Welcome to the RustConf 2025 CFP! We are excited to review your submission.

This application will be used to source session talks for RustConf 2025 to be featured following morning keynote and marquee programming. 

2025 Speaker Experience

RustConf speakers will be given the option to either present their talk live on stage in Seattle, Washington or virtually by pre-recording their talk. Pre-recorded talks will be aired for the first time live in your assigned slot once the schedule is confirmed, both online and on stage. We can send accepted remote speakers some basic equipment as needed to help make sure they're able to record top-quality content for our video editors to work with. 

Conference talks will be 30 minutes total, including Q&A. Reviewers may also recommend alternatives if they feel your submitted topic warrants more or less time.

All speakers will be expected to do two run-throughs of their talk to receive constructive feedback. The final run-through will be in mid-August, so plan on finishing your talk well in advance of the conference.

How to Submit

For those applying to speak at RustConf, we'll gladly consider a wide variety of talks on Rust-related topics. To ensure we're doing our best to balance out subject matter at RustConf, we'll ask you to select one of the Rust programming-related categories below on the application, but you'll also have the opportunity to bypass this step.

Suggested RustConf Talk Categories:

• Rust in New and Exciting Places — Are you writing Rust for an interesting, wacky, or unique application? This category is for you. If you're using Rust for a reason/industry that most programmers would find atypical, we'd love to hear from you!
• Rust-y Reflections — Have an interesting or unique story about a challenge you faced while coding in Rust? Or perhaps Rust helped you overcome a difficult challenge! Talks in this category will feature personal reflections about the experience of being a Rustacean – good, bad, and/or ugly. We welcome talks analyzing "cursed" projects featuring Rust. 
• Interdisciplinary Innovations — Tell us how your background in different fields has helped or influenced your experience learning/building with Rust. Our community is stronger with a wealth of different backgrounds and experiences!
• Learning to Crab — Teaching and learning Rust in academic settings – and beyond! Talks in this category can include stories about teaching students about Rust, using Rust to teach other subjects, and making instructional Rust content in any domain! We welcome talks from students, teachers, professors, and educators of all sorts.
• Beyond Code — The impact of Rust can be seen in many different places! Talks in this category can explore the social and human impact of the Rust programming language – and might not be solely technical in nature. 
• Technical Deep Dives — Give us a guided tour through the technical nitty-gritty of something you’ve built or contributed to that uses Rust! Dive into the code and enlighten us on what can be learned from your work. Note: The intended audience for Deep Dive talks can range from Rust newbies to seasoned Rustaceans – we just ask that you leave folks with some valuable takeaways. 
• Rust Global — Insights and stories from people and teams using Rust in global business, government, and leadership settings. 
• Other — Define your own category!

CFP Review Process

The RustConf Program Committee will review and score RustConf submissions on a rolling basis. 

The first round of reviews in our CFP are, as usual, anonymous. To respect this process, please refrain from including biographical information or linking to previous talks or other material that make your identity obvious in your talk abstract or details. Note that this also means if you receive any feedback, the reviewers don't know who you are then either.

If your submission is selected, you'll receive the following:

• Up to $1,000 of your plane tickets and $1,200 of your hotel cost covered for the duration of the conference (if attending in person and travel cannot be covered by your employer).
• A TBD speaker honorarium. Typically, our allocation is $500.
• Recording equipment as appropriate (if presenting remotely).
• Free admission to RustConf. 

Other Notes:

• RustConf and all related activities are intended to be inclusive and welcoming for everyone. Our Code of Conduct can be found here.
• More info: http://www.rustconf.com 
• We also maintain a waitlist. If your talk submission is waitlisted, this means that we loved your submission and might invite you to speak if a spot opens up. Generally, all waitlisted prospective speakers will be informed whether or not their talk will be moved to the accepted slot up to one month prior to RustConf. 

Questions? Bugs? Email us at rustconf@rustfoundation.org.

FAQs:

We'll add to this list if we notice the same question coming from multiple sources.

1. "Can I edit my proposal after I submit it?" Yes. However, edits will not be considered after the CFP closes. 
2. "Can I have more than one presenter?" The blanket answer is yes, you can submit a talk with as many presenters as you'd like—the app will allow it. With that said, talks with multiple speakers are significantly less likely to get accepted. In practice, they can be difficult to do well, so when there are enough single-speaker proposals, we will be more likely to choose the less risky path. Dual-speaker presentations will also be especially challenging to record since none of us are in the same place... but if you're up for the challenge, we want to hear about it! Please note: we budget for one sum of money per speaker. Talks with multiple speakers will most likely end up needing to split the provided funding.
3. "Will I receive feedback on my submission?" You are welcome to opt-in for feedback on the application if desired! Keep in mind, that not all applicants will receive feedback. This is due to reviewer bandwidth and because the program committee might not have any feedback for you. Not getting feedback isn't an indicator of how your proposal has been received. Feedback will be provided only to applicants who have submitted 1+ week prior to CFP closure. 
4. "How many times can I submit?" You are welcome to submit multiple proposals for RustConf, however, each applicant is only eligible to speak/present in one slot.  
5. "When does registration open?" Very soon! Stay tuned!

In addition to a complimentary conference ticket, RustConf will cover up to $1,000 in flight expenses and $1,200 in hotel expenses.