Call for Papers Submission Guidelines

Jump to Policy

Join us as a speaker at the Scrum Alliance Global Scrum Gathering® 2025, taking place in Munich, Germany, from May 4–7, 2025. This in-person event offers a vibrant blend of learning and networking opportunities.

Located along the River Isar, Munich combines rich history with modern charm. Explore its famous beer gardens, cultural festivals, and stunning landmarks like Nymphenburg Palace and Viktualienmarkt, all set against the scenic backdrop of the Alps.

We invite you to join us in this beautiful city to share your ideas and expertise by submitting a session proposal that will inspire, connect, and educate our community!

 

Program overview

We’re taking attendees on a transformative journey through agile's evolution: anchoring them in the foundational principles, empowering them with contemporary practices, and equipping them to anticipate and shape the future. 

Our themes focus on actionable skills over titles, fostering a future-focused mindset while drawing on the wisdom of the past and the realities of today. We are also happy to consider submissions on alternative topics and will evaluate their fit with the program.

Themes:

  1. Foundations Reimagined: Timeless Agile Principles
    Rediscover the core aspects of agile that have stood the test of time. This theme invites newcomers and seasoned practitioners to engage with the essence of agile to deliver value. Sessions could (but are not required to) explore the following topics:

    • Revisiting the Agile Manifesto: Discussions on how the manifesto’s values and principles apply today and how they might be interpreted for tomorrow’s challenges.

    • Agile and Beyond: Ensure mastery of the basics across all levels—helping teams and individuals return to their roots while pushing their practice forward.

    • Skills Over Titles: A focus on cultivating the hands-on skills that genuinely matter in agile environments, from facilitation to conflict resolution, regardless of role or title.

  2. Agile in Action: Conquering Today’s Challenges
    This theme showcases agile's current form—adapting and thriving amid today’s complex challenges. It’s about real-world application, focusing on tangible outcomes and practical insights from those on the front lines of agile transformation. Sessions could (but are not required to) explore the following topics:

    • Enterprise Agility: How large organizations successfully scale agile, including overcoming common pitfalls and resistance. Strategies for embedding agile thinking into the DNA of organizations to drive business results, innovation, and customer satisfaction.

    • Agile Across Industries: Exploring how agile is being applied in diverse fields such as marketing, education, finance, and beyond—demonstrating its versatility and adaptability.

    • Team Evolution: How to create collaborative, diverse, high-performing teams that thrive in a culture of end-to-end value delivery. 

  3. Future-Proofing Agile: Innovating for Tomorrow
    This forward-looking theme delves into the innovations and trends poised to define the next era of agile. It’s about future challenges organizations already foresee and successful experiments on how an agility-centric approach helped respond to such change. Sessions could (but are not required to) explore the following topics:

    • Emerging Agile Practices: A look at the next wave of agile practices and how they can be integrated into existing ways of working. This could include the intersection of agile practices and emerging technologies and how technology is reshaping the way agile teams work.

    • Uncertainty: We are experiencing changes in the workforce, population, and planet. How has agility been applied to address these changes?  

    • Innovation: Agility as a door opener for innovative culture and customer-centric experimentation. This is your opportunity to get creative and bring topics that haven’t been previously explored.

  4. Other: If your session does not fall within the above themes, we are happy to accept submissions on alternative topics.


 

How to apply

 

  1. View the submission form (you'll first be prompted to make an account)

  2. Follow the instructions to fill out the fields

  3. Submit your paper during the application period: September 18–October 30, 2024


 

Submission guidelines

The following fields must be completed in the submission form. Please adhere to these requirements when you make your submission:

  • All submissions must be in English.
  • You may submit no more than three papers.
  • Every speaker is limited to one session (whether you are a primary or secondary speaker).
  • Sessions designed to promote the sales of products and services are not allowed. 
  • In an effort to minimize bias and to create a fair review process, we will omit the submitter’s name during the review process. Therefore, please do not include speaker name(s) or identifying characteristics in any field other than “Speaker Details.”  
  • Submissions must be made by the Primary Speaker.

If your submission is approved, the information you share may be used on marketing materials such as the event web page, mobile app, event platform, and social media. 

Required fields:

  1. Session Title — Your title should generate interest and draw people to your session. It needs to be consistent with the session content so that it shapes proper expectations. If accepted, we reserve the right to alter the title based on program needs. 20-word limit.

  2. Session Theme — Select the one theme that your session falls under:
    • Foundations Reimagined: Timeless Agile Principles
    • Agile in Action: Conquering Today’s Challenges
    • Future-Proofing Agile: Innovating for Tomorrow
    • Other

  3. Session Summary — Succinctly describe your session so attendees know what to expect. If your session is selected, the summary will be used in the event agenda. The limit is 200 words. Please do not include your name or company in the session summary.

  4. Target Audience — Carefully consider the primary level of audience understanding and comprehension for whom your session is intended. Choose from the following:
    • Foundational: Focuses on attendees with 0–2 years of agile experience
    • Intermediate: Focuses on attendees with 2–5 years of agile experience
    • Advanced: Focuses on attendees with 5+ years of agile experience

  5.  Prerequisites — Share any prior knowledge or experience that would help an attendee get the most out of your session. If your session is selected, the prerequisites may be included in your session description.

  6. Learning Outcomes — Describe three key learning outcomes and/or attendee takeaways. What will attendees learn, experience, or gain after participating? Examples include specific skills, knowledge, and/or practices that participants will be able to take back and apply to their work or life. 200-word limit.

  7. Session Delivery — Describe how you will organize your session. Include an outline for your session that includes a list of key activities that will take place. Describe the instructional materials and/or method you will use to deliver your session. This could be a slide presentation, interactive workshop, game, panel discussion, etc. 300-word limit.

  8. Session Time Block —Indicate the length of your session.
    • 20-minute session — lightning talk
    • 60-minute session — lecture
    • 60-minute session — workshop (highly-interactive session)
    • 90-minute session — workshop (highly-interactive session)

  9. Speaker Details —If the session has more than one speaker, PLEASE LIST THE PRIMARY SPEAKER FIRST, followed by additional speakers. Please note: only the primary speaker of a session will receive speaker compensation (outlined below).

    Provide the following information for each speaker:
    • Name and email address.
    • Links to your website, LinkedIn, or other social media.
    • A short biography. 250-word limit.

  10. Have you presented this submission before? — If yes, include the event name and date.

  11. Have you previously presented at a Global Scrum Gathering, Regional Scrum Gathering, or neither? (Select all that apply)

  12. Will this be your first time presenting at a conference (any conference)?

  13. Video or Audio Sample —The video or audio sample should exemplify some of the following: your ability to tell stories, engage dialogue, facilitate discussion, and explain complex ideas.

    The sample does not have to be on the same topic as your submission. The sample must be in English.

    If submitting a video, please upload your video to YouTube as “unlisted” and share that link. If for some reason you cannot share a YouTube link, please make sure that you’ve tested the link for accessibility, and that the link doesn’t expire or require a secure login.

    If you are sharing an audio sample, please share a cloud link to the recording, and make sure it is accessible.

     



    The following are optional questions to help Scrum Alliance's efforts to provide diverse event programming. This information will be used only in aggregate for analytics purposes and will not be used in selection of individual speakers.


  14. What is your gender identity? 

  15. What is your race or ethnicity? 

  16. What is your age range?

  17. Do you identify as a person with a disability?

 

     

    Timeline
    • Call for papers: September 18–October 30, 2024
    • Review period: November–December, 2024
    • Submitters notified of submission status: end of January, 2025
    What criteria will be used to evaluate my session proposal?

    • Meets session guidelines: The minimum requirement for all accepted sessions is that they meet the requirements included in the submission guidelines.

    • Program theme alignment: Our program centralizes around three themes. Be sure to demonstrate how your session will align to these themes, unless you select “Other” as your theme.

    • Industry relevance: We are looking for sessions that have ready relevance within our agile industry. These can include emerging topics or tried and true fundamentals, but relevance is key.

    • Community demand: The best sessions align with topics that our community is currently engaging in. A topic that is in demand in our community goes beyond relevance; it’s what people are talking about now.

    • Format variety: We want to give our attendees a variety of ways to learn and experience content, which means offering a variety of session formats. Make sure that your session format and timing is clear.

    • Diversification of speakers: Agilists want to hear and learn from diverse voices. We will be choosing sessions that balance the number of new voices with well-known fan favorites. To support speaker representation, speakers will only be approved to present one session per event.

    • Balance of experience levels: Our event attracts lifelong agilists as well as those just beginning their agile journey. As such, it is important that our program offers sessions appropriate for different levels of experience from entry to advanced.

    Information about the review process:

    • Our Review Team includes approximately 100 participants with diverse backgrounds and experiences, who volunteer their time to review submissions.

    • Your submission will be reviewed five times, each time by a different Review Team member. Review Team members do not have access to any of the submission’s previous reviews.  

    • It is possible that during the review stage, you may receive a request to provide additional information or revisions to your submission. You will have an opportunity to make changes to your submission, if you so choose. It is not required that you make these revisions, but it may be beneficial to your overall review. If this applies to your submission, you will receive a request for revision by December 1 (at the latest) and have one week to make revisions.

    • Your name and other identifying information will be removed from your submission during the review process to ensure anonymity and minimize bias.

    • Your submission will be reviewed based on the topic, format, and learning to be gained from your session. 

    What to expect if your paper is selected:

    • Once notified, you’ll have a week to register to confirm that you’ll be speaking.

    • By registering for the gathering, you agree to a Speaker Agreement that outlines your expectations and requirements.

    • As we approach the gathering, we will ask you to submit additional information and provide information about travel and speaking logistics.

    If your session is not selected you are welcome to email us to request feedback on your submission. Feedback requests will be added to a queue and will be responded to in the order in which they were received.

    Speaker compensation

    Scrum Alliance is pleased to offer the following compensation to the primary speaker of each accepted presentation: 

    • One (1) complimentary gathering registration and

    • One-night (1) accommodation at the gathering hotel during the event 

    You cannot accumulate complimentary registrations and we cannot offer splitting or transferring compensation to additional speakers. Complimentary registrations cannot be applied to previous or future gatherings. Complete compensation details will be sent to speakers upon acceptance of submission. 

    Any additional speaker(s) participating in a session will be listed in the program but will not receive compensation. 

    If you have any questions, please contact: [email protected]