Open Call: Win a Mainstage Slot at SEO Week 2026
Garrett Sussman
November 21, 2025
SEO Week draws some of the sharpest people in search, content, AI, analytics, and adjacent work. The plans for 2026 push the event further than anything we’ve done before. New research. New sessions. New experiments. New perspectives. And this year, we’re opening the door for someone who hasn’t spoken on the SEO Week stage before.
The SEO Week Open Call: Earn the Stage Competition gives one standout voice a shot at stepping into the spotlight and proving they have something strong to add to the industry conversation. No vague concepts. No recycled ideas. We want something with ambition and serious tactical value.
Whether you come from SEO, performance, brand, UX, analytics, product, or data science, if you have a point of view that can shift how people think or operate, we want to see it.
The winner earns a 30-minute mainstage session at SEO Week 2026 in New York with travel and hotel covered. Finalists present live in front of the community and our judging panel.
Submission deadline: JANUARY 31st, 2026
Why We Built the Competition
SEO Week is the place where new frameworks, new research, and new debates shape how teams approach search. The industry moves fast. People look for guidance from practitioners who test ideas and bring receipts. There are so many smart folks who never submit to conferences because they think they need a polished résumé or a list of past speaking gigs.
This competition flips that idea. Your pitch stands on its own. If it’s strong, it’s strong. We want to discover someone who’s pushing the work forward and give them a real platform. Not a side room. Not a lightning round. A real slot on the mainstage.
What You Need to Know
Key Dates
- Launch: November 21, 2025
- Submission Deadline: January 31, 2026
- Finalists Announced: Early February
- Live Virtual Pitch Event: February 19, 2026 11 am–2 pm ET
- Winner Announced: March 2, 2026
- Winner presents live at SEO Week: April 27-30, 2026
What You Need to Submit
Your entry lives or dies on clarity and strength. Keep it tight.
- A title and a 100–200 word summary
- Three clear takeaways that prove your idea leads somewhere
- A 2–3 minute video pitch
- A short bio (100 words)
- A headshot
- Optional: examples, visuals, data, case links, or supporting work
Nothing needs to be studio-perfect. Raw and real is fine. If it communicates your idea well, it works.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE
- Must be 18 years or older.
- Open to participants worldwide.
- Must work in, study, or actively contribute to SEO, content, marketing, analytics, UX, data, AI, product, or adjacent fields.
- Submissions must be original and not previously presented at another conference.
- Only one submission per person.
- Team submissions are not allowed; the competition is for individual speakers only.
- Entrants must be available for the live virtual pitch event on February 19th if selected as finalists.
- Entrants must be willing to have their pitch video, headshot, and materials used in SEO Week promotions.
- All finalists agree to the recording and distribution of the live pitch event.
- The winner must be available to attend SEO Week 2026 in New York to deliver their session.
What We’re Looking For
We review every submission with genuine intent to find something fresh. Strong entries usually have:
- A point of view you can explain in one sentence
- Evidence, experiments, or practical steps
- A through-line that connects your idea to real problems people face
- Enough personality that we can see how you’d hold the room
Your topic should connect to at least one of these four areas:
- Science: data, research, modeling, measurement
- Psychology: persuasion, behavior, content strategy, human decision-making
- Ecosystem: cross-channel thinking, vertical nuance, brand systems
- Future: emerging models, shifts in search behavior, new modes of discovery
How the Selection Works
Our team reviews all submissions and chooses the top 10 finalists. Each finalist gets a spot in the live virtual pitch event in February. Everyone presents in real time to both the public and the judging panel. Audience voting influences the final score, but it isn’t the deciding factor. We use it to gauge excitement and interest. The judges choose the winner.
Why You Should Consider Submitting
Maybe you’ve been sitting on a concept that clients love.
Maybe you ran an experiment that broke your assumptions.
Maybe you have something sharp to say about search, AI, content, or the future of attention.
If you have a talk that feels exciting to you, it’s probably exciting to us.
Pitching pushes people to refine an idea, stress-test it, sharpen it, and see if it holds.
Even if you don’t make the finalist list, the act of building your pitch forces clarity.
If you do make the list, you get the same reach as some of the biggest names in the field.
And if you win, you’re on stage in New York presenting to the entire industry.
Ready to Submit?
If you think you have a topic that deserves the spotlight, we want to see it.
Legal Disclaimer
Participation in the SEO Week Stage Challenge is voluntary and subject to all published rules and terms. By submitting, entrants confirm that their work is original, that they meet eligibility requirements, and that iPullRank may use submitted materials—including video pitches, headshots, bios, and presentation summaries—for judging and promotional purposes. Finalists consent to the recording and distribution of the live virtual pitch event. The winner must attend SEO Week 2026 to present. iPullRank is not responsible for technical issues, lost files, or travel disruptions. All judging decisions are final.
SECURE
YOUR PLACE
at SEO Week 2026
Tickets are limited. Prices increase as tiers sell out.
This is where real progress happens. The people building the next phase of AI Search will be in the room. Be one of them.
SECURE YOUR PLACE at SEO Week 2026
Tickets are limited. Prices increase as tiers sell out.
This is where real progress happens. The people building the next phase of AI Search will be in the room. Be one of them.