How to Run a Call for Papers, Start to Finish

To run a call for papers (CFP), publish a clear call that explains your audience, topics and format, keep it open for four to eight weeks, promote it where potential speakers already gather, and review submissions with a small committee using a simple scoring rubric. Then accept, waitlist and reject on a fixed date, confirm speakers in writing, and build the agenda. The hard part is not collecting proposals; it is reviewing them fairly and communicating decisions on time.

Why open a CFP at all

Invited speakers give you predictable quality. A CFP gives you range: new voices, local practitioners, people from cities you would not have thought of, and topics your team does not know about. In Latin America, where many excellent practitioners never get invited to speak, an open call is also a way to build the community the conference depends on.

Most events do both: a few invited keynotes that anchor the program, and an open call for the rest.

Step 1: Decide what you are looking for

Before you write the call, agree internally on:

• Audience: who sits in the room and what they already know.
• Tracks or themes: three to six is manageable. Too many tracks produce a scattered program.
• Formats: talk (20 to 30 minutes), lightning talk (5 to 10 minutes), workshop, panel. State the length of each.
• Language: Spanish, Portuguese, English, or a mix. Be explicit, and tell speakers whether interpretation is available.
• What you offer: free ticket, travel support, accommodation, honorarium, or nothing beyond the ticket. Say it clearly; speakers plan around it.
• What you will not accept: product pitches, recycled talks without new material, or anything else that does not fit.

Step 2: Write the call

A good CFP page answers every question a speaker would otherwise email you. Include:

1. One paragraph on the event: dates, city, venue, expected audience.
2. Topics you want, with two or three example talk ideas per track.
3. Formats and durations.
4. Key dates: open, close, decision notification, speaker confirmation deadline, event date.
5. What speakers get, and who pays travel.
6. Code of conduct link.
7. The form.

What to ask in the form

Keep it short. Long forms discourage first-time speakers, who are exactly the people you want to attract.

• Name, email, city, country, company or organization (optional)
• Short bio and photo (can be requested after acceptance)
• Talk title
• Abstract (public description, what attendees will read)
• Notes for reviewers (private: outline, why this talk, previous versions)
• Format and track
• Language of delivery
• Experience level of the content (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
• Links to previous talks or writing (optional)
• Travel needs

Separating the public abstract from private notes lets speakers be honest with reviewers without that text appearing on your website.

Step 3: Promote the call

A CFP that nobody sees produces the same five speakers as last year. Share it:

• In local developer, design, product or industry communities, including WhatsApp and Telegram groups where moderators allow it.
• Through meetup organizers in neighbouring cities and countries.
• Via universities and professional associations.
• On LinkedIn and wherever your audience posts.
• Through your sponsors’ and partners’ channels.

Send reminders at the halfway point and in the final week. Many submissions arrive in the last days, so consider whether a short extension helps and announce it before the original deadline, not after.

If you want more speakers from underrepresented groups or smaller cities, say so explicitly and offer help: a mentoring session to shape the abstract, or a review of slides before the event.

Step 4: Review with a rubric

Recruit three to five reviewers who know the audience. Give them a rubric with a 1-to-5 score and short criteria, for example:

Criterion	What a 5 looks like
Relevance	Clearly useful to this audience this year
Clarity	The abstract says what attendees will learn
Originality	New angle, real experience, not a generic overview
Speaker fit	Evidence the speaker can deliver (experience, prior talks, or strong outline)

Tips for fair review:

• Have each proposal scored by at least two reviewers.
• Ask reviewers to declare conflicts of interest and skip those proposals.
• Consider reviewing the abstract before looking at the speaker’s name and company for the first pass.
• Use scores to rank, not to decide automatically. A selection meeting should balance topics, levels, languages, cities and speaker diversity.

Step 5: Decide and communicate

Send decisions on the date you promised. If you need more time, tell everyone before the deadline.

• Accepted: congratulate, confirm format, date and time if known, and ask the speaker to confirm within a set number of days. Ask for final bio, photo and any updates to the abstract.
• Waitlisted: explain honestly that the talk is good and that you will reach out if a slot opens. Give a date by which you will tell them either way.
• Rejected: thank them, say how many proposals you received if you want, and if possible offer one line of feedback. Invite them to submit next year or to attend.

A polite rejection builds goodwill. A silent one tends to be remembered.

Step 6: Build the agenda

Once speakers confirm, arrange the program:

• Put the strongest broad-appeal talks at the start of each block.
• Avoid scheduling two talks for the same audience at the same time in parallel tracks.
• Leave buffers between talks for room changes and technical setup.
• Schedule workshops where the room has power outlets and good internet.
• Publish the agenda as soon as it is stable; it sells tickets and gives sponsors confidence.

Keep a backup plan for cancellations: a waitlisted speaker who is local, or a panel you can assemble with speakers already present.

Step 7: Support speakers before the event

• Send a speaker guide: venue address, arrival time, slide format and ratio, microphone type, recording consent, contact on the day.
• Offer an optional slide review or rehearsal for first-time speakers.
• Confirm travel and accommodation details in writing.
• Remind them a week before and the day before.

Common CFP mistakes

• Opening the call too late, so selected speakers cannot arrange travel.
• No clear topics, which brings hundreds of off-target proposals.
• Promising travel support you cannot fund.
• Reviewing alone, which narrows the program to the organizer’s network.
• Never announcing decisions to rejected applicants.

BuildAConf includes a call for papers on your event website: speakers apply, proposals land in an organizer inbox where your team scores them from 1 to 5, you can accept in bulk, and accepted talks move into the agenda and the event app. You can also browse the speaker directory and invite people directly. Start at buildaconf.com.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a call for papers stay open?

Four to eight weeks works for most conferences. Shorter calls reduce submissions from people who need approval from employers; longer calls lose urgency. Close it early enough to leave at least two months between decisions and the event if speakers need to travel.

How many reviewers do I need?

Three to five reviewers is enough for most regional events, with each proposal scored by at least two people. Choose reviewers who know your audience and represent different backgrounds and cities.

Should I pay speakers?

It depends on your budget. At minimum, give accepted speakers a free ticket. If you can, cover travel for speakers from other cities. State the policy clearly in the call so nobody is surprised after acceptance.

What if I receive very few proposals?

Extend the deadline once and announce it before the original date, then ask community leaders and past attendees to nominate people. Personal invitations to promising first-time speakers often work better than another round of posts.