GeekGirlCONLINE ‘21 WILL BE HERE IN LESS THAN A MONTH! If you haven’t already, mark your calendars for November 13 and 14!
All of our programming this year is free to stream on Twitch. Click through here for FAQs about this year’s event.
In case you haven’t seen already, we’ve recently announced our full programming schedule. We’ve got a packed schedule—from the DNA of strawberries to BIPOC artists in animation, there’s truly something for everyone this year. Read on for full details about each event.
Hey, fellow procrastinators—do you have an idea for a panel, workshop, performance, or event that would be a great addition to GeekGirlCon 2020? Or are you interested in being a panelist, moderator, or tabletop game host at the con?
If so, good news: We’re extending our programming submission deadline to May 14, so there’s still time to get your application in!
[Image description: a photo from the 2016 panel “Saving Sci-Fi & Fantasy: POC, Women, & LGBTQ Voices Saving the Genre.” In the foreground a large group of people sit and listen to 6 panelists, while looking at a screen. The screen reads “Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn.”]
As we posted on Wednesday, we are still planning on GeekGirlCon 2020 happening as scheduled. That means we are still looking for programming submissions! Here are the different types of forms we have for programming:
Panel Submission: To submit your own panel or presentation for consideration.
Panelist and/or Moderator Application: To be considered as a panelist or moderator on any panels needing additional participants.
Performance/Event Submission: To submit an idea for an event or performance (musical performance, variety show, networking event, game show, DJ, etc.).
Workshop Submission: To submit interactive/educational content (Paint ‘n Take, hands-on wig styling tutorial, learn-to-code hour, etc.).
Tabletop Game Host Application: To submit a game you/your company created for consideration for the Gaming Floor.
If you want to submit an idea for programming but need help brainstorming, think about what kind of programming you attended at last year’s GeekGirlCon. Don’t remember? The programs of GeekGirlCons past are always available on our website to download. The Copy team also wrote some sample pitches last May.
More importantly, think of the kind of programming that you wish GeekGirlCon had last year. What would make you excited to come to GeekGirlCon 2020? Chances are, there are others who would love your idea too. Read through our Mission and Values, and if your idea fits, send it in!
Find all of the details about programming submissions on our site. We will accept submissions to all forms until Thursday, April 30 at 11:59pm PST.
Most importantly—stay healthy, stay safe, and practice social distancing. We’re in this together.
Have an idea for an awesome panel or interactive workshop that you’ve been mulling over? Want to share your knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow con-goers? Have a game that you would like to demo on the gaming floor?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, we want to hear from you! From now until Thursday, April 30 at 11:59pm PST we are accepting applications and submissions for:
Panel Submissions Each year, our panels are wide-ranging, diverse, compelling, and unique. Have a topic you’d like to discuss? A perspective you just HAVE to share? We want to hear from you!
Panelist and/or Moderator Application Apply to be considered as a panelist or moderator on any panels that need additional participants! Our team will work to match you with a panel that fits your interests.
Performance & Event Submissions From musical performances to variety shows, game shows to DJ sets, we can’t wait to receive your submissions for performances and events.
Workshop Submissions Workshops are some of the most interactive and educational elements of GeekGirlCon – and some of the most fun! Submit your idea for a hands-on presentation, class, or tutorial and share your know-how with all of us!
Tabletop Game Host Applications Have you created (or are you in the process of creating) a game, either independently or with a studio? Submit your proposal to demo it on our gaming floor
A child plays a computer game while an adult leans over to watch. Photo by Torrin Maynard.
Psst! When submitting your programming proposal, be sure that it is:
Mission-aligned Be sure to check out our mission and values before you submit to make sure that your programming submission aligns with our vision – to celebrate and honor the legacies of under-represented groups in science, technology, comics, arts, literature, game play, and game design. We do this by connecting geeks worldwide and creating an intersectional community that fosters the continued growth of women in geek culture. We’re looking for programming ideas that help us provide a safe space to spark conversations around social justice while encouraging unabashed geekiness.
Timely We love to receive submissions that are relevant to what is happening today and that discuss timely issues in interesting new ways.
Relevant When submitting your ideas, be sure to keep your audience in mind. What would GeekGirlCon attendees be interested in and excited about?
If you have any questions about submitting your programming idea, please reach out to us at programming@geekgirlcon.com.
Our GeekGirlCon team is busy creating our best convention yet, and we can’t wait for you to be part of it. Happy panel submission season!
The Doubleclicks are a folk-pop music group comprised of sibling duo, Laser Malena-Webber and Aubrey Turner. Powered up by their love of cats, they write & produce songs that anyone can sing-along to.
Their music is heartwarming and a great deal of fun, a pleasant breakaway from the worries of life. It can also be remarkably cathartic, simply reminding us that it’s okay to have a bad day. Anxiety is very real—but we’re also not alone. They sing about queer identity and belonging, cats and everyday superheroes. It’s music that we can all relate to, truly, and even I was caught off guard by how much I empathize with their lyrics.
In anticipation of their shows at GeekGirlCon this November, The Doubleclicks did a Q&A with me about their influences growing up, some of their favorite performances, and what they’re currently geeking out about!
Can you believe that it’s already February? We’re well into the new year and you know what that means: programming submissions for GeekGirlCon 2019 are officially open!
The GeekGirlCon staff is ramping up again as we plot this year’s convention. The creative team is in the thick of brainstorming the 2019 theme (which we’re excited to share with you later this spring) and now our programming team is eager to see your ideas for new panels, events, and workshops.
Panel Submissions Panels are the heart and soul of GeekGirlCon. We’re all about sharing a diverse range of unique voices and stories—and we want to hear yours. This year, we’re particularly interested in engaging content inspired by our community. What are you passionate about? What do you want to share?
Panelist and/or Moderator Application Interested in being on a panel but don’t necessarily have a group? You can apply to be either a solo panelist or a moderator! We’ll try our best to match you to any panel in need of an additional participant.
Performance & Event Submissions Panels aren’t the only events at GeekGirlCon. Historically, we’ve hosted our annual Fashion Show and Cosplay Contest, but each year we aim to expand on our content. From variety shows to networking events, if you and your company have an idea for a performance or event, we’d love to hear from you!
Workshop Submissions GeekGirlCon also hosts a variety of workshops and other interactive programming. If you’re interested in giving a more hands-on presentation or class, we welcome you to apply. Prior workshops have included the Use Your Voice, Rey: Political Advocacy 101, Allyship in Fandom, and the Black Girls Code Workshop.
Tabletop Game Host Applications Are you working on a game, whether independently or with a larger studio? We’d love for you to demo it on the gaming floor! Tabletop games, indie developers, and larger game studios have joined us at GeekGirlCon in the past, and we’d love to see you this fall.
A couple tips and pointers to consider when submitting your proposal:
Make sure your submission is on-mission. We’re looking for engaging content that correlates with our mission statement, which is to celebrate and honor the legacies of under-represented groups in science, technology, comics, arts, literature, game play, and game design. We do this by connecting geeks worldwide and creating an intersectional community that fosters the continued growth of women in geek culture. GeekGirlCon provides a safe space to spark conversations around social justice while encouraging unabashed geekiness.
Think about what’s going on right now. There’s a lot going on in the world right now, and we are very interested in topics that are relevant to recent events or discuss important issues in interesting or new ways.
We want to hear your unique perspective. We want to hear from everyone. Regardless of how you identify, the color of your skin, your gender, or your sexual orientation—we’re all geeks here, and that’s what matters. Tell us your individual story. What are you excited about? What is your niche?
If you have any questions about submitting your programming idea, please reach out to us at programming@geekgirlcon.com.
GeekGirlCon’18 is just over a week away, which means it’s right before Halloween!
Source: Giphy. Description: A dog in a ghost costume holding a glowing jack-o’-lantern on a cord while surrounded by more jack-o’-lanterns.
Scared you’ll have to choose between enjoying the con and getting your ghoul on? Don’t worry, we have plenty of unboolievably fun workshops, games, panels, and more lined up to help you celebrate in style. Plus, get ready to trick-or-treat all con long! Look for “Trick-or-Treat Here” signs scattered throughout the con. Got food sensitivities or allergies? We’ll have teal pumpkins to mark locations with candy alternatives.
Source: Giphy. Description: a corgi barking at and jumping around a small pumpkin.
Dying for a sneak peek of our fangtastically spooky programming? Here are some highlights:
The countdown is on to GeekGirlCon ‘18, and you can help us make it our best year yet! You have until 11:59 PST on April 30 to submit your exhibitor or programming application.
Everyone! GeekGirlCon ’18 season is officially upon us!
On our part, we’re getting things organized and settled behind the scenes. But what we need from you all, what we need each year to make GeekGirlCon the most memorable and magical weekend we possibly can, is programming submissions. Specifically, we need the excellent panel ideas that we’ve come to expect from our GeekGirlCon family.
This year, your deadline to submit applications for all kinds of programming is April 30. You have some time, so use it to refine your applications and track down potential panelists. While you’re working, here are some FAQs about panel applications with answers from our very own Panel Program staffers.
[Image Description: Three panelists from a past GeekGirlCon sit laughing with each other.] Adaptation, Appropriation, Influence: Using Other Cultures to Build Fictional Worlds, GeekGirlCon ’16. Photo by Danny Ngan.
We’re here! Well, not quite, but with just a few days left until #GGC17, I’m in full-on excited freakout mode, and I hope you are too. We’ve got our schedules, our apps, and we’re ready to have an amazing Con weekend.
If only we could be this calm and collected going into the Con
Over the past few weeks we’ve been giving you a preview of the amazing panels we have coming up, divided into all the themes we geeks are most passionate about. We’ve covered Social Justice, Diversity and Inclusivity, GGC After Dark, Pop Culture, Fandom, and Gaming. But as if all of that wasn’t enough to get you completely psyched for this weekend, let me introduce you to a group of panels that I am personally counting down the hours for: the STEM panels!
The original computers
Did you know that the first computers weren’t wires or blinking lights, but women? From the first computer program to sending men to the moon, women were technological leaders. So why is it so hard to find safe work environments and equal salaries for women in technology? Moderated by Asia al-Massari, the panel From Note G to NASA: Women in Coding and Programming invites you to join self-described lady-coders, Amanda End, Allison Borngesser, and Amy Wibowo, to discover what being a coder is all about!
Bugs are awesome, especially this adorable and efficient ladybug
Whether you’re squeamish around creepy crawlies or a full-on bug fanatic, the panel Different Isn’t Bad: What Bugs Can Teach Us About Being Brave will open your eyes to all the unexpected and amazing things that bugs can teach us. Meet The Bug Chicks, Kristie Riddick and Jessica Honaker, entomologists using bugs to talk about social issues like prejudice, racism, sexism, and feelings of isolation, while simultaneously teaching about insects, spiders, and their relatives. They make videos and talk with young people all over the world, inspiring bravery and open-mindedness. You’re sure to find your inner bugdork here!
Footage of me on my way to the Droid-building panel
Last but certainly not least, the panel Droid Building 101: Make Your Own Astromech!, moderated by Christine Cato, will discuss the methods used by members of the BB-8 Builders Club and Astromech builders club to create their own BB-8 and Astromech droids. The panel will include a brief history of the two clubs, the materials they used to make their droids, and a peek into how to make your own!
I, for one, am extremely ready to learn more about all things coders, bugs, and droids. I hope to see you at these incredible panels, as well as all the others we have scheduled this weekend!
