Call For Presentations
The call for 25 and 45 minutes presentations has ended.
Notification expected on 2026-05-26 the latest.
We are still accepting 5 minute Lightning Talks
proposals until May 18, 2026 at 23:59:59
in Utrecht, Netherlands.
Call For Lightning Talks
On May 5th we closed our call for 25 and 45 minutes talks, and while we still have your attention we wanted to remind you that our our Call for Lightning Talks (CfLT) is still open until May 18, 2026 in Utrecht, Netherlands. Lightning talks are a fun but tricky format to get right. Telling a story in no more than 5 minutes is no small feat, but when done right they're a great way to get the hallway discussion going!
To submit, use the regular conference system, and choose the track "5 minutes Lightning Talk".
A couple of things to keep in mind:
- Lightning Talks are 5 minutes long. Submitting a talk you have prepared for 45 minutes and just talking really fast isn't going to result in a great experience for you or the audience
- We're open to talk proposals that are a little "out there", not necessarily tightly coupled to PostgreSQL
- We are going to need your slides a day in advance (September 9, 2026, at noon) so that we can ensure a smooth transition between speakers. Only PDF format is allowed.
We look forward to your ideas!
Program Committee
-
Teresa Lopes
(Chair)Adyen
-
Chelsea Dole
Citadel
-
Stefan Fercot
Data Egret
-
Boriss Mejias
EDB
-
Ellert van Koperen
Database.one
Selection Process
We are often asked about the selection criteria and process for selecting the presentations among all the submitted proposals that will make up the schedule.
All submissions are looked at and considered by the program committee by reading abstracts, titles, and submission notes. The program committee members each vote on every submission with a score of 1 through 9. It is customary to abstain from voting on submissions by coworkers. When a presenter has multiple submissions, the committee considers which subject will be the best fit for the conference as we try very hard to not have repeat speakers during the event. Submissions are also de-duplicated to minimise repetition, such that the schedule is balanced overall.
Program committee members are — like every other position in the PGDay Lowlands organisation — an unpaid volunteer position. There are many talk submissions at every PostgreSQL Europe event so committee members often spend many hours reviewing submissions.
The talks are then sorted by their average score and the final selection is made by the committee in conference calls amongst the top rated.
Things To Consider
Abstract
It has shown over the years that a clear and concise abstract is a good indicator of a clear, understandable thought process and well received presentation. The program committee thus puts a very large emphasis on the abstract. To improve your chances of being selected for PGDay Lowlands:
- make sure the abstract is clear and to the point;
- show the knowledge that will be gained by the audience;
- be concise, do not post a full script.
Submission Notes
Do not keep secrets or surprises from the committee. If your abstract teases the audience about some research or a new project you are planning to reveal during the talk, make sure you tell the committee what that is in the submissions notes. Your secrets are safe with us, but we need to know what the content of our conference is.
Subject Relevancy
How clear is the connection to PostgreSQL? Broader topics are of course welcome, if the connection to PostgreSQL is made clear. Known speakers are generally more trusted to connect to PostgreSQL on general topics, so if in doubt make sure to include in the abstract how it relates to PostgreSQL.
It is also important to not try to cover too much ground in a session; there is only so much the audience can absorb in 45 minutes. Trying to cover every GUC in a single talk is, while most likely feasible, unlikely to translate well into a live presentation.
Presentations about potential future features in PostgreSQL should also make it clear in the submission notes where the patch is currently. Is it in a CommitFest or is it still under heavy development?
Submissions about a commercial service offering, or product demonstrations, are not generally a good fit at PGDay Lowlands, as it is primarily focused on community PostgreSQL and its ecosystem.
Speaker Profile
Make sure to be very clear in your speaker profile, and supply your full name within the submission process. Although your followers on social media may know you as xyz, that might not be true for all the members of the program committee and/or the conference participants. If the speaker profile explains why you are the best speaker for the proposed topic, that is of tremendous value. As the profile is published for all scheduled talks, that may also help attendees select your talk when planning their day at the event.
Number of Speakers
We prefer that a talk is delivered by one speaker, two at max. When submitting a talk, please add a speaker note with the name of the additional speaker. If your talk requires more than 2 speakers in total, please contact us.
Travel Sponsorship and Location Requirements
If you require or request anything, please be upfront and open about it in the submission notes, for example if a whiteboard is needed or if travel reimbursement is required for you to attend. We aim to make PGDay Lowlands as affordable as we can for everyone, but that means that we are unable to fund all speakers for travel and accommodation. The norm is that all regular speakers organise and fund their travel by themselves. If you do require help with travel in order to attend, please let us know and we will do what we can to help you should your talk be accepted.
