Demo Lab
The Demo Lab is an interactive showcase at Code for America Summit, designed to bring together tech innovators, government problem-solvers, and creative thinkers.
This is your chance to explore and share solutions that address real-world challenges, gain valuable feedback, and be part of a one-of-a-kind Summit experience.
Demo Lab proposal submissions are now closed. Submissions were accepted Thursday, November 13 through Monday, November 24, 2025.
Thank you to all who submitted a proposal. We aim to let you know if your submission has been accepted in late February 2026. If selected, you must confirm your participation and all demo details by March 20, 2026.
If your submitted demo requires internal approval, we recommend starting that process now to help you meet the final approval deadline.
Questions? Get in touch at summit@codeforamerica.org
We want to hear from you
Our Demo Lab gives Summit attendees like you an interactive opportunity to showcase your work for your peers. Participants will have a dedicated space to demo a project in an informal, approachable setting.
We’d love to see your ideas if you fit one of these categories:
- Tech and government professionals presenting innovative tools or approaches
- Teams or individuals with projects at any stage—from initial ideas to polished solutions
- Civic tech problem-solvers seeking collaboration, feedback, or inspiration
We like to think of Summit as the nerd table in high school, all grown up. And who sitting at that table (we know you were there with us) didn’t love a science fair? The Demo Lab is more than just an exhibit session—it’s a platform to build community around shared challenges and inspire new solutions. It will foster collaboration by connecting like-minded individuals, and bring a hands-on element to Summit to amplify our collective impact. Join us in the Demo Lab and showcase your work in a vibrant, interactive setting. Together, let’s inspire new ideas and find solutions that make a real difference!
Submission criteria
- Relevance to theme and tracks: Ensure your demo aligns with the Summit theme and one of the designated conference tracks.
- One-minute screen recording: Provide a concise screen recording that showcases your demo in action. This should highlight key features and functionality.
- 100-word description: Submit a clear and engaging written summary (100 words or less) that explains your demo’s purpose, intended audience, and impact.
- Presenter limit: To facilitate smooth participation during the event, each demo can have no more than two presenters.
What does a winning proposal look like?
Back for its second year, the Demo Lab at Summit is a place for governments and organizations to showcase works in progress. With a science fair style set up, the ideal proposal for this venue is one where presenters demo a tool or resource they’ve been working on and ask the audience for specific feedback to improve upon it in the next iteration.
We want to know the methods you used to build your product, what your initial pilot looks like, and how you can inspire people who are working in the same area. This is not a space to promote or demo products that are for sale to government or government-adjacent organizations.
Here are two examples of winning pitches from last year’s Summit:
- Workit Labs demoed their Form Filler tool, which simplifies interacting with government forms. Their tool allows users to interact with a chatbot that asks relevant questions and automatically populates the correct forms. The presenters demoed the tool, showed how it supports multiple languages and described the process of getting it to transcribe audio to text, and suggested ways a tool like this could be implemented without the need to overhaul existing application systems.
- The City of Philadelphia’s Service Design Studio showcased their newly written service standards that laid the foundation for how they deliver public services. The presenters said they were looking for feedback on the strengths and gaps of the best practices they’d compiled from fellow service design professionals.
Theme
The Future We Build
All across the country, technologists, policy changemakers, community organizations, and leaders at every level are laying the foundation for what’s next in our nation. This moment demands bold ideas, cross-sector collaboration, and vision that supersedes difference. Together, let’s create the tomorrow we know is possible when we innovate today.
Conference tracks
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 ready, responsive, and resilient 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 outcomes.
Emerging Technology + Innovation
It’s critical we leverage the latest advancements to build more effective 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
Code for America was founded over 15 years ago 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.
Submit your demo proposal
Review our submission guidelines, tips, and helpful FAQs to help make your proposal stand out from the hundreds we receive annually.
Demo Lab proposal submissions are now closed. Submissions were accepted Thursday, November 13 through Monday, November 24, 2025.
Thank you to all who submitted a proposal. We aim to let you know if your submission has been accepted in February 2026. If selected, you must confirm your participation and all demo details by March 20, 2026.
If your submitted demo requires internal approval, we recommend starting that process now to help you meet the final approval deadline.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is Summit 2026?
Code for America Summit 2026 will be an in-person experience May 7–8 in Chicago, IL. Demos will be held on either Thursday, May 7 or Friday, May 8.
Will my session be on the Summit mainstage?
Demos will take place alongside breakout sessions and lightning talks, rather than being featured on the mainstage.
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 personnel, 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.
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: Desired outcome, title, description, and screen recording
- About your co-presenter (if applicable): Their name, contact information, title, organization, and demographic information
What happens after I submit?
- The submission deadline is November 24, 2025, 11:59 p.m. PT.
- We aim to inform you if your submission has been accepted in late February 2026.
- If selected, you must confirm your participation and all session details by March 20, 2026.
Is there an entry fee?
No, there is no fee to submit a demo.
How are demos selected?
Submissions will be evaluated by a small committee of your peers in the government technology and civic innovation community. We review submissions based on the quality of the title, description, and demo recording, and how well they fit within the conference theme and Summit tracks. Our goal is to select content that reflects the diverse perspectives and experiences of our attendees.
What do I receive if my demo is selected?
If selected, you will receive up to two complimentary in-person tickets (for presenters only) to Summit.
Will demos be recorded?
No, the Demo Lab will not be recorded. We want this to be a collaborative space for both presenters and attendees. However, we may capture b-roll footage during the Demo Lab.