Call for Speakers

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in 17 days

Pet Projects: The 2026 Edition

event date

30 Jun 2026

location

Cape Town, South Africa

Pet Projects: The 2026 Edition is a mid-year showcase that brings together developers and builders to present the projects they began at the start of 2026. It’s a space dedicated to progress—where ideas that once lived as sketches, side experiments, or late-night thoughts are now taking shape as real, tangible work.


The event focuses on the journey of building: sharing technical decisions, lessons learned, challenges faced, and how projects have evolved over time. It creates an environment where participants can exchange insights, gain fresh perspectives, and engage with a community that values curiosity, experimentation, and continuous improvement.


More than just a showcase, this is a moment to reflect on how far you’ve come at the halfway point of the year. It’s about celebrating momentum, embracing iteration, and accelerating growth through feedback and collaboration.


We’re inviting speakers who are actively building to share their journey. Whether your project is fully functional, still evolving, or somewhere in between, your experience matters. This is your opportunity to showcase your work, receive meaningful feedback, and contribute to a community that learns by doing.


If you’ve been working on something in 2026, this is your chance to step forward, share your progress, and inspire others who are on a similar path.


Apply to speak and be part of a community that builds in public, learns together, and grows faster.


finished 2 hours ago
Call for Speakers
Call opens at 12:00 AM

26 May 2026

Call closes at 11:59 PM

12 Jun 2026

Call closes in South Africa Standard Time (UTC+02:00) timezone.
Closing time in your timezone () is .

Pet Projects: The 2026 Edition

Pet Projects: The 2026 Edition is a mid-year showcase bringing together developers and builders to present the projects they started in 2026. It’s a space to share progress, unpack technical decisions, and reflect on the journey from idea to execution.

This event is about building in public—highlighting not just what worked but what didn’t, what was learned, and how projects evolved. As we reach the halfway point of the year, we celebrate momentum, iteration, and growth through community feedback and collaboration.

Submission Criteria:

We’re inviting speakers to present personal projects started in 2026. Your session should feel like a project pitch combined with a technical walkthrough.

We’re especially interested in:

  • Your motivation – what inspired the project
  • The project overview – what you built
  • Your tech stack – tools, frameworks, technologies
  • Challenges faced – what didn’t go as planned
  • Solutions – how you approached those challenges
  • Learnings & next steps – improvements, future direction

This is not about perfection—it’s about progress, honesty, and insight.

Topics & Areas:

We welcome submissions across a wide range of domains. Topics can contribute to:

  • Mobile development
  • Web development
  • AI / Machine Learning
  • Cloud, DevOps, and Infrastructure

…but are not limited to these areas.


If you built something meaningful and learned from it, we want to hear about it—no matter how unconventional your project may be.


Session Format:

Duration: 30 minutes total

  • ~25-minute presentation
  • ~5 minutes Q&A


Style: Project showcase / technical storytelling

Focus: Real-world building experience

Think: “Here’s what I built, how I built it, and what I learnt. ”


Who Should Apply?

We welcome all experience levels:

  • First-time speakers
  • Students and early-career developers
  • Experienced engineers and professionals

If you’ve been building something in 2026, your story is worth sharing.


Audience:

Your audience will include:

  • Developers across different experience levels
  • Students and aspiring technologists
  • Builders interested in real-world projects and practical insights

Aim for a session that is clear, engaging, and grounded in experience.


Key Dates:

  • Call for Sessions Opens: 25 May 2026
  • Submission Deadline: 12 June 2026
  • Speaker Selection: 14–15 June 2026


We will select 4 speakers, each showcasing their project.


Important Requirement

Speakers must be able to present in person in Cape Town.

This is an in-person event, and selected speakers are expected to attend and present physically.


Final Note

This is your opportunity to share what you’ve been building, get meaningful feedback, and connect with a community that values learning through doing.


If you’ve started a project in 2026—no matter the stage—submit your session and take the stage.