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Proposing a Poster

PyCon US 2025 Poster Session

  • May 16th-17th during Expo Hall Hours
  • May 18th during the Job Fair

During PyCon US 2025, we will celebrate projects large and small through our Poster Session, where dozens of creators will get to interact one-on-one with conference attendees.

The Poster Session is an excellent opportunity to present new ideas, topics, or projects and have one-on-one interactions with members of the Python community. It is held in the large event space to facilitate as many brief and interactive presentations as possible, so it is particularly well suited for topics of interest to a smaller subset of the community and often acts as an incubator for further discussion. In addition, the posters will be on display throughout the main conference in the Expo Hall so that all attendees will have a chance to view them.

Posters themselves are a graphical summary of your project and can be presented in a variety of visual modes to fit an 8-foot wide by 4-foot high (8′×4′) space. The most common form is a single printed poster 48 inches wide by 36 inches high (4′×3′) or several individual pages but other creative modes are encouraged. The presentation space is one side of a standalone poster board where you can tack posters or individual pages (thumbtacks will be provided!). The presentation space also has regular conference WiFi and can include power on request for individual demos.

Important Dates

  • November 1, 2024 — Call for poster proposals.
  • November 22, 2024 — Deadline to participate in Proposal Mentorship Program.
  • December 19, 2024, 11:59 PM EST — Poster proposals due.
  • February 5-6, 2024 — Poster notifications sent.
  • February 18, 2024 — Deadline to confirm participation.
  • February 28, 2024 — The schedule is posted here on the PyCon US website.

To learn where to submit a proposal, visit the Proposal Guidelines page.

A poster proposal may include one additional author (limit to 2 speakers per poster proposal) but they will also need to create their own account on Pretalx. The primary author should first submit the proposal and then they can add one additional author. Please note that you may only submit one poster proposal, regardless of whether you are listed as the primary author or as an additional author.

PyCon US does not want expenses to discourage you from submitting a proposal and offers presenter grants to ensure that anyone can present. When you create a speaker profile, check the box to indicate that you require a speaker grant. This is not seen by the proposal reviewers and does not affect the review of your proposal.

Please note that there is a limit of two speaker travel grants per accepted proposal.

After proposals are selected, we’ll reach out to you regarding your needs. We understand situations can change and we are here for you. If you have any questions, let us know at pycon-aid@python.org.

Poster Submission Guide

Step One: Choosing a Topic

For general advice on developing and submitting a proposal please see :

Also, take a look at past poster sessions to get a sense of the breadth of topics.

If your questions still aren’t answered feel free to email the Posters team.

Step Two: The Poster Proposal

There are five primary parts to a poster proposal:

  • Title
  • Description/Abstract
  • Category
  • Audience
  • Notes

The title is the first thing your audience will see about your poster. Make it brief and descriptive—straight to the point is often the best bet!

The description or abstract will be published in the conference guide and promotional materials. Rather than giving an exhaustive summary, the abstract should provide enough descriptive information to convince your audience to come seek out your poster (~1-3 paragraphs). Note that the description is written in Markdown and can include links to other material.

Next, presenters will get to choose their topic from a list of more than 20 possible categories to help attendees search and find topics that they are interested in. Please select the one you think best represents your poster topic.

You should then select the level—Just Getting Started, Some Experience, Advanced Experience, or Community Presentation—that you feel best represents the audience your poster will be targeted towards.

Finally, the "Notes" section is a place for presenters to communicate with the reviewers. You can use this space to describe anything you think might be relevant for us to help make you successful in your presentation. Additionally, you can include more materials related to your poster proposal that may help inform us about your topic.

Step Three: Preparing a Poster

If your proposal is accepted, you will then have to design or create your poster. Here are some general tips for designing your poster:

  • The title should be short and draw interest.
  • The title and any important information should be readable from 10 feet away so you will need to use a large font! The remaining text should be readable from 3-4 feet away.
  • Content should be clear and to the point.
  • Use graphics, images, colors, headings, numbers, and bullets to bring visual interest.
  • Layout your work in an easy-to-follow narrative.
  • Use enough whitespace so your poster isn’t crowded!

Generally speaking, the poster should be 48" wide by 36" high since this is also the most cost-effective to print. We recommend leaving a 1" white margin around the edge. You can use a variety of software to design your poster. We recommend Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Draw, or your favorite presentation software because they easily allow you to add basic shapes, text, and images to your document. Of course, you can also use the Adobe Creative Suite tools, Inkscape, or Gimp to design and layout your poster, though this is slightly more advanced.

For more information about designing posters, PosterNerd created this poster tutorial and also offers a variety of free templates. In addition, PosterNerd has also provided PyCon US a 10% discount which you can take advantage of by using this discount link. You may also find the tips and discussions on the Better Posters blog helpful.

Don’t forget to consider how you are going to get your poster to Pittsburgh as well! We recommend reaching out to the hotel where you will be staying to see if they will allow you to ship the poster to your attention as a guest of the hotel and then pick it up when you arrive. You also have the option of printing your poster after you arrive in Pittsburgh, and you can find the contact information for two stores close to the convention center in the Frequently Asked Questions section below.

If you choose to have your poster shipped to your home, it’s important to consider how you will transport your poster to the conference to ensure that it doesn't get damaged during your trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

We’re excited to present the Poster Session and we know you might have a lot of questions. Hopefully, we can cover them here, but for anything we missed, email us!

Q: What is a Poster Session?

A poster session is a plenary session where each speaker is given space to display their work as a poster. During the session, speakers stand with their posters, and the audience circulates freely, seeking out the particular presentations they are interested in and talking directly to the presenter in small groups. For PyCon US 2025, posters will be displayed during open Expo Hall hours as well as a designated plenary poster session during the Job Fair. There will be space provided for posters up to 8’ wide by 4’ high in size. This Poster Sessions video will give you an idea of what poster sessions are.

Q: What makes a good poster presentation?

First, a good proposal. Poster sessions are intended to give you the chance to present interesting ideas and start conversations with others. Additionally, proposal titles and abstracts are one of the major tools the audience will use to identify posters of interest, so it is important to communicate clearly.

Second, the poster itself. It is important to understand that a poster is neither a paper nor a slideshow. The poster isn’t there for the audience to just read—it is a visual aid for you to use in creating a quick, engaging impromptu presentation, and to refer to in answering questions and fueling discussion. Use this session as a way to make connections with people that you can continue through the open spaces or informally during the conference.

Q: Can I submit both a Poster and a Talk Proposal?

Absolutely! We encourage everyone to submit a poster proposal even if they have also submitted a talk proposal. If both are accepted, authors can adapt their presentations to make the best use of each venue. Even if a talk proposal can not be accommodated by the program committee, it may still be well suited for a poster presentation.

However, please keep in mind that there is a limit of three proposals per person, regardless of proposal type. See the Proposal Guidelines page for more information.

Q: How good do the posters have to be?

Alternatively:

  • How professional do the posters need to look?
  • How much money do I need to spend on the poster?

The poster session is about facilitating one-on-one interactive presentations with an interested audience; therefore, we encourage you to spend more time considering how best to organize and show your work. For example, a well-structured, well-organized collection of individual sheets of paper tacked to the board can be as effective as a professionally printed poster.

You are highly encouraged to take the time to look at some of the posters from previous years that are linked to above.

  • Were there certain formats or layouts that you found easier to follow?
  • For the posters you found most engaging, what type of attributes did they share?
  • And for the posters that were difficult to follow or that were less appealing, what do you think the presenter could have done differently to improve it?

Taking the time to think through these questions will help you plan out how to best layout and present your own work.

As for the cost, generally speaking, posters are 48″ wide by 36″ high (4’x3’) and can be printed for around USD $70.00. PosterNerd also offers PyCon US presenters 10% off if you use this link. Posters that have a large number of images and short, to-the-point text are excellent. Don’t be afraid of box and line diagrams or using photographs in your poster!

If you’re still worried about the cost of printing your poster, please email us and we’ll see what we can do to help.

Q: Does my poster need to be in English?

Nope! If you feel there will be a significant audience for your poster in a foreign language, you may implement your poster in that language. The difficulty is that the reviewers won’t necessarily speak or understand the language that you’re presenting. Clear communication with us is necessary if you’re interested in presenting in a language we don’t understand. And of course, you will need to adhere to the PyCon US Code of Conduct even in a different language.

Q. If I'm doing a demo with my poster, is it possible to get additional supplies?

During the Poster Session, each poster display will have power, a small table, and chairs. If you need additional supplies, such as a flip chart or markers, please include this information in the “Notes” field in the Poster proposal form where you can enter your additional needs.

Q. Is there a place in Pittsburgh where I can print my poster instead of using the group shipping option or having to bring it with me?

Yes, our committee found these locations: