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12/04/2023 – Since this article was published, Session Select public voting has closed. You can learn more about Session Select here
Since it began on the streets of Austin in the late ‘80s, SXSW has always been about community and collaboration. SXSW Sydney will be no different: we want you to jump in and have your say, which is where Session Select comes in.
Session Select is our platform through which you (yes, you!) can shape the SXSW Sydney Conference and vote for which panels, presentations, speakers, mentor sessions, and workshops that you want to see on the programme in October.
Session Select voting is now open, which means it’s time for you to help us make SXSW Sydney Conference the best it can be.
Keen to get involved? We thought you might be – here’s a rundown of exactly what Session Select is all about.
SXSW Sydney received more than 1,400 Conference proposals from people around Australia and the world – exploring ideas across all our major industries of Tech & Innovation, Games, Music, Screen and so much more.
The depth and breadth of these ideas is eye-opening. One proposal – dubbed Artificially Ingenious: Exploring the Wild Intersection of AI and Creativity – seeks to explore the hotly debated issue regarding the role that AI will play in arts and human creativity in the future. Another, Trusting my Ears Again: Transcribing Music with Cochlear Implants, will dive into the journey of a Brisbane father as he rediscovered music after hearing loss.
One proposed panel would bring together prominent First Nations influencers to discuss their successes and challenges (BlakTok creator panel: The business of being a First Nations influencer in 2023), while another would examine how to retain and strengthen Games talent in Australia (Australia and the global war for talent in gaming, how can we lead the pack?).
This is just a tiny sample of the thought-provoking proposals the community has put forward for the SXSW Sydney Conference.
“We at SXSW Sydney were thrilled by the variety of ideas from our local and global creative community, from individuals and groups at the top of their fields,” says Fenella Kernebone, Head of Conference Programming, SXSW Sydney. “We were also stunned by the level of interest, receiving over 1,400 entries to Session Select in our first year. Now we turn it over to our audience to choose what they want to see.’’
The proposals for SXSW Sydney Conference came from a huge variety of people across cultures and communities. The majority of proposals came from within Australia (and NSW and Victoria in particular), but SXSW Sydney received ideas from every corner of the globe, including Brazil, Mexico, The Netherlands, Thailand, Taiwan, India, and more.
The biggest chunk of the proposals were related to Culture & Community (188 applications), with Startups and Tech industry (172), The Future You (149) and Health & Wellbeing (123) also making up a significant portion.
The ideas didn’t just come from company founders and executives either – teachers, young workers, students, small business owners, community groups, subject experts and just regular enthusiasts all contributed ideas. Which is what SXSW Sydney is all about!
Glad you asked! Here’s how to vote on the proposals through Session Select:
And that’s it! After the community votes are in, the SXSW Sydney team will work through all the successful proposals with relevant industry experts to determine the full Conference programme.
SXSW Sydney Session Select voting closes at 11.59pm on Tuesday, April 11th. The SXSW Sydney team will be in touch with the successful applicants by the end of April.
For more information on Session Select, head over here. And to start voting, click this link.
SXSW Sydney will take place from October 15 to 22. Badges are on sale now – get yours here.
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