SXSW accepting Conference programming proposals

PRESS RELEASE:

South by Southwest Conference and Festivals are now accepting programming proposals for the 2017 event with the launch of the popular PanelPicker®, an online tool that allows the SXSW community to have a significant voice in programming conference activities through an open proposal and voting process.

SXSW, an essential destination for global professionals, is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. The event features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. The 2016 Conference featured more than 2,000 sessions including keynotes by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, plus dozens of visionaries at the forefront of their industries to more than 87,000 participants. SXSW 2017 takes place March 10 – 19, 2017 in Austin, Texas.

SXSW seeks thought-provoking and creative ideas that will help shape our culture and the future of the tech and entertainment industries. Programming tracks that feature sessions from beginner to advanced-level include Brands & Marketing, Design, Development & Code, Entertainment Influencers, Experiential Storytelling, Film & TV Industry, Food, Government, Health, Intelligent Future, Journalism, Making Film & Episodics, Making Music, Music Industry, Music Influencers, Social Impact, Sports, Startup Village, Style, Tech Industry, Touring & Live Experience, VR/AR, and Workplace. The first round of confirmed programming will be released in October 2016.

PanelPicker is a two-step online system. Step One encourages the community to enter proposals for daytime conference programming at SXSW at PanelPickerbeginning Tuesday, June 28, 2016 through Friday, July 22, 2016. Each individual account holder is permitted to enter one idea. Step Two allows the community to browse all of these ideas and rate which of these proposals they think are the best fit for the March event. Community voting begins Monday, August 8, 2016 and will continue through Friday, September 2, 2016. Votes from the community, along with feedback from SXSW Advisory Boards and the SXSW staff, will help determine programming for the 2017 event. Additional information including tracks, presentation formats, and the user-generated tags feature built in to PanelPicker can be found here.

In addition to entering proposals for SXSW Conferences via PanelPicker, there are many ways to participate in SXSW 2017.

SXSW is accepting entries for the best digital creative work for the Interactive Innovation Awards, video game projects for the SXSW Gaming Awards, inventive startups for the SXSW Accelerator competition and a special pitch competition in Startup Village called ReleaseIt at SXSW.

SXSW Film Festival is accepting Feature Film, Short Film & Music Video submissions from June 28 – October 20, 2016. Submit now for the early bird rate.

SXSW Music Festival is accepting Artist Applications through Sonicbids from June 28 – October 21, 2016. Apply early for a discounted rate.

SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film and music industries. The event, an essential destination for global professionals, features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2017 will take place March 10-19, 2017.

SXSW 2017 is sponsored by Esurance, Mazda, Monster Energy, Anheuser-Busch, The Austin Chronicle, Sonicbids and Capital One.