Call for Contests & Events is Now Closed
Announcing the DEF CON 30 Call For Contests & Events!
DEF CON 29 was an awesome year, but we are ready to do it all again and make it even better!! We have already begun planning DEF CON 30, and are posting all of the insanely awesome accepted content on the forums. Give us your craziest ideas, your fresh outlook, your passion. New ideas, old ideas, or a new spin on old ideas. We want to see it all. We'll select the top submissions and give you the space to help make it happen.
If you are interested in hosting a contest or event at DEF CON, here are some requirements you should know up front:
- The deadline to submit is March 1, 2022.
- We will continue with the option for contests & events to be online & hosted on the DEF CON discord.
- Must abide by the DEF CON official rules and policies. (Code of conduct, Privacy, Press rules, Sponsorships, etc.) Contests & events should be staffed appropriately with hackers that are vetted by your contest/event leads.
- Contest hours of operation should match con hours: Friday to Sat 10:00 - 20:00, Sunday 10:00 to 14:00, and be open to any DEF CON attendee with a badge. Event hours are more flexible.
- Contests & events can not be "pay to play", and you can't sell items, have vendors, sponsor exhibit tables, or peddle wares. If you want to sell something, you must coordinate sales with [email protected] to be pre-approved. Be aware you will need to comply with Nevada state tax laws.
- Spaces are limited. You will need to use your space wisely and meet any safety and logistical requirements as requested by the venue.
Please cut & paste the following form into the body of an email and mail to [email protected]. The deadline to submit is March 1, 2022.
After you submit, someone from DEF CON Contests & events will respond to your application that it's been received within 3 business days. If you don't hear from us something went wrong, please send another message, check your spam filters, reach out, etc.
Pro tip: most of the time we’re in your spam box.
DEF CON 30 CONTEST/EVENT APPLICATION
All submissions are due by March 1, 2022.
Special Note: Please cut and paste your submission into the body of an email as plain text, or attach it as a .docx, or a .txt file. We request that applications are in plain text to avoid formatting errors. Please do not submit applications in .pdf, .odf, or any other formats or your review may be delayed. Additional supporting materials that may aid in the selection process can be attached and included in other formats.
WHO ARE YOU?
Primary Organizers Name
Handle
Email address:
Phone
Social Media account
Secondary Organizers Name
Handle
Email address:
Phone
Social Media account
Anyone else vital to your team we should CC:?
If your contest or event is accepted, do you consent to inviting the above contacts to the official DEF CON planning project on Basecamp? We will use the email addresses you included on your application (unless stated otherwise). DEF CON staff, and other contest & event leads would be able to see your email address once you have accepted the invitation.
Yes/No
Does your contest or event have Sponsors and who are they?
What, if anything, have you agreed as concession for their sponsorship?
Please see the "Sponsorship Guidelines & Suggestions" page.
WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
Official Contest or event Name:
Is this a new or returning contest?
Please provide your contest's twitter Handle, if available:
Please provide the official web address/URL for your contest or event if available:
WHY YOUR CONTEST?
Please provide a full description of your contest or event (used for Art, Marketing, Announcements, et al.):
Note: We'd like your description to provide attendees with a sense of why they should check you out. How will you or your contest or event contribute a new &/or hacker perspectives to the content at DEF CON? How does it relate to hacking? What will they be able to do? What can they expect to learn? (Yes, we even want you to state the obvious.)
Does your contest or event plan to have a pre-qualifier? (Please elaborate, link if available.)
Anything else we should know in consideration of accepting your contest?
WHEN & WHERE?
What days and times do you plan to have the contest or event open? Note: Operating Hours are Friday to Sat 10:00 - 20:00, Sunday 10:00 to 14:00, please state below if hours match or differ.
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Will your contest or event be Online ONLY, in-person, or both?
If you plan to host your content on the DEF CON Discord, what are you planning? When?
Example: Pre-qualifiers, bonus content, game clues, etc. When: before, during, or after the con, exclusively online only, etc.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN?
DEF CON will make all best efforts to provide your contest or event with what it needs within reason. Just let us know what you envision and we can start working together to see what is possible, both logistically and economically.
What, if any, equipment needs do you need to discuss or arrange?
(Power strips, Tables, etc)
Give us a rough sketch/impression of your desired contest or event layout:
Note: For example three 8ft tables in a triangle shape, two 6ft tables, enough tables for 18 players on laptops, etc. (You could take it a step further and sketch it out, or be fancy using draw.IO or equivalent.)
Networking requests:
Before making expensive drop requests, please research our exceptional DEF CON Network, it may already meet your needs.
Badges:
How many defcon badges do you *think* you may need, and which type?
Example: 3 contest organizer badges, 5 human badges, etc.
Discord:
If applicable, will you need channels on Discord & how many?
Will you have discord contest or event moderators, how many?
Will your discord hours differ from in-person hours?
ART & IMAGES:
If any art, images or logos accompany your contest, please include it with your application. (The latest you can submit an updated logo is May 10, 2022. )
Please have them in highest resolution possible (at least 300dpi raster, or vector format), source file is preferred.
Acceptable raster (pixel) formats: .tiff, .jpg, .png, .psd.
Acceptable vector formats: .ai, .eps, .SVG
Images should be clearly named for your contest, example: "contestname.ai". Please don't send "DefconLogo-v.1".
Our policies, including our privacy policy are located here: https://www.defcon.org/html/links/dc-policy.html
Important Dates
All submissions are due by March 1, 2022.
Submissions will be acknowledged within three business days.
Submissions will be accepted or rejected before the end of March 2022, if not sooner.
If accepted:
May 10th — Art/Logo, Website & Program data due.
June 15th — Equipment requests due.
June 15th — NOC network requests due.
August 11th — Permission granted to contests & events to set-up, contest badges assigned as needed.
August 14th — Contest or event results need to be provided before closing ceremonies.
August 11th- 14th — DEF CON 30 is ON!
August 21st — Detailed contest or event stats or walkthroughs, for display on the DEF CON website are due.
September 1st — Call for contests & events for DEF CON 31 will open.
Thanks for helping grow DEF CON with new opportunities to help others learn and expand their knowledge. We hope that it was an enjoyable experience for those who have previously participated and we’re looking forward to continuing to grow with the community!
Thank you and good luck!