FAQ

Yes, you can only access the CfP form if you have a re:publica account. With this account you can also manage your speaker, artist or exhibitor profile and edit your CfP proposal until the CfP deadline. Creating an account is free and only takes a few minutes. Here is the link to create your account: https://re-publica.com/en/user/register

To update your profile, simply log in to the re:publica website with your existing login details. If you have already created an account since 2014, please use it. Here is the login link: https://re-publica.com/en/user/login

Anyone can submit ideas and participate in the CfP.

The CfP ends at midnight on 15 January 2026 (Central European Time). We will inform you of the status of your submission until mid March.

It is important that your submission is of high quality, rather than just submitting a lot of ideas. You have the opportunity to submit ideas in different festival sections such as Conference and Off Stage. We usually aim to have each speaker appear once only per festival area.

Yes, the people you have identified for your planned session should at least be informed and invited. Contributors should also be confirmed and added to the session by the Call for Participation (CfP) deadline on 15 January 2026. Please note that each contributor needs their own account. This is especially important for panel discussions.

If you are organising a session, it is your responsibility to ensure that all contributors enter their information in their profiles and manage these themselves. Please also read the following point about the responsibilities of a contributor.

You are responsible for your submission. If you have planned a session with more than one person, you are the contact person for all questions. 

• This means that you will need to organise everything regarding the session as well as taking part in it. 
• Please absolutely ensure ensure that all contributors have a profile.
• You add all contributors  to your submission. 
• You are responsible for passing on all relevant information to everyone involved.

Each person must first create an account. Only after an account has been created can a submission be planned, for which the submitter is responsible.

If you do not want to participate in re:publica yourself, you can enter the profile information of the person who wants to present the session at re:publica. You should then pass on the login details to this person, as important information will be sent to all speakers via our system, such as preparation notes or key dates on the day of the event.

Yes. You are responsible for organising your submission, including moderation/facilitation if your submission requires this (for example, in a panel discussion).

English or German. Important: Your submission must be written in the same language as the session.

No. Submissions after the deadline will not be accepted. However, there are special cases where the programme team may, at its discretion and for good reason, consider or even specifically request late submissions.

You can access the forms if you are registered and logged in. All fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are mandatory and must be filled in.

You can preview the forms here:

• Conference
• Off Stage

If you have already spoken at a conference or event and there are videos of it, this is helpful for us. The videos will help us to better understand and evaluate your submission as it helps us better assess how well you present your topics. Don't worry, these videos will not be published. However, you should make sure that you have permission to use the videos.

Preparing and developing a session for re:publica takes time. By submitting a proposal, you agree to follow the CfP Guidelines, which correspond to our content and formal requirements. If you are not prepared to make this commitment, it is better not to participate in the CfP.

No. We need your information to evaluate and categorise your proposal. If your proposal is accepted, we will make it public. However, only the information relevant to participants will be visible. These are the title and summary of your entry and the public part of your speaker profile.Your contact details will not be published and will not be shared at any time.

There are two festival sections: "Conference" for spoken contributions on the stages and for workshops and "Off Stage" for all supporting programme taking place on the festival grounds beyond our stages. 

CONFERENCE formats
(Lightning-)Talk, Conversation, Panel discussion, Meet up, Speak up!, Workshop, Embodiment, Special format

OFF STAGE formats
Installation, Performance/Intervention, Games, DIY, Special format

You can find a detailed explanation of the festival areas and formats here: https://re-publica.com/en/cfp-berlin

Relevance, being up-to-date, problem-solving, having a stance, opinionated: your proposal should be convincing with a well thought-out concept. re:publica participants and the programme team wish for content that deals with the challenges of our digital society, where we can learn something, be confronted with new perspectives and solutions, and be inspired. 

A good proposal for the "Speak up" or Workshop" format is one that actively involves visitors. They should be able to have a say or take part, i.e. work, tinker, make or discuss something together.

A good proposal for the Off Stage programme makes an impression and, in the best case, is easy to implement in terms of material and personnel. Unfortunately, we have a very limited budget, so you should plan in resource-efficient manner. We particularly  welcome participatory ideas that make re:publica colourful and exciting.

Your entry does not necessarily have to relate directly to this year's festival theme. 

• Title: 180 characters maximum. Keep it short and sweet as titles may be automatically truncated for the programme overview and when uploading the session video.

• Description: The short description can be up to 300 characters. This is also the text that will be published online as a teaser if your idea is accepted. It should be as concise and easy to understand as possible. The long description can be up to a maximum of 1000 characters.

re:publica is big and your title will be vying for visitors’ attention alongside many with many programme points. The more direct and explanatory your title, the better. "All you need is love: Social media strategies against online hate" is better than "Why All You Need is Love". Precise wording is also important. For example: "How surgeons practise difficult operations in virtual reality" is better than "Virtual reality as a training tool".

In the Call for Participation (CfP), obvious advertising and marketing presentations don't stand a chance. The re:publica audience expects interesting and well-researched content that deals with the challenges of our digital society. Marketing presentations masquerading as information sessions are not welcome. 

This does not mean that our participants are not interested in the latest digital products and services. In case you would like to showcase your products, please contact our partner management to find out more about the many opportunities for your company or organisation to become a partner: partner@re-publica.com.

As long as you can access your session proposal on your dashboard after logging in to the website, it has been saved and submitted correctly. No further action is required. Your session will be published once we have accepted it as part of our program. But don't worry, you'll get an email from us first.

We will let you know if your session has been accepted a few weeks after the CfP deadline. Please be patient as we receive a large number of proposals. During the evaluation phase, the programme team and track teams will read, discuss and vote on all submissions. We will get back to you by email as soon as possible, but the evaluation process takes time if done diligently.

No, you are responsible for your own session. However, if you encounter any issues or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We have defined the number of participants per session format. Please refer to the CfP guidelines for full details. Everyone who participates in the session on site will receive a festival ticket and catering on the scheduled day of their session or performance. 

No, as a general rule, we do not cover travel and accommodation costs. However, if you are experiencing financial difficulties, you can contact us and we will try to find a solution together.

Unfortunately, tickets cannot be cancelled. However, you can transfer tickets to someone else to either sell or give away. Please see our Ticket FAQs for more information.

The sooner we select the sessions, the better we can organise them into thematic groups, plan follow-ups and make final adjustments – as well as enabling better planning for everyone involved. However, we always reserve a few slots for important current events and trends, which we can then include at short notice.

Please email us at programme@re-publica.com.
For all questions that do not concern the CfP, please write to info@re-publica.com.

If you are logged In and get a 403 Error when trying to edit your session you most likely are not the session creator, who is the only one able to access the session before it is published.
This is to prevent multiple authors from overwriting each other when editing at the same time.