org, please modify that instead. -->
#+end_export
* COMMENT How to export this file :noexport:
The =ircs= link type is not part of standard Org Mode, so Org will
throw an error if you try to export this file.
To work around that, you can use something along the lines of the
Emacs Lisp code below by either adding it to your init file, or by
putting the point in the code block and hitting =C-c C-v e= (that is,
hold Ctrl, then hit c followed by v, then release Ctrl, and hit e) to
evaluate the code, working around the issue only for the current
session.
#+begin_src emacs-lisp :results silent
(org-link-set-parameters
"ircs"
:export
(lambda (link description format)
"Export an ircs link.
See `org-link-parameters' for details about LINK, DESCRIPTION and
FORMAT."
(let ((desc (or description link)))
(pcase format
(`html (format "<a href=\"ircs:%s\">%s</a>" link desc))
(`md (format "[%s](ircs:%s)" desc link))
(_ nil)))))
#+end_src
Other CFPs we can borrow ideas from:
- https://debconf23.debconf.org/cfp/ - includes early submission timeline
- https://fosdem.org/2023/news/2022-11-13-call-for-presentations/ - mentions upload date, license
- https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-2023-will-be-held-march-18-19-cfs-extended-to-november-23
- https://www.reddit.com/r/scala/comments/103v6e5/scalar_2023_cfp_is_still_open/ - very short
* Call for participation
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: cfp
:END:
What have you found exciting about [[https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/][Emacs]] lately? Have you figured out
a good workflow? Used Emacs for something interesting? Come share
what you've been learning at EmacsConf 2026 and meet other enthusiasts
along the way! All backgrounds and all levels of experience are
welcome. Emacs isn't just a text editor, it's a way of life!
[[https://emacsconf.org/2026/][EmacsConf 2026]] will be a virtual conference on
*December 12 and 13, 2026 (Sat-Sun, 9AM-5PM UTC-5 America/Toronto, which is the same as 2PM-10PM UTC)*.
We hope to get your talk proposal by **Friday, September 18, 2026.**
If there are similar proposals, we'll work with people so that the
talks can cover different facets.
Wondering what to talk about? Check out this [[https://emacsconf.org/ideas/][list of ideas]] or the
[[https://emacsconf.org/talks/][talks from previous conferences]]. Got an idea for a talk but not sure
if you're the right person to present it? Let us know at
[[mailto:[email protected]?subject=EmacsConf idea&body=][[email protected]]] and we can add it to the idea list.
* Important dates
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: dates
:END:
Here's an outline of important dates in the months leading up to the
conference:
| Call for Participation | June 27, 2026 (Saturday) |
| Proposal submission deadline | September 18, 2026 (Friday) |
| Prerecording submission deadline | October 30, 2026 (Friday) |
| EmacsConf 2026! | December 12 and 13, 2026 (Saturday and Sunday) |
Please note the deadlines are meant to be target dates we'd love to
get your proposal and prerecorded video by, rather than strict
deadlines. Don't stress out if life happens and you need more time,
just let us know!
* Talk formats
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: formats
:END:
Ideally, talks will be prerecorded so that you can script and edit
them as tightly as you want, and so that they can be captioned for
accessibility. Here are the talk options:
- *5-10 minute lightning talk:* just the essentials! If you can
squeeze your prerecorded talk into 5-10 minutes by focusing on the
essentials (not by talking super quickly!), we might be able to
repeat it during the conference in order to fill gaps.
- *20-minute talk:* short enough to keep people's attention,
long enough to get into some details.
There will be time for questions and answers after your talk, so you
don't need to include that in your talk timing. Just like in previous
EmacsConf, you can answer questions via a live video conference,
IRC ([[https://chat.emacsconf.org][Internet Relay Chat]]), the Etherpad (a web-based collaborative
document), the wiki, or email (your choice). The stream will move on
to the next talk at the scheduled time, but interested people can keep
hanging out with you for a longer conversation.
If you are not available during the conference itself but you have
a neat idea that you'd like to share, please propose it anyway!
You can always handle questions after the conference, and we might
even be able to coordinate with other Emacs meetups for events in
other time zones.
We may have time for a few longer sessions. If you'd like to be
considered for a longer time slot, please include an outline for the
extra time in addition to your 20-minute proposal. Other session
formats such as tutorials, workshops, and hangouts are welcome as
well.
* Submitting your proposal
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: submitting
:END:
[[https://emacsconf.org/2026/submit/][Send us your idea]] as soon as you can, so that you can have more time
to work on your talk.
(Proposal deadline: **Friday, September 18, 2026**)
If you need help, you can email us publicly at [[mailto:[email protected]][[email protected]]]
or privately at [[mailto:[email protected]][[email protected]]]. You can also come and
say hi to us on our IRC channel =#emacsconf= on =irc.libera.chat= port
6697 (TLS) using [[ircs://irc.libera.chat:6697/emacsconf][your favourite IRC client]].
Here's an Org TODO you can copy in case that's what you use to organize your tasks:
#+begin_src org
,* TODO Submit proposal to EmacsConf 2026
DEADLINE: <2026-09-18 Fri>
- Details: https://emacsconf.org/2026/cfp/
- Submit: https://emacsconf.org/2026/submit/
- Dates for conf: Dec 12 and 13, Sat-Sun, 9AM-5PM UTC-5 America/Toronto, which is the same as 2PM-10PM UTC
- Questions:
- public: mailto:[email protected]
- private: mailto:[email protected]
- IRC: irc.libera.chat
Note: 2026-09-18 is a target date and we'd love to get your proposal
by then. It's not a *deadline* deadline, so don't stress out if life
happens. Just let us know!
Thanks for sharing what you're learning!
#+end_src
* Know someone who might have something to share?
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: sharing
:END:
All kinds of people use Emacs for all kinds of things. We'd love it
if EmacsConf 2026 could highlight interesting perspectives and reflect
the diversity of our community. If you know someone who might have a
good idea for a talk, please reach out to them and encourage them to
submit a proposal. Many people (especially from underrepresented
groups such as women, people of colour, non-developers, etc.) might
not consider themselves proficient enough to share their thoughts.
If you let them know that you value their knowledge and experiences,
and maybe even suggest something that you think others would like to
hear about, they may realize that they do have something worth sharing
and that we would love to hear from them.
* Want to volunteer?
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: volunteer
:END:
If you would like to help with the conference (planning the sessions,
reviewing proposals, helping with infrastructure, making sessions
more accessible, editing video transcripts, checking in speakers,
reading questions out loud, organizing notes, etc.), please see our
[[https://emacsconf.org/volunteer/][volunteer]] page. Volunteers get early access to talks and learn lots
of things along the way. We'd really appreciate your help in making
EmacsConf 2026 the best one so far!
* Commitment to freedom
We remain fully committed to freedom. You'll be able to participate
in EmacsConf using [[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html][free/libre software]], and we use free/libre software
to organize and run the conference. You can find some notes about our
setup and process at https://emacsconf.org/infra/.
* COMMENT Copyright & License
Copyright (c) 2020 Amin Bandali, Sacha Chua, David Bremner
Copyright (c) 2021 Amin Bandali, Sacha Chua, Leo Vivier, Sebastian Crane
Copyright (c) 2022-2026 Amin Bandali
Copyright (c) 2023-2026 Sacha Chua
The EmacsConf 2026 Call for Participation is part of the EmacsConf
wiki, and is dual-licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License; and the GNU
General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation,
either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later
version.
A copy of these two licenses is available on the EmacsConf wiki, in
the [[https://emacsconf.org/COPYING.CC-BY-SA][COPYING.CC-BY-SA]] and [[https://emacsconf.org/COPYING.GPL][COPYING.GPL]] files.
