Call for Speakers – BSides Kolkata 2026

BSides Security Conference 2026. Join one of Eastern India’s biggest cybersecurity events and share your research, tools, and real-world experiences with practitioners, engineers, and hackers from across the country.

The Call for Speakers is open to both new and experienced speakers who have practical, technical, and impactful content to share.

Important Dates

CFP opens: 12 December 2025
CFP closes: 20 January 2026
Speaker announcement: 30 January 2026

Topics of interest

We welcome original, technically strong, and practical talks on (but not limited to) the following categories.

No	Generalized Category	Mapped Topics
1	Network & Infrastructure Security	Networks, SDN, WLAN & Bluetooth Security, Firewall Evasion, Telecom, Radio/RF Security/Hacking, Satellites/Space Hacking, Smart Cities, ATM Security/Hacking
2	Web, API & Browser Security	Web, Web Application Hacking, Browser Security, Bug Bounty, New Vulnerabilities & Exploits
3	Cloud, Virtualization & Distributed Systems Security	Cloud, Cloud Security, Web3/Web3.0, Blockchain, Blockchain Hacking, Metaverse
4	Mobile & Wireless Device Security	Mobile, Mobile Application Security/Hacking, Android Security/Hacking, iOS Security/Hacking
5	IoT, Embedded, Hardware & Industrial Security	IoT, Hardware, Embedded, ICS/SCADA, Hardware/IoT/ICS/SCADA Security, Car Hacking
6	Malware, Reverse Engineering & Exploit Development	Malware Analysis, Reverse Engineering, New Exploits
7	AI, ML & Emerging Tech Security	AI, AI Hacking/Security
8	Digital Forensics & Incident Response	Forensics
9	Human-centric Security	Social Engineering, Physical Security
10	Tools, Research & Offensive Security Operations	Red Teaming, Open Source Tool Release/Demo, Cryptography

If your talk does not fit neatly into these topics but is clearly security-focused and practical, you are still encouraged to submit.

Who should submit

Security researchers, red/blue/purple teamers, malware analysts, reverse engineers.
Engineers, developers, architects, and SREs with strong security learnings or failures to share.
Bug bounty hunters, penetration testers, and consultants with real-world stories and techniques.
Students and first-time speakers with solid technical work and a clear, well-structured proposal.

You do not need prior speaking experience; clear ideas, real impact, and honest technical depth matter more.

Submission guidelines

A strong proposal should be:

Original: Prefer work not presented or published elsewhere before the conference.
Practical: Include real-world examples, case studies, data, or demos wherever possible.
Detailed: Provide enough technical detail in the abstract and outline so reviewers understand the depth.
Relevant: Match the content to a security audience (no marketing, sales, or generic awareness talks).

Each submission must include:

Talk title.
Abstract (200–400 words) explaining the problem, your approach, and key takeaways.
Outline with main sections and approximate time split.
Speaker details: name, email, organization (optional), short bio, and previous speaking experience (if any).
Disclosure status: whether this is exclusive research, ongoing work, or an updated version of a previous talk.

Product pitches, vendor sales talks, and purely promotional content will be rejected.

Review process

All submissions will be reviewed by a technical review panel and the core conference team.

Talks are evaluated on originality, technical depth, clarity, and relevance to the community.

Preference may be given to:

Exclusive or first-time public research.
Talks with strong technical detail and concrete demos.
Content that shares practical lessons teams can apply.

Due to limited slots, some good talks may still be declined; this is often due to overlap with already accepted topics or schedule limits, not just quality.

Speaker benefits

For accepted speakers (primary speaker per talk):

Complimentary full conference pass.
Complimentary accommodation for 2–3 nights during the conference (details will be shared on confirmation).
Travel reimbursement up to a capped amount for outstation speakers (cap and process communicated after acceptance).
Access to speaker-only networking events and the post-conference party.
Recognition on the conference website and social media, plus an official speaker certificate.

In case of multiple speakers for a talk, only one speaker will be eligible for travel reimbursement; accommodation may be provided on a shared basis.

Terms and conditions

All proposals must be submitted through the official CFP form; submissions via email or social media will not be considered.
By submitting, you confirm that your content respects responsible disclosure and applicable laws.
By agreeing to speak, you grant the organizers permission to record your session and share the slides and video with the community (with proper credit).
Accepted speakers are expected to present in person unless the organizers explicitly agree to a remote format.
The organizing team reserves the right to change the schedule, request edits, or withdraw an accepted talk in exceptional cases.

How to submit and contact

Submit your proposal using the “Call for Speakers / CFP” form linked on this page.
For CFP-related questions, write to the CFP email listed on the event site.
For sponsorship or registration queries, use the contact email provided on the main conference contact page.

Speakers are also encouraged to follow the event’s social media handles for updates, reminders, and tips about the CFP window and final program announcements.