Call for Proposals — Code for America Summit

We welcome submissions from anyone whose work touches government technology and civic innovation. Whether you’re a government employee, a technologist, an academic, or anyone else in the civic tech space—if you’re doing the hard work of improving people’s lives through technology and government, your knowledge and passion has a place here.

Summit is the place where experts and leaders learn from newcomers and beginners, and vice versa. We invite anyone to share their story, regardless of career stage or level of experience.

Theme

Building a new digital age that works for all

Innovative technologies have emerged that will transform the landscape of government digital services. But it’s up to us to ensure they are used in ethical ways that promote equity and serve all people with dignity and respect.

A speaker holding a microphone and smiling at Code for America Summit

Service Design + Delivery
This track focuses on the end-to-end design and delivery of government services, which are at the core of what matters most—where people experience government. Delivery of services, technical or non-technical, was once viewed as an afterthought to policy decisions. Today, we know that a just and equitable government must get implementation right.

Policy + Administration
In many ways, policy and technology are two sides of the same government coin. Policy is how the government creates the guardrails for our society, and technological implementation is how those policies are brought to life. But there’s often a disconnect between the intention of a policy and its impact when implemented. This track focuses on bringing policy and administrative decisions closer to their desired real-world impacts.

Emerging Technology + Innovation
It’s critical we leverage the latest advancements to build more equitable and efficient public services. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence have the power to transform government services, but we must ensure that they are deployed thoughtfully and ethically. This track showcases the latest technologies and forward-thinking strategies that are driving positive change and reshaping the future of civic technology.

People Power + Community
Over a decade ago, Code for America was founded on the belief that government can work for the people, by the people, in the digital age. This track is for anyone who believes that our best creative problem solving comes from bringing people together. It spotlights change agents and innovators who influence government to better serve all people.

Show what’s possible

Let’s face it, this is hard work—work that doesn’t always get recognized or appreciated. Summit is your opportunity to show others what’s possible, but also an opportunity for you to learn about what your peers are doing across the country.

Teach others

Have a really interesting problem that you, your team, or your organization solved in the past year? Share your story, and show others how you made it happen. Chances are that if you had a challenge and struggled with something, someone else did too.

Increase broader visibility into your work

Raise up your organization or agency to a national audience. Whether you’re hiring or looking to build your profile and your brand, you’ll find the right people at Summit.

Follow these easy steps to apply.

Step 1: Review our submission guidelines and tips

Check out our helpful FAQs on Summit submissions to help make your proposal stand out from the hundreds we receive annually.

Step 2: Submit your proposal

Call for proposals has now closed. Submissions were accepted November 3–14, 2023.

Step 3: Share form with your co-presenters (if applicable)

If your submission has co-presenters, please share this form for each presenter to complete.

When and where is Summit 2024?

Code for America Summit 2024 will be an in-person experience May 28–30 in Oakland, CA. Breakout sessions and lightning talks will be held Wednesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 30. You will be able to select which day(s) you are available and we will do our best to accommodate your selections.

How should I structure my session?

Option 1: Breakout session (in-person)

Breakout sessions last an hour, allowing for at least ten to fifteen minutes for questions and answers. We strongly encourage no more than three or four people to be a part of an hour-long session, including the submitter. We’re eager to see how you would structure your session—we encourage sessions with an interactive element to engage your audience. Please do specify how you’ll use the time to deliver quality, engaging material.

Option 2: Lightning talk (in-person)

Lightning talks are short but impactful five-minute talks with a limited slide presentation given by one individual. Several lightning talks will be delivered by different speakers in a single session alongside breakout sessions as part of the conference content.

Option 3: Webinar (virtual)

Virtual webinars last an hour, allowing for at least ten to fifteen minutes for questions and answers. Like breakout sessions, we strongly encourage no more than three or four people to be a part of an hour-long session, including the submitter. Webinars will take place on Zoom in the months leading up to Summit or in the fall of 2024 as a part of our Find Your Summit series.

Will my session be on the Summit mainstage?

Sessions submitted through the call for proposals process are for breakout sessions, lightning talks, or virtual webinars. Mainstage content is not selected via the call for proposals process.

Who is the Summit audience?

Code for America Summit is open to anyone and everyone whose work touches government technology and civic innovation.

What should I know about Summit attendees?

Our attendees represent a wide range of local, state, and federal government, as well as civic tech practitioners from across the country. They include public servants (both technical and non-technical) who are involved in delivering government services, representatives of technology vendors who work with governments, nonprofit advocates, and other change agents.
Of our 2023 registrants, approximately 40% worked in government while the other 60% worked in nonprofits, the private sector, philanthropy, and other fields.
Usually, about 60% of our attendees are new to Summit. When submitting your proposal, please think about whether your content is introductory level or more advanced.

What’s the key information to include in submissions?

For your submission, you’ll need to let us know:

About you: Your name, contact information, title, organization, and demographic information
About your submission: Your target audience, your chosen track, your session or lightning talk title, description, and format
About your co-presenter (if applicable): Share the link with all your co-presenters so they can submit their information

What happens after I submit?

The submission deadline is November 14, 2023.
We aim to let you know if your submission has been accepted in early February 2024.
If selected, you must confirm your participation and all session details by March 20, 2024.

How are sessions selected?

We’ll be curating dozens of breakout sessions and lightning talks across the two days of Summit, plus webinars leading up to and after Summit. All submissions are reviewed by our content committee, made up of your peers in the government technology and civic innovation community. We review submissions based on the quality of title and description, how well they fit into our theme and tracks, how they complement other submissions—and, most importantly, for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Read about last year’s content committee, submission selection process, and DEI statistics.

How is Summit prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion?

At Code for America, we strive to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive attendee experience that meets our vision and values.

We prioritize this vision at the Code for America Summit because government must work for everyone, especially the most marginalized. That starts with having inclusive conversations about this work.

Please note that we may reject submissions based on DEI criteria, especially for larger panels where all speakers are demographically homogeneous. We strongly encourage you to include a wide range of perspectives in your proposals.

If our committee finds that your submission topic is relevant to our attendees but doesn’t meet our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, we will reach out to make sure the session is representative.

What do I receive if my session is selected?

All session speakers (breakout sessions, lightning talks and webinars) will receive one complimentary in-person ticket for Summit. Additionally, we are pleased to offer each speaker a $250 honorarium which will be processed after Summit, though we understand all may not be able to accept (government employees or Code for America staff, for example).

Will my session be recorded?

Virtual webinars on Zoom will be recorded and in-person breakout sessions and lightning talks may be recorded. All recordings will live on Code for America’s YouTube channel.