Call for Speakers – WordCamp Kolhapur 2026

Where Code, Creativity, and Community Come Together!

Kolhapur, known for its heritage, entrepreneurial spirit, and evolving tech culture, is gearing up for its biggest WordPress gathering yet.

This is your opportunity to be part of a stage where creators, builders, educators, developers, designers, marketers, and innovators inspire the next wave of the WordPress community.

Whether you’re:
– building your first website,
– crafting plugins or design systems,
– exploring AI, automation, or performance,
– scaling a business with WordPress, or
– shaping digital experiences through content and marketing…

Your story and insights can make a real impact.

Who Should Apply?

We welcome speakers from every corner of the WordPress ecosystem:

• Developers – from beginners to plugin/theme architects
• Designers – UI/UX, product designers, storytellers
• Content creators & bloggers – writers, educators, creators
• Business owners & entrepreneurs – agencies, freelancers, product founders
• SEO & digital marketers – growth, analytics, funnels, automation
• Students & first-time speakers – fresh voices always welcome
• Community contributors – open-source participation, mentorship, collaboration

If WordPress has shaped your work, skills, or creativity, there’s a place for your voice on this stage.

Why Speak at WordCamp Kolhapur 2026?

• Make an Impact – Help someone level up. Share lessons, experiments, failures, case studies, or breakthroughs that could spark new ideas for others.
• Build Your Visibility – Your talk reaches not just the event audience but the global WordPress community through published videos and online discussions.
• Connect with the Community – Meet developers, designers, marketers, educators, contributors, and business leaders who share your passion for open-source and innovation.
• Stay Authentic – We value practical lessons and real stories, not polished product pitches. Strong sessions are clear, actionable, and rooted in real experience.
• Support for First-Time Speakers – We value practical lessons and real stories, not polished product pitches. Strong sessions are clear, actionable, and rooted in real experience.

How Topics Are Selected?

Our selection process focuses primarily on the value of the topic for attendees.

The decision is not based on the speaker profile alone—the relevance, usefulness, and impact of the topic take priority.

To ensure a good understanding of proposed sessions, the organizing team may request a brief interaction or conversation with some applicants about their topic.If you’d like to see the kind of talks that generally resonate at WordCamps worldwide, you can explore hundreds of sessions at WordPress.tv for reference and inspiration.

What Makes a Great WordCamp Talk?

We’re looking for sessions that are:

• Authentic – real wins, failures, lessons, and insights
• Educational – clear takeaways that attendees can use
• Inclusive – accessible for diverse backgrounds and skill levels
• Original – unique perspectives, practical solutions, fresh thinking

Non-Promotional – no sales pitches or biased product pushes

Tips for a Strong Proposal

Your chances of selection increase when you:

• Clearly define what the audience will learn
• Provide 3 to 5 key takeaways
• Explain “why this topic matters now”
• Keep the title focused and simple
• Add a short structure/outline of your talk
• Avoid overly broad or generic themes

Share why you are the right person to speak on this topic

Suggested Topic Themes

We welcome all WordPress-related ideas, fundamentals to future tech.
Some examples:

Development & Engineering

• Plugin development best practices
• Block Editor & Full Site Editing
• Headless WordPress / Decoupled architectures
• WP performance tuning & Core Web Vitals
• Security, privacy, and hardening
• APIs, integrations, automation

Design & Experience

• Figma → WordPress workflows
• UI systems, design tokens, accessibility
• Modern theme design & block patterns
• UX storytelling and content-driven design

Content, Marketing & SEO

• Advanced SEO for WP
• AI-assisted content creation
• Conversion-focused landing pages
• Funnels, analytics, attribution
• Marketing automation & CRM integrations

Business, Freelancing & Agency Ops

• Scaling WordPress agencies
• Pricing models & client workflows
• Project management & delivery systems
• Productizing services
• Case studies & real business growth lessons

Community, Education & Open Source

• How to get started with WP contributions
• Teaching WordPress
• Building inclusive communities
• Diversity in tech

And of course surprise us with something unconventional, inspiring, or experimental.

Session Formats

Choose the format that best fits your style:

• Lightning Talk (10 min) – Short, sharp insights.
  Ideal for new ideas, creative experiments, or student projects.
• Standard Session (25 min + Q&A) – Deep dives, frameworks, walkthroughs, real-world case studies.
• Workshop (60 min) – Hands-on learning, coding, design, or technical tutorials.
• Panel Discussion (45 to 60 min) – Multi-speaker conversations exploring contrasting viewpoints.

Language & Accessibility

We welcome sessions in:

• English
• Hindi
• Marathi

Slides can be bilingual or visually rich.
Our goal is to make WordCamp Kolhapur inclusive and accessible for everyone.

Important Dates

• Call for Speakers Opens: 14 November 2025
• Last Date to Apply: 10 December 2025
• Speaker Selection & Notification: 30 December 2025

Event Date: 1 February 2026

Need Help?

If you’re unsure about your topic or want guidance, our Speaker Support Team is here to help you refine your proposal and presentation.

Reach out via our contact form:
https://kolhapur.wordcamp.org/2026/contact/ or email us at:
kolhapur+speakers@wordcamp.org

If you’d like to propose multiple topics, please submit the form multiple times, once for each topic.