This submission is for our the in-person event, August 4, 2025, in Las Vegas.

There will be multiple speaking tracks. Speakers have a choice of a 20 minute slot or a 45 minute slot.

For any CFP questions, email cfp@dianainitiative.org

Important Dates

Feb 22nd 2025: Call For Presentations Opens

Mar 25th 2025: Call For Presentations Round 1 Closes

April 8th 2025: Speaker Acceptance Notifications Sent for Round 1

May 19th 2025: Call for Presentations Round 2 Closes

June 9rd 2025: Final Speaker Acceptance Notifications Sent

Submission Guidelines

1. Submission Title
   
2. Speaker Name(s) Hidden from reviewers
3. Speaker Email (this is how we will contact you) Hidden from reviewers
4. Speaker biography (150 words or less per speaker) Hidden from reviewers
5. Abstract for your talk (200 words or less) Please refrain from including identifying information
6. Detailed talk outline Please refrain from including identifying information
7. Whether this would be your first speaking engagement at a conference
8. Whether this talk has been previously given at another conference
9. If the submission is missing any of the above items, it will not be accepted. The Diana Initiative reserves the right to throw out papers in which the author’s personal information is contained in the abstract or detailed outline.

Speaker Benefits

Unfortunately at this time, we are unable to pay an honorarium, travel, or meals (aside from lunch on the day of the the event). Speakers will receive both a speaker badge and a human badge for the event as well as a token gift (usually a t-shirt). We are aware this limits who is able to attend and present and hope to change it if we are able to secure more sponsors or donations in the future.

Review Process

Each submitted talk will be double-blind reviewed (the reviewers do not see the author names and the authors do not see their reviewer names) by a committee of dedicated reviewers.

A final group of core conference staff will make a final judgment on each talk based on the comments provided by the double-blind review panel. Reviewers score talks based on a number of criteria included, but not limited to:

• Detail of submission
• Novelty of the talk
• Whether the talk has been given previously
• Whether the talk has been recorded previously

We offer two submission rounds for talks. The Diana Initiative believes in feedback and education as part of the CFP process. Since we accept approximately the same number of talks in each round, those who submit in the first round have a better chance.

If your talk is not accepted in the first round, we strongly encourage you to rework your talk and resubmit in the second round.

CFP Staff

CFP Co-Chair: John Ives

CFP Co-Chair: Roei Sherman

CFP Co-Chair: Laura Johnson

Example Submission

Please check here for an example submission of an accepted talk submitted in a previous year.

Resources for Writing CFPs and Giving Presentations

Collection of CFP Tips rounded up and shared by CircuitSwan.

Conference Submissions for the Faint of Heart, from Amelie Koran and Nicole Schwartz

This Blog post by Kat Sweet on the building blocks of an InfoSec conference CFP.

The CFPs 101 Panel from BSidesLV 2016

The DEFCON Speaker’s Corner post by Nikita titled How do I Make my CFP Stand Out?

This Blog post by Cheryl Biswas about giving a talk in Infosec

Presentation Tips for Technical Talks, from Tanya Janca (@shehackspurple).

Lunch will be provided during the event.