Call For Contests & Events is Now Closed
DEF CON 32 CONTEST/EVENT APPLICATION
To apply, please paste the form below into the body of an email, fill it out, then send to [email protected].
All submissions are due by March 1, 2024.
Special Note:
There are new questions to the form and terms of submission at the end.
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). 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. You can read more about the call for sponsors here.
If you do not have a sponsor or need additional sponsorship, would you like to be contacted by DEF CON to discuss pairing you with a sponsor?
WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
Official Contest or event Name:
Is this a new or returning contest?
Please provide your contest's defcon.social/, 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: Contest area Operating Hours are Friday to Sat 10:00 - 18:00, 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)
Networking requests:
Before making expensive drop requests, please research our exceptional DEF CON Networking, it may already meet your needs. Network drops are granted case by case basis. Stats for DEF CON 31 are available here: https://noc.defcon.org/
Badges:
How many defcon contest badges do you *think* you may need?
Note: If you will have 6 people working your contest table please request 6 contest badges. Human badges are granted case by case, contest is preferred.
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 April 1, 2024.)
The theme for DEFCON 32 will be released on the official DEFCON website, and will include the theme name, fonts, colors palettes, and official logo.
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, 2024.
Submissions will be acknowledged within three business days.
Submissions will be accepted or rejected before the end of March, if not sooner.
Deadlines are listed below under agreements.
SUBMISSION AGREEMENTS
Failure to read and accept these terms will render your submission incomplete. Please read these carefully.
If accepted, I [insert name] agree to the full submission agreements below, including the notice of copyright use, community commitment, deadlines and renumeration.
Grant of Copyright Use
I warrant that the above work has not been previously published elsewhere, or if it has, that I have obtained permission for its publication by DEF CON Communications, Inc. and that I will promptly supply DEF CON Communications, Inc. with wording for crediting the original publication and copyright owner.
Community Commitment
DEF CON is a community event and your applications approval means we are endorsing you as the type of people we want to include, promote, and whom belong within the DEFCON community. When someone at DEFCON behaves poorly they should be held accountable, otherwise we both look bad.
When DEFCON pays for fines or property damages it harms the community by reducing what DEFCON can contribute in support of new ideas, events and activities. I understand that DEFCON reserves the right to invoice an itemized bill, when costs occur due (but not limited to) the following: Damage or destruction of property.
Fines and fees billed to DEFCON for any non-compliance to the requests from the venue staff or contracted rules.
Fees for bringing in outside food and drink, damages to the space or property you were assigned, etc.
A logistics guide of what you can't do in the venue will be provided to you by July 1st, 2024 if not sooner.
I understand my contest or event must be inclusive to all members of the DEF CON community. I have read and agreed to comply with DEF CON's Code of Conduct.
Deadlines required for acceptance
DEF CON 32 will be held August 8th-11th, 2024 If accepted I will meet the following deadlines and understand that if I do not my contest or event could be revoked.
- April 1st, 2024 — Art/Logo, Website & Program data due.
- April 1,2024 — Discord requests are due. (add or remove channels) Please note contests participating on discord are expected to be self sufficient, monitor their areas, and report problems to the discord moderators. Any contests held on Discord are not eligible for any official DEFCON awards. (Uber badges, aka Black Badges)
- May 1st, 2024 by 12:00 — Equipment requests due. Unless approved otherwise DEFCON will provide the following basic setup. I understand that I am responsible for providing all other necessary equipment to host my contest.
- 1 to 5 tables based on our assessment of your needs.
- 1 power drop with 1 power strip.
- Wireless Internet.
- June 1st, 2024 — NOC network requests due. Wired network drops need pre-approval and are granted on a limited basis.
- June 15, 2024 by 12:00 — any bonus content, code, or supplemental material you'd like included for publication on the DEFCON media server, to be released Thursday of the conference.
- Thursday August 8th — Permission grantedto set-up, contest badges assigned as needed.
- August 8th-11th — DEFCON is on!
- Sunday August 11th by 13:00 — contest results need to be provided before closing ceremonies.
- August 16th— Detailed contest stats or walkthroughs, for display on the DEFCON website are due. If applicable, I will submit any updated, revised or additional materials to include on the DEFCON media server.
Terms of Remuneration
DEF CON will provide contest badges as means of access to the convention. Contest badges should be reserved for those working your contest and event. Contest badges will permit authentication into the contest area during setup and closing hours when attendees are not permitted entry.
The number of contest badges approved will be depending on the logistics and size of your operation. DEF CON will not provide human badges as alternative badges for your staff. Human badges compensated by DEF CON for participation purposes must be prior approved, for example: pre-qualified CTF players. I understand that I will receive badges on-site at the conference, only one contest lead will pick up and distribute badges for your group.
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! If you have any questions please reach out to us at contests[@t]defcon[dot]org
Thank you and good luck!