Call for presenters

Submit your presentation idea for one of our many events across 2025.

A hand wearing a complex structure of black straps and loops, attached to each finger, suggesting a mechanical or wearable tech device. The hand is illuminated in a cool blue tone against a matching blue background, creating a futuristic and experimental aesthetic. The straps and clips evoke themes of technology, augmentation, or control.
An extreme close-up of a person’s eye, showing fine details of the eyelashes and reflections in the pupil.
A camera operator in a dark room, wearing a black cap and working with a large professional camera rig suspended on a mechanical arm. The scene is lit with blue lighting, and rows of chairs with some blurred figures are visible in the background.
A close-up of a person’s hands holding a smartphone horizontally, capturing a group photo of people posing together in an outdoor covered area. The person’s hands feature bright red nail polish and tattoos of a sun and crescent moon on their fingers. The smartphone screen shows a clear image of the group, framed by blurred background elements in the real scene.

Alison Page presenting at DO24, captured mid-speech with expressive hand gestures. She is wearing a silky, taupe-colored blouse and a leopard print belt, standing against a dark background with dramatic lighting that highlights her focused expression.

We believe we’ve made something special with The Outlook, and our past presenters agree that the experience for each of them was unforgettable.

There are many benefits to presenting at our events, such as professional development, visibility and recognition, networking with your peers, collaborating with others and expanding your own perspective as you produce your presentation.

In addition to these, we also provide our presenters with:

  • A dedicated presentation coach to help you ensure your presentation is engaging, entertaining, and memorable
  • A dedicated presentation manager that will assist you with everything you need to prepare for your time on stage
  • Several networking dinners and dry-run events
  • Hair and makeup on the day
  • Several professional photography shots
  • Video recording of your talk published on YouTube
  • A gift bag full of things we love
  • Two complimentary tickets (in addition to your attendance)

What we're looking for

Putting together a conference like ours means making a lot of hard choices.

We need to consider many aspects when selecting presenters, such as considering the things that are important to our community, audience, and our beliefs.

Considering all of these things means that we need to make tough choices about the outstanding content our community has to offer. 

Chi Ryan presenting at DO23, wearing a transparent bubble wrap coat over dark clothing, with blue and purple-streaked hair and clear-rimmed glasses. Chi stands on stage with a colorful, abstract background, smiling and gesturing with one hand raised, engaging the audience.

Presentation requirements

At a minimum, all presentations must be:

Jeanette Cheah presenting at a Design Outlook event, exuding confidence and enthusiasm. She is wearing a vibrant pink blazer over a colorful patterned top, holding a clicker in one hand while gesturing with the other. The background features abstract shapes and a modern architectural design, enhancing the lively and engaging atmosphere of the event.

Broad, diverse, different

Key to our value proposition, we want ideas that speak to our audience as a broad community in a way that everyone can take something away.

Trudi (left) and Mark (right) addressing the audience on stage at a Design Outlook event. Trudi is wearing a bright blue blazer and black outfit, while Mark, dressed in black, is actively signing as an Auslan interpreter. The stage features a modern setup with a purple sofa and decorative flowers, framed by large glass windows revealing greenery outside.

Optimistic, playful, pragmatic

We want presentations that not only highlight a challenge or opportunity, but that provide suggestions on what to do about it and how great things can be in easy-to-consume ways. It is a long day and your presentation will be received incredibly well if it nails these three things.

Xile Wang, wearing a checkered shirt and a headset microphone, smiling warmly during a panel discussion at a Design Outlook event. He is seated alongside other panelists, with the foreground slightly blurred, creating a focus on his engaging expression. The background features soft tones and abstract shapes, complementing the professional atmosphere.

Bring new perspectives

We want presentations that are insightful and in some ways like comedy routines; they shine a light on something we might already know or believe in, and challenge us in a way that changes our perspective. (Don’t worry, you don’t need to be funny, you can be serious).

The selection process

Our panellists will be looking for alignment to our themes and what we’re looking for outlined above, as well as how compelling your idea is—your idea doesn’t need to be perfect or ‘finished’, but you’ll need to have thought about it enough to be an engaging pitch.

We’ll work with you to get your idea and presentation to a level of perfection should you be successfully selected.

Selection timeline

  • Nov 14 Call for presentations open.
  • Jan 10 at 11:59 pm Call for presentations close.
  • Jan 20 Selection process commences.
  • Feb 04 Selection process concludes.
  • Feb 06-08 Successful submissions notified.
  • Feb 10-12 Unsuccessful submissions provided with feedback, love, and encouragement.
  • Feb 13 Unsuccessful submissions deleted.

 

A close-up of a hand wearing mechanical attachments on each finger, connected by black cords, against a light, minimalistic background, evoking a modern, technology-inspired feel.
How to apply

If you’re ready to submit your presentation, simply complete this form.

 

Do you identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Colour?
Which event(s) are you submitting your presentation for?
Have you given this presentation before?

FAQs

What happens to my idea/submission if I’m not successful?

We’ll delete all submissions to ensure that your idea stays your own

How long does a presentation need to be?

We’ll work with you to get the perfect presentation time allocation for your idea, but you can aim for 15, 25, and 35 minutes as possible options.

Can we submit a presentation of two or more co-presenters?

Absolutely – we love people sharing the stage and co-presenting. Just add other presenters’ details in the ‘Anything else we need to know?’ field.

Who owns the presentation IP after I submit it, successful or otherwise?

You do. If successful, you’ll license it to us to use for the purposes of the conference and promoting future festivals.

What if I miss the submission deadline, can I get an extension?

Due to the volume of submissions we’ll receive, we are unable to offer extensions and you will be unable to share your idea with us.

Can I submit something other than a slide-based presentation?

Yes

Can I withdraw my submission?

Absolutely, just let us know by sending an email to [email protected]

I have other questions

Great – shoot us an email to [email protected]

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