RubyConf 2022 CFP

Thank you for your interest in submitting a proposal to RubyConf 2022! This year’s conference will feature three components; RubyConf Mini (Nov. 15-17 in Providence, RI), our traditional RubyConf Houston (Nov. 29-Dec. 1), and a virtual Home Edition. This CFP will be an opportunity to submit a proposal for the in-person in Houston or in Providence for RubyConf Mini.

Important Dates & Details

• This call for proposals (CFP) closes on August 24, 2022, at 11:59pm PST.
• Proposals will be accepted or rejected by September 10, 2022, at 11:59pm PST.

RubyConf Policies

All accepted Speakers must comply with our Anti-Harassment Policy and Speaker Agreement. In addition, all conference Speakers are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, adhere to our COVID-19 testing policies, and our indoor mask policy. Please read our policies and agreement all the way through before submitting a proposal.

Session Formats

This year we are offering the following formats:

• Talks are 30 minutes, lecture-style discussions.

• Workshops (for RubyConf Mini Only) are interactive sessions where the participants learn practice skills through a mix of presentation materials and hands-on exercises. Workshops range from 90 minutes to 2.5 hours, depending on when scheduled and topic.
  We are not accepting workshops for RubyConf Houston.

All talks will be recorded and shared virtually post-conference.

What We're Looking For

RubyConf fully embraces both new and experienced speakers. We place a strong value on featuring a diverse, creative line-up of speakers: ones from different backgrounds with a wealth of different experiences to share with our attendees.

We’re looking for technical and non-technical talks covering a broad range of topics in the Ruby ecosystem. We want a mix of beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level material. Overall, we are looking for talks of interest to Ruby developers, and we take a pretty broad view of what that means. If it’s interesting to you, chances are we’d love to see it.

For those of you new to speaking (but passionate and knowledgeable!), worry not: we love first-time speakers and are happy to help you out! For more information on how RubyConf proposals are selected, read the "Inside the Review Process" below. If you have questions after that, we're happy to answer them or aid in other ways -- just let us know!

Session Tracks

In addition to the general program, we offer themed tracks with specific guidelines. Please note that not every talk belongs on a track. If your proposal doesn't fit in one of the tracks below, tag it as "General." These tracks will be presented as part of RubyConf Houston, but feel free to submit talks inspired by these tracks to the general track for RubyConf Mini. This year’s prospective tracks include:

Hidden Gems
Do you have a favorite Ruby Gem that no one else seems to be using? Well, this track is for you! Talks in this track could focus on Ruby Gems you love but seem underutilized or a deep-dive into the internals of a popular Gem.

Giving Back With Ruby
Several past RubyConfs have had tracks concerned with ethical decisions and how we as tech workers avoid making harmful choices. But not doing the wrong thing is only the ethical bare minimum. This year, we’re interested in more inspiring stories of ways that you’ve used tech to give back to your communities and make the world a little bit better. Tell us how you’ve used Ruby, as they say, for good ;)

Bringing Your Backgrounds With You
What does it look like to bring your whole self to work? What things from your background/identity influence the way you think about and work in tech? Talks in this track might include ties to: hobbies, other roles, cultural background, etc.

Off The Beaten Path
One of the great things about Ruby is that developers have the freedom to express themselves in the code they write in numerous ways. In fact Matz created Ruby for developer happiness, and happiness can mean different things for different people. In this track lets explore those unconventional uses of Ruby and venture away from the typical Rails path so we can hopefully appreciate the capabilities of this language a little more.

Navigating Systems Change
Some of the hardest problems at work involve affecting change in systems which are resistant to it whether that be engineering, organizations, politics, or otherwise.
Talks in this track focus on navigating political waters at work and in society in general. It includes stories of influence, negotiation, tactics, planning, and looking at the bigger picture to solve difficult problems.

Inside the Review Process

Our Program Committee is made up of hardworking volunteers representing a variety of experience levels within Ruby. Our first round of review is anonymous review, meaning reviewers will not see your name or biographical information, only the title, description, pitch, and abstract. Please keep any potentially identifying information out of these fields.

The CFP application allows two-way correspondence in comments without revealing your identity (though you'll know who's asking the question). If there are questions for you, you'll get an email and see a notification on the site. Please reply promptly and consider adjustments if requested.

Speaker Benefits

If your proposal is selected, you will receive:

• Free admission to RubyConf Mini or Houston

• The opportunity to be paired with a speaker mentor to help you with talk prep. Mentors are granted upon request, but highly recommended, especially for new speakers.

• For a talk (Honorarium): A $500 USD honorarium

• For a Mini Conf workshop (Honorarium): A $1,000 USD honorarium

Note: for sessions with more than one speaker, the honorarium is to be split among all participants, at the speakers' discretion.

If you have any questions about the CFP application, contact us at rubyconf@rubycentral.org.

Thanks for submitting a proposal, and good luck!

The RubyConf Program Committee