Call For Proposals (CFP)

The Academy Software Foundation (ASWF) Open Source Forum 2024 Call for Proposals is now open.

Academy Software Foundation’s (ASWF) annual event brings together leaders from the motion picture and media industries to collaborate and discuss the future of open source software.

Please be aware that the Linux Foundation will now utilize Sessionize for CFP submissions. Sessionize is a cloud-based event content management software designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. If you need guidance, please review how to submit your session for an event to see step-by-step instructions and helpful screenshots.

• CFP Closes: Sunday, January 7 at 11:59 PM PST
• CFP Notifications: Tuesday, January 16
• Schedule Announcement: Wednesday, January 17
• Presentation Slide Due Date: Friday, February 16
• Event Dates: Thursday, February 22

We welcome submissions on any topic related to open source software for visual effects, animation, digital content creation and production. Talks should not be sales pitches or product promotions.

Please note: All presentations will be recorded and posted publicly after the event.  

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Pipeline tools and technologies
• AI or machine learning
• Virtual production
• Open source software in production, including use cases and film examples
• Open source program management best practices  
• Emerging or new open source projects that are relevant for vfx and animation
• Panel discussions on industry challenges or other prominent topics 
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Education and mentorship

Types of Submissions:

• Session Presentation (20 minutes + 10 minutes Q&A)
• Panel Discussion (40 minutes in length)
• Multi-Speaker Presentation (20 minutes + 10 minutes Q&A)

• All speakers are required to adhere to our Code of Conduct. We also highly recommend that speakers take our Inclusive Speaker Orientation Course.
• All presentations should be given in person. A panelist can be virtual, although we prefer they speak live, not via pre-recorded video.
• Panel submissions must include the names of all participants in the initial submission to be considered. In addition, The Linux Foundation does not accept submissions with all-male panels in an effort to increase speaker diversity.
• Avoid sales or marketing pitches and discussing unlicensed or potentially closed-source technologies when preparing your proposal; these talks are almost always rejected due to the fact that they take away from the integrity of our events, and are rarely well-received by conference attendees.

Preparing to Submit Your Proposal

While it is not our intention to provide you with strict instructions on how to prepare your proposal, we hope you will take a moment to review the following guidelines that we have put together to help you prepare the best submission possible. To get started, here are three things that you should consider before submitting your proposal:

1. What are you hoping to get from your presentation?
2. What do you expect the audience to gain from your presentation?
3. How will your presentation help better the ecosystem?

There are plenty of ways to give a presentation about projects and technologies without focusing on company-specific efforts. Remember the things to consider that we mentioned above when writing your proposal and think of ways to make it interesting for attendees while still letting you share your experiences, educate the community about an issue, or generate interest in a project.

How to Give a Great Talk

We want to make sure submitters receive resources to help put together a great submission and if accepted, give the best presentation possible. To help do this, we recommend viewing seasoned speaker Dawn Foster’s in-depth session titled Overcoming Imposter Syndrome to Become a Conference Speaker!.

Have More Questions? First Time Submitting? Don’t Feel Intimidated

Linux Foundation events are an excellent way to get to know the community and share your ideas and the work that you are doing and we strongly encourage first-time speakers to submit talks for our events. In the instance that you aren’t sure about your abstract, reach out to us and we will be more than happy to work with you on your proposal.

The Linux Foundation is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for participants at all of our events. We encourage all submitters to review our complete Code of Conduct.