Felix Pinkston
Apr 09, 2026 02:53
GitHub Universe returns to San Francisco October 28-29, 2026. Speaker proposals and nominations accepted by Might 1 for the annual developer convention.
GitHub has opened speaker submissions for Universe 2026, its flagship developer convention returning to Fort Mason Heart in San Francisco on October 28-29. The deadline for proposals and speaker nominations is Might 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
The Microsoft-owned platform is soliciting periods throughout three codecs this yr: demo-style shows together with product showcases and a brand new “Ship & Inform” format aimed toward startup founders, thought management tracks that includes breakout periods and panels, and interactive workshops the place attendees construct alongside presenters.
Ship & Inform represents a notable addition for 2026. The format targets builders who need to share scaling tales—what shipped, what broke, what labored—reasonably than polished product demos. It is a recognition that failure narratives usually educate greater than success tales.
GitHub highlighted a number of previous periods as examples of what resonates with Universe audiences. A 2025 speak by Pillippa Pérez Pons framed Git troubleshooting by a “cat’s 9 lives” metaphor, masking sparse checkouts, partial clones, and reflog restoration strategies. One other session forged CI/CD safety as a fantasy quest, with “historical scripts” as monsters and provide chain vulnerabilities as dragons.
Martin Woodward’s 2025 keynote challenged standard productiveness metrics, arguing that the shrinking hole between thought and shipped product calls for a shift in how builders take into consideration experimentation. “When you can dream it, you possibly can construct it,” he instructed attendees.
The 2024 convention featured a Kubernetes safety session delivered solely by tabletop RPG roleplay, and a cinematic “mission briefing” on GitHub Copilot’s AI-powered safety remediation instruments.
For these submitting proposals, GitHub’s steering emphasizes combining real engineering classes with distinctive presentation types. Classes that merely rehash documentation not often make the reduce. The choice committee appears for audio system with a transparent perspective and willingness to indicate character.
Potential audio system can submit proposals or nominate others by GitHub’s submission portal. The corporate’s information breaks down content material tracks, session sorts, and what distinguishes sturdy functions from the pile.
Picture supply: Shutterstock

