DWeb Camp 2026 Call for Proposals
Proposals Submit a proposal
We’re inviting proposals for sessions at DWeb Camp 2026. This call is open until 23:59 CET Friday May 8, 2026.Complex problems require interdisciplinary collaboration to solve. One of the great benefits of DWeb Camp is the chance to weave together many skill sets, experiences and perspectives. So we encourage you to think outside the box! We'd love to see all types of creative activations such as art installations, hands-on demos, readings, games, hackathons, and performances.
You are welcome to talk about a variety of topics, such as a movement you’re involved in, a personal interest, an insight you've had at a past Camp, or sharing the output of your DWeb project. We encourage you to share knowledge and ideas, and discourage product pitches!
You can propose:
- lightning talk (10 min presentation + 3 min Q & A)
- workshop (60 or 90 minutes)
- talk or presentation (30 or 60 minutes)
- panel discussion (60 minutes)
- Demo Night Market participation
You are welcome to submit multiple proposals, but we encourage you to think deeply about the best offerings for this space. We’re expecting a lot of proposals and will have to make tough decisions on which ones we accept. You can edit proposals after they are submitted until the submission period closes.
Important Dates
| Description | Date |
|---|---|
| Call for Proposals Opens | March 16 2026 |
| Call for Proposals Closes | May 8 2026 |
| Review Period | May 8 - June 8 2026 |
| Final Decision Sent | June 8 - 12 2026 |
| Final Schedule Published | June 22 2026 |
Programming Tracks
Tracks
This year at DWeb Camp, we will have 11 programming tracks to help shape our conversations and create an engaging environment where ideas flourish. We work with curators, usually subject area specialists, to invite diverse speakers and help design these tracks. You can self select a track for your proposal but you don’t need to fit into a track to have a session accepted.The tracks this year are:
- Anti-Authoritarian Stack
- Art & Creative Activation
- Decentralized Design
- Decentralized Hardware/Local Community Networks
- Solidarity Tech
- Open Social Web
- Peer-to-Peer & Local First
- Public AI
- Sustaining Infrastructure
- Cultivating Tech for Food Sovereignty
- Intergenerational Growth: Seedlings is the Children’s Track (Under 12), Saplings is Teen Track (13-17 years old) and Old Growth is for the pioneers of the Decentralized Web. If you like to, you can do a special presentation/workshop or version of your proposal for these tracks.
Session Types
- Lightning Talk: These are recorded 15 minute sessions: 10 minute presentation + 3 minute Q&A that offer a quick introduction to a story, case study, idea, or technique. There is the option to give a lightning talk in a space with a 60" monitor and electricity.
- Talk/Presentation (30 or 60 minutes): These are structured talks or presenter-style sessions designed to inform the audience about a topic.
- Workshop (60 or 90 minutes): These are interactive demonstration or experiential sessions rooted in audience participation and active learning. Half or more of the time must be dedicated to experiential learning and innovative, active audience participation. Projects or workshops can be as small and transient as a single gathering near a tree, or span multiple hours throughout Camp to explore a theme together from many angles. If you have an idea you're already working on, organizing a project or workshop may be a good way to engage diverse participants and test your assumptions.
- Panel Discussion (60 minutes): A dialogue by multiple speakers or panelists who share perspectives on a topic through conversation with a moderator and time reserved for audience participation, questions, and comments. Short opening remarks by the panelists set the stage for robust discussion with each other and the audience. Panels may include 3-7 speakers and should include varied and unique perspectives on the selected topic. If selecting this type, please specifically address how the different perspectives on the panel will lead to an engaging discussion. Reviewers will pay particular attention to these elements for panel proposals.
- Others: We are excited by out-of-the-box ideas. We love to see activations, art installations, demos, readings, games, hackathons, performances and more.
- Demo Night Market: A stall at the night market where you can demo your tech and participants get a taste of tech from around the world, directly from the decentralized tech stack. This will highlight “ready to test” new tools, no prototypes, so builders can get feedback from hundreds of savvy, deeply interested potential consumers and partners. It’s a great place to find collaborators, funders, recruit builders to your ecosystem, and get honest feedback about your work.
Session Criteria
A strong DWeb Camp session is more likely to be selected if it:
Aligns with the DWeb Principles
Sessions should reflect the values of the decentralized web, including technologies and approaches that uphold human agency, distribute benefits, and enable peer-to-peer relationships.
Read the DWeb Principles here: https://getdweb.net/principles/
Encourages participation
The best sessions are interactive and collaborative. Consider formats that involve multiple partners, organizations, or participants and invite the audience to actively contribute rather than just listen.
Is inclusive and accessible
Sessions should welcome participants with different backgrounds, perspectives, and levels of technical knowledge. Think about how to make complex topics approachable and how to bridge gaps between technical, policy, and community audiences.
Centers diverse perspectives
We encourage sessions that uplift voices from marginalized communities and include multiple viewpoints. Avoid single-perspective panels; instead, consider bringing together different stakeholders or co-facilitators.
Creates a welcoming environment
Be mindful of potential biases and structure your session so participants feel comfortable engaging, asking questions, and sharing ideas.
Extends beyond the camp
Strong proposals think about what happens next. What outcomes, collaborations, or learnings might continue after DWeb Camp?
Aligns with the DWeb Principles
Sessions should reflect the values of the decentralized web, including technologies and approaches that uphold human agency, distribute benefits, and enable peer-to-peer relationships.
Read the DWeb Principles here: https://getdweb.net/principles/
Encourages participation
The best sessions are interactive and collaborative. Consider formats that involve multiple partners, organizations, or participants and invite the audience to actively contribute rather than just listen.
Is inclusive and accessible
Sessions should welcome participants with different backgrounds, perspectives, and levels of technical knowledge. Think about how to make complex topics approachable and how to bridge gaps between technical, policy, and community audiences.
Centers diverse perspectives
We encourage sessions that uplift voices from marginalized communities and include multiple viewpoints. Avoid single-perspective panels; instead, consider bringing together different stakeholders or co-facilitators.
Creates a welcoming environment
Be mindful of potential biases and structure your session so participants feel comfortable engaging, asking questions, and sharing ideas.
Extends beyond the camp
Strong proposals think about what happens next. What outcomes, collaborations, or learnings might continue after DWeb Camp?
Tips for Designing a Great DWeb Camp Session
Use the criteria above as a guide when shaping your proposal. The strongest sessions don’t just describe a problem, they create a space where people can learn from each other and build together.
As you design your session, think about:
Participation over presentation
How will people engage with each other? Consider formats that invite discussion, collaboration, experimentation, or hands-on learning. Shared exploration
What will participants actually do during the session?
How will you structure the time so people can contribute ideas, experiences, or skills?
Welcoming many perspectives
DWeb Camp brings together technologists, organizers, researchers, artists, policymakers, and newcomers. How will your session make space for people with different backgrounds and levels of expertise to join the conversation?
Capturing what emerges
Great sessions often generate ideas, connections, and next steps. How might you gather insights, collect feedback, or share what comes out of the session with the broader community?
Finally, please help create the spirit that makes DWeb Camp special: encourage participants to engage with respect, kindness, and curiosity.
As you design your session, think about:
Participation over presentation
How will people engage with each other? Consider formats that invite discussion, collaboration, experimentation, or hands-on learning. Shared exploration
What will participants actually do during the session?
How will you structure the time so people can contribute ideas, experiences, or skills?
Welcoming many perspectives
DWeb Camp brings together technologists, organizers, researchers, artists, policymakers, and newcomers. How will your session make space for people with different backgrounds and levels of expertise to join the conversation?
Capturing what emerges
Great sessions often generate ideas, connections, and next steps. How might you gather insights, collect feedback, or share what comes out of the session with the broader community?
Finally, please help create the spirit that makes DWeb Camp special: encourage participants to engage with respect, kindness, and curiosity.
Our Review and Selection Process
After submissions close, a team of DWeb organizers and curators will review from May 8-June 8, 2026. This will give the organizing team time to review session proposals and make necessary arrangements. We ask that you submit your proposal ASAP especially if you have specific space and logistical requirements so we have enough time to make arrangements.
We work with curators, usually subject area specialists, to invite diverse speakers, and go through the proposals that you submit. We typically receive a high volume of submissions. So, to streamline the process and create a more impactful event, we strongly encourage facilitators with similar ideas to collaborate with each other. We hope to accommodate as many sessions as possible but with limited time slots available, it might be necessary to merge proposals.
Final decisions will be sent June 8-12, 2026. A member of the team will be available to support any revisions, space or logistical requests you might have. After your proposed talk or workshop is confirmed, it will be listed in the schedule. We aim for the final schedule to be published by June 22, 2026.
Don't forget to buy tickets to Camp before spots run out!
We work with curators, usually subject area specialists, to invite diverse speakers, and go through the proposals that you submit. We typically receive a high volume of submissions. So, to streamline the process and create a more impactful event, we strongly encourage facilitators with similar ideas to collaborate with each other. We hope to accommodate as many sessions as possible but with limited time slots available, it might be necessary to merge proposals.
Final decisions will be sent June 8-12, 2026. A member of the team will be available to support any revisions, space or logistical requests you might have. After your proposed talk or workshop is confirmed, it will be listed in the schedule. We aim for the final schedule to be published by June 22, 2026.
Don't forget to buy tickets to Camp before spots run out!
Proposal FAQs
When are proposals to present at Camp due?
The call is open from March 16 until 23:59 CET May 8, 2026.What kinds of sessions can I propose?
You can propose:- lightning talk (10 min presentation + 3 min Q & A)
- workshop (60 or 90 minutes)
- talk or presentation (30 or 60 minutes)
- panel discussion (60 minutes)
- demo night market participation
What can I talk about? Is anything off limits?
You are welcome to talk about a variety of topics, such as a project you are involved in, a personal interest, an insight you've had at a past Camp, or sharing the output of your DWeb Project. We encourage you to share knowledge and ideas, not pitch products!Is everything at Camp scheduled?
No! In fact some of the best conversations at Camp are off-the-cuff or with the person sitting next to you at meal times. We'll also have open space available for Unconference conversations and demos at Camp. If you'd like your session to be a part of that, you do not need to submit a proposal. You only need to show up at the Unconference Sessions.Do I have to submit just one proposal?
You are welcome to submit multiple proposals, but we encourage you to think deeply about the best offerings for this space. We are expecting a lot of proposals and will have to make tough decisions on which ones we accept. We advise no more than three submissions. You can also edit proposals after they are submitted until the submission period closes. So if you have something to add to a previous submission, you can use that.What makes a proposal likely to be selected?
A strong DWeb Camp session is more likely to be selected if it:- Aligns with DWeb Principles
- Encourages participation
- Is inclusive and accessible
- Centers diverse perspectives
- Creates a welcoming environment
- Extends beyond the camp
When will I hear back about my proposal??
Final decisions will be sent June 8-12, 2026What happens after I submit my proposal?
After submissions close, a team of DWeb organizers and curators will review from May 8-June 8, 2026.We work with curators—usually subject area specialists—to invite diverse speakers, and go through the proposals that you submit. In a certain track, they fit all the accepted proposals into the Morning and Afternoon Sessions (3 hours each, for three days: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday). You don’t need to fit into a track to have a session accepted.
We typically receive a high volume of submissions. To streamline the process and create a more impactful event, we strongly encourage facilitators with similar ideas to collaborate with each other. We hope to accommodate as many sessions as possible but with limited time slots available, it might be necessary to merge proposals.
Final decisions will be sent June 8-12, 2026. A member of the team will be available to support any revisions, space or logistical requests you might have. After your proposed talk or workshop is confirmed, it will be listed in the schedule. We aim for the final schedule to be published by June 22, 2026
What kind of amenities and space options will I have?
There are more slots for sessions that don’t require electricity, or monitors. Your session is more likely to be accepted if you can gather anywhere with limited equipment. However, when you submit your proposal you can let us know if you need any of the following:- Electricity (power plugs and sockets)
- Video monitor
- Internet connectivity
- Writing pad
- Table and chairs
- On the ground seating is fine
- Outdoors or indoors is fine
- Outdoors with power
- Circle seating is fine
- Classroom style row of chairs facing presenter
- Classroom style row of chairs and tables
- theatre/auditorium/amphitheatre
- Comfy cozy: pillows, bean bags, etc.
Are there tracks at DWeb Camp 2026 and can I be a part of any track?
Yes, there are tracks and curators this year at DWeb Camp 2026. We work with curators, usually subject area specialists, to invite diverse speakers and help to design these tracks. You can self select a track for your proposal but you don’t need to fit into a track to have a session accepted. The tracks this year are:- Anti-Authoritarian Stack
- Decentralized Design
- Decentralized Hardware/ Local Community Networks
- Folk Tech & the Cozy Web
- Open Social Web
- Peer-to-Peer & Local First
- Public AI
- Sustainable Infrastructure
- Tech for Food Sovereignty
- Intergenerational Growth: Seedlings is the Children’s Track (Under 12), Saplings is Teen Track (13-17 years old) and Old Growth is for the pioneers of the Decentralized Web. If you like to, you can do a special presentation/workshop or version of your proposal for these tracks.