BSides Southwest Florida is now accepting talk, workshop, and village proposals for our 2025 conference on November 14–15, 2025, hosted at Florida SouthWestern State College. Our theme this year is “Hack the Hurricane. Defend the Coast.” — a rallying cry for cyber defenders to stand strong against chaos, just like our coastal community prepares for the storm.

Important Dates

• CFP Opens: May 15th, 2025
• CFP Closes: September 20th, 2025
• Notifications Begin: September 30th, 2025
• Schedule Published: October 6th, 2025
• Workshops: November 14th, 2025
• Conference: November 15th, 2025

Friday Workshop Formats (November 14th)

• 3 to 4-hour workshop

Saturday Talk Formats (November 15th)

• 25-minute talk - Short and impactful
• 45-minute talk - For deeper exploration and Q&A

Submission Guidelines

• Each speaker/instructor receives one complimentary event pass - no additional expenses will be covered for accepted speakers/instructors.
• Panels and co-presenters welcome (up to 3 speakers/instructors per session).
• No vendor pitches
• Do not include identifying information in your outline or abstract. All submissions are reviewed anonymously.
• Demo-friendly talks are welcome! Tell us what you'll show, how it'll work, and what gear (if any) you'll need.
• Each individual is limited to 3 proposals total; however, each proposal submission may be a different format selected as long as the presentation is adjusted for the selected length/format.

What Makes a Strong Submission?

When evaluating proposals, our CFS review team looks for talks that are thoughtful, well-structured, and engaging for a broad cybersecurity audience. Here's what makes a submission stand out:

• A clear and engaging topic: Your title and abstract should be concise, informative, and compelling. Tell us what problem you’re addressing, why it matters, and what the audience will gain from your talk.
• A well-structured outline that fits your time slot: Whether you're submitting for 25 or 45 minutes talk or a 3 - 4 hour workshop, your outline should show how you plan to use that time. Break it into major sections (intro, body, conclusion, Q&A) so reviewers can see how your talk will flow and stay on track.
• Broad relevance: While our speakers come from the community, the content should appeal to anyone in cybersecurity, from students and newcomers to seasoned professionals. We’re looking for presentations that inform, challenge, or inspire, regardless of whether the topic is deeply technical, strategic, or career-focused.
• Originality: Talks that have already been presented or recorded at other conferences may still be considered, but original material is strongly preferred. If it’s been given before, tell us what’s new.

Suggested Topics

Not sure what to submit? Here are some focus areas we’re especially excited about. This list isn’t exhaustive — if your talk is compelling and security-related, we want to see it.

• Incident Response & Threat Hunting
• AI/ML in Security
• Cloud Security & DevSecOps
• Blue Team/Defense Strategy
• Hardware Hacking & Reverse Engineering
• Cybersecurity for ICS/OT
• Physical & Social Engineering
• Governance, Risk, & Compliance (GRC)
• Privacy, Law, and Ethics in Security
• Breaking into Cybersecurity: Career Talks
• Anything else that educates, inspires, or challenges the norm

Anonymity in Review

To keep the review process fair, all CFS submissions will be evaluated anonymously. Please do not include your name, affiliation, or any other identifying details in your title, abstract, outline, or submission notes.

Our reviewers won’t see your personal information - just your content. Submissions that include identifying details may be removed from consideration.