Want to speak at the 2018 SouthEast LinuxFest? You're in the right place! Simply fill out the form below to submit your talk to SELF. Due to the volume of submissions we get, simply filling out this form does not guarantee you a speaking slot. We will do our best to determine all speaking slots on Saturday April 21st. To ensure your submission is fully considered, please have it in by Friday April 20th at 11:59 PM ET.

Please note that by applying to speak, you agree to our speaker release ( http://www.southeastlinuxfest.org/pdfs/speaker-release.pdf ), as we release video and audio of each speaker's presentation. Only one modification to the license will be accepted, and that is the use of cc-by-nd (no derivatives) instead of cc-by for the license. If this is something you want to do, you must tell us that at the appropriate place in the form below. If you use slides, images, video, or other collateral during your presentation, you must provide the SouthEast LinuxFest with a copy of it under the same license that you agreed upon in the speaker release so we can produce the best possible audio and video.

SELF is a full three day event, with talks over all three days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).  We try to put the strongest talks and tracks on Saturday when attendance is peak.  This means grabbing a Saturday slot is also not easy.  Friday we have great attendance, well over 2/3 of the total attendees checking in by day end.  Sunday is a full day but attendance rapidly drops off after lunch as travel demands lead non-locals, including sponsors, to depart.  This also means if we know you're a local ... you will be predisposed to a late Sunday slot.  It's just the nature of the beast.  The exact number of talks we select depends on A/V availability and space availability due to affiliate events. If one of these days does not work for you, please mention that in the form.

Some particular areas we're really looking for talks this year include:
- Desktop Linux
- Programming Languages (BASH, Python, Go, Ruby, PHP, etc)
- Programming Language Frameworks
- Linux Multimedia Production (Image/Audio/Video, Kdenlive, Avidemux, Audacity, Gimp, Inkscape, etc)
- Web Daemons (Apache, Nginx, Node, MySQL, MariaDB, Postgres, BIND, Postfix, etc)
- LAMP FOSS (Drupal, Wordpress, Joomla, etc)
- 3D Printing
- System Administration
- Network Administration
- "Human Administration"
- Community
- InfoSec
- DevOps

In all cases we welcome content from beginner to advanced.   We even look for tangentially geeky and related content.   While we only reserve limited space for our "/dev/random" track, it has been very popular.  Topics we are looking for content for the /dev/random track include, but are in NO WAY limited to:
- Historical Computing (we've heard about hardware computers on WWI battleships!)
- Ham Radio (CQ and 73's)
- Just about any thing STEM-ish with a FOSS connection (we've heard about Linux being used to sequence DNA!)
- Homebrew (Beer, Wine, Liquor)
- Geeky Chef (you must share recipes though!)
- Ergonomics
- Be creative ... you get the idea ... this category is hard to define!

In general, we encourage you to submit even if you think we won't take it.   Our best advice is submit a talk about what you're most passionate about.  Your passion for the material will breath life into it.  We do go out of our way to give people at various LUGs or FOSS meetup groups in the region a shot at bat to talk, because the SouthEast LinuxFest works as a great bridge between the gap of talking to a meetup of a few dozen people and speaking at an enormous event where thousands are in each room.  Also, being a community event, expectations are somewhat more relaxed on our speakers.

There are no restrictions on the amount of talks you may submit. If you feel like you have multiple good talks you can deliver then submit this form multiple times.   WE ENCOURAGE MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS!!!!!

There are several benefits that come with being a speaker for SELF. SELF treats its approved speakers to a private speaker dinner or reception.  Typically this is a Carolina style BBQ dinner at the hotel.  This will be held on the evening of Friday, June 8th at an undisclosed location at the hotel. You will also be provided with a t-shirt, lunch on Saturday, June 9th, as well as access to our Craft Beer Bottle Share event if the event isn't sponsored (hasn't happened yet), or EARLY access if the event is sponsored (typical).

SELF is a free to attend event, and as such does not have the resources to pay to bring speakers in and cover all their expenses.  99.9% of the time, the speaker is on their own to cover travel and their hotel room and expenses.  In general, those we do cover tend to be students within driving distance whose participation is an important part of their academic progress and who do not have the means otherwise to attend.  And, once in awhile if the money is there, we'll bring in a "rockstar" who only travels if their travel expenses are covered. If you're coming internationally in particular, SELF will not be covering any costs.

IF YOU ARE FILLING THIS FORM OUT MULTIPLE TIMES, JUST SUBMIT YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ON SUBSEQUENT SUBMISSIONS AND USE SHORT GARBAGE IN ALL THE OTHER NON-TALK-SPECIFIC FIELDS.   Your time is valuable!