OPEN CALL FOR SPEAKERS 2027
Share your process. Not just your portfolio.
BOUNCE is built on the belief that the most valuable conversations in design happen when we talk honestly about how work gets made, the thinking, the detours, the failures, and what came from them. If you have a project, collaboration, or idea that deserves more than a caption, we want to hear from you.
We are looking for speakers and panellists for BOUNCE 2027, on 15th January at Trinity College Dublin. Presentations run 30 minutes. Panel discussions accommodate up to three people over 45 minutes.
Why apply?
Not to build your brand. Not to fill a slot on a programme. Because this community is worth speaking to, and because articulating your process out loud tends to clarify it in ways that are useful to you as much as anyone in the room.
BOUNCE attracts mid-career designers who are genuinely curious, professionally serious, and not easily impressed by surface. If you have something real to share, this is the right room for it.
What we're looking for
BOUNCE 2027's theme is Friction — exploring what it means to resist, slow down, and make work that could only come from you. Full details here.
We invite proposals that connect with one or more of the following strands:
Friction as Method — process, resistance and the low work
Friction as Signal — what difficulty teaches
Friction as Presence — trust and self
You are also welcome to propose your own interpretation of the theme.
We are especially interested in practitioners who don't typically take to a stage — people doing genuinely interesting work, with or without a social media following to prove it.
What we value in proposals
Process and methodology over finished outcomes
Original thinking that hasn't yet become a conference circuit staple
Honest reflection — including what didn't work
Work that connects to something beyond the discipline
Practical information
You need to be able to get to the event, on 15th January 2027, Trinity College Dublin
You don't need to be an experienced speaker — we will support your preparation
A pre-planning session may be required in advance of the event
Presentations must be submitted by the deadline confirmed at application
Deadline 28th August 2027 at 5pm
Proposals are reviewed on relevance to the theme, quality of thinking, and potential for genuine audience engagement. We read every submission, and aim to return to you by the end September 2026.
Submit your proposal