We're pleased that you want to present at Canoecopia. Please see the information below for timelines and other details that may be helpful in planning your proposal.

Proposal Title
The title of your presentation should reflect what you will be talking about, so please be thoughtful when selecting your title. This helps us in the final selection process, and also helps to avoid any confusion for Canoecopia attendees who may just refer to a title when they choose to come and see a presentation. Please note that long titles may be cut off in certain parts of the show guide, so best to avoid extra-long or rambling titles.

Proposal Description
When completing your proposal, please submit a well-written paragraph of 50-90 words in third person, that accurately depicts your talk. This will appear in the Canoecopia Show Guide. If you wish to submit additional or supportive information for your presentation, please add it to the "Comments/Additional Information" box at the end of the form. Rutabaga may edit this for clarity, consistency, and grammar.

Presentation Length
Presentations are to be 45 minutes in length (including Q & A), with the exception of Drop-In Clinics (~3 hours) and certain workshops, which may be double sessions. Pool sessions are 20 minutes long.

Presentation Content
Presentations are expected to inform show attendees about a paddling or paddling-related area, skill or adventure and are not intended to be infomercials for businesses. Our audience is very clear that they do not want presentations to be commercials for the speakers' businesses.

Room Format
Rooms sizes vary in capacity from 80 to over 400 people. Most rooms are set up as lecture but other options include open space seating or tables and chairs for workshops. Please indicate on the proposal form which format you think your presentation would work best as - lecture, open space, pool demo, or drop-in clinic (3 hour on-going drop-in on Saturday).

AV Details
Each room, with the exception of the open space area and pool, is equipped with an LCD projector with HDMI input and sound. Presenters must provide their own laptops and cords if they are planning to use the projector for a slideshow or dvd presentation. All rooms, with the exception of the open space area and pool, have microphones.

Speaker Preparation
Canoecopia speakers are a mix of polished folks who speak frequently and those who might not do much public speaking. This informal, folksy quality is part of Canoecopia's charm, but we still expect each speaker to be well prepared, to practice in advance, to select good quality images, and to have a smooth flow to his/her presentation.

About Politics
Paddlers hold a wide range of political ideals. Canoecopia speakers are expected to refrain from including personal politics in their presentation. It's certainly appropriate to encourage action, but please avoid political rhetoric.

Stipends
Many of our speakers present for the love of sharing their stories. Others have support from manufacturers or operate businesses that benefit from spreading the word as a presenter. Many speakers do not receive any financial compensation for presenting. We have a limited speaker budget and financial requests do factor into our decisions. If you are requesting a stipend to cover travel or other expenses, please contact Darren at darrenb@rutabaga.com. Again, our budget is limited, and we have over a hundred speakers.

Speaker Proposal Timeline
Accepted speakers agree to abide by these timelines and to submit all required materials by the due dates listed below. Any exceptions to this timeline must be discussed with Rutabaga and agreed upon in advance.

Please note: We will have a physical show guide in 2026! This means that deadlines are significantly earlier than they have been the few years prior to 2024, and we have much less leeway with last-minute changes. Please plan accordingly and proof-read early and often.

April 1, 2025	Speaker proposal form open
December 2, 2025	Speaker proposals due
Mid-December 2025	Speakers selected and notified
December 20th, 2025	Due for Canoecopia Website/Show Guide: ·  Final Presentation Description (approximately 100 words): should be a well-written paragraph to appear in the Canoecopia Show Guide. Rutabaga reserves the right to edit any copy for publication. Please respect the word limit as this is for the PRINTED show guide with limited space. Further elaboration can be included in the online show guide. ·  Final Expanded Presentation Description (no word limit) for website: There is the option to have a longer description on the website. Be sure to keep as concise as possible while conveying all the necessary information. ·  Speaker photos: should be a fairly close-up, outdoorsy head-shot that is print quality; high-resolution, and at least 300 dpi, 1500 pixels. ·  Final Speaker Biography due (no word limit)
January 3rd, 2026	Draft Speaker schedule distributed
January 8th, 2026	Speaker schedule finalized

Ready to Submit a Proposal?
Contact Darren at darrenb@rutabaga.com and he'll get you the form .