Call for Papers

We invite proposals across experience levels, from introductory to advanced topics. Talks should emphasize practical value, clear takeaways, and technical accuracy.

BSides Nashville runs on Friday, May 15, 2026 across two adjacent venues in Marathon Village: Marathon Music Works (Red Track) and The Foundry (Blue Track).

• Red Track (Offensive) — Offensive security tactics, tooling, and methodology. Hosted at Marathon Music Works.
• Blue Track (Defensive) — Detection engineering, incident response, and defensive strategy. Hosted at The Foundry.

Slots are limited. Standard talk length is up to 40 minutes including Q&A.

• No vendor pitches. Education first. Product demos are acceptable only when essential to the technique.
• In-person only. All sessions are delivered live on site.
• Not recorded. Sessions are not recorded to encourage open discussion.
• Original or clearly attributed work. Disclose prior presentations or publications of similar material.

We use a blind review to reduce bias. Please omit personal or identifying details from the abstract and description unless they are essential to the content.

• Relevance and impact. Current challenges, new research, or practical solutions.
• Clarity. Well-structured abstracts with concrete takeaways.
• Blind review compliance. Keep proposals free of personal identifiers.

Speakers self-fund travel and lodging. We will publish any discounted hotel rates when available.