Your Guide to a
Successful Proposal

The RightsCon proposal portal is a one-stop shop where you can submit and manage session proposals, apply for our Community Support Fund, and more. Create an account to get started!

You can propose a maximum of five sessions for consideration. Please note that the limit only applies to the number of proposals per person, not per host institution.

Depending on the format, a session will include a number of different roles:

• A session organizer develops the session content and structure, and coordinates with facilitators and speakers at all relevant steps in the process.
• A facilitator leads discussion and activities, and steers participants to reach the session goal. Most, but not all, session organizers also choose to facilitate.
• A speaker frames the conversation from an expert’s perspective and offers ideas for participants to question and consider.
• A participant brings personal insights and experiences to the table and actively contributes to the session goal.
• A technical moderator (online) or room monitor (in-person) manages participant access, and ensures the session runs smoothly and ends on time. Our team will assign one technical moderator or monitor to every session room.

Hosted both online and in-person, RightsCon Costa Rica will mark our first hybrid summit. The program will support six session formats intended to foster moments of connection and collaboration, and a schedule which will enable live participation across different time zones.

You can choose to host your session online or in-person. Online sessions are run entirely on our custom summit platform, while in-person sessions are held at our venue in Costa Rica. You can pick either option, but once you submit the proposal form, your selection is final.

We want to know what a “hybrid session” means to you, and what would help you make the most of the summit experience. Our team is exploring hybrid production elements which promote the principles of participatory design, and create more flexible and asynchronous options for online and in-person audiences.

In the proposal form, you’ll see a question about potential hybrid elements, such as simultaneous participation, mirrored sessions, or replays. While we may not pursue all the elements listed, your input will help shape and inform our production parameters for RightsCon Costa Rica.

You can read more about our hybrid event model, and the considerations and factors which will inform our approach, in our recent blog.

We take seriously our responsibility to build a program and a summit space that reflects the diversity of experiences embodied by our community. RightsCon’s policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion aim to address dynamics of privilege and power that impede trust, openness, and collective action.

Diversity is one of our core evaluation criteria. As always, we welcome proposals that explore technology’s intersection with gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability status, economic status, and/or other social, cultural, or personal identities.

Organizers should arrange session lineups with care and consciousness of regional representation, and representation of communities across regions – such as Indigenous peoples, Black communities, and people with disabilities – that are traditionally pushed to the margins and excluded from global convening spaces.

Access Now upholds a no-tolerance policy for men-only panels (“manels”). We also look critically at sessions that only feature perspectives from communities which perpetrate and benefit from systems of oppression, including but not limited to: colonialism, racism, classism, and land and resource exploitation.

We may reach out to organizers to offer feedback or recommend facilitators for sessions where these standards aren’t met. In rare cases, we may pull a session from the schedule if it violates our policies.

Access Now’s Code of Conduct establishes principles and expectations for participation at RightsCon. If you have ideas on ways we can better serve our global community, contact us at [email protected].

RightsCon convenes people from around the world to discuss critical issues and advance a shared agenda for human rights. If your proposal is accepted into the program, we’ll work with you to develop a participatory and action-oriented session, and provide training, resources, connections, and opportunities to network with other organizers, all in the service of building a program that reflects the diverse needs, priorities, and interests of our community.

At RightsCon, participants are not passive listeners, but active contributors. Your proposal should clearly articulate what you want to achieve and how participants will help you reach that goal. No matter the format, a well-structured session will make the best use of the people and perspectives in the room.

Yes! While most sessions are conducted in English, the program supports many other languages, such as Arabic, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. In an effort to make RightsCon more accessible, the proposal form offers optional sections where you can submit answers in another language.

If the form presents a barrier to submitting a proposal for consideration, please reach out to our team at [email protected], and we’ll work with you to facilitate your participation in RightsCon.

RightsCon will offer a Community Support Fund in 2023, available to those who wish to attend RightsCon in-person or online. While our resources are limited as a non-profit, we welcome applications from session organizers, facilitators, and speakers in need of travel, connectivity, or other financial assistance who would otherwise be unable to participate. Applications to the Fund will open in January 2023.

If you intend to travel to Costa Rica in June 2023, we will release information on travel, visa requirements, accommodation, and health and safety protocols in November.