South By SouthWest Submissions And Proposals Open For 2020
Austin, Texas – July 1, 2019 — South by Southwest® (SXSW®) has launched its 2020 season
with the opening of PanelPicker® conference programming proposals, Film Festival
submissions, and Music Showcasing Artist applications for next year’s event.
SXSW will accept proposals through PanelPicker, an online tool that allows the SXSW
community to have a significant voice in programming conference activities through an open
proposal and voting process, beginning Friday, July 19, 2019. Community voting begins
Monday, August 5, 2019 and continues through Friday, August 23, 2019.
The SXSW Conference features 20 programming tracks, each featuring sessions that focus on
a specific element of the track’s broad theme and with target audiences ranging from
beginner-level to advanced. Tracks for 2020 will include: Advertising & Brand Experience;
Cannabusiness; Climate & Social Action; Connection & Culture; Creating & Monetizing Music;
Design; Experiential Storytelling; Fantastic Future; Film & TV Industry; Future of Music; Gaming
Industry; Government & Politics; Health & MedTech; Making Film & Episodics; Media &
Journalism; Sports; Startups; Tech Industry & Enterprise; Workplace; and XR.
The SXSW Film Festival is now accepting Feature Film, Short Film, Episodic, Music Video, and
Virtual Cinema submissions through October 17, 2019. The Texas High School Short and Title
Sequence categories will accept submissions through December 12, 2019. Submit now for the
early bird rate.
The SXSW Music Festival is now accepting Showcasing Artist applications for 2020. The
Music Festival is the destination for all who share a passion for creativity and new music
discovery — industry professionals and influencers from the worlds of music, tech, and film,
international media, and music fans. The application period closes on October 25, 2019. Apply
early for a discounted rate.
In addition to PanelPicker proposals for the SXSW Conference and applications to the Film
Festival and Music Festival, SXSW is now seeking the best digital creative work for the
Interactive Innovation Awards, the most inventive startups to enter SXSW Pitch, creative and
persuasive essays and short stories for the David Carr Prize, and nominations for the SXSW
Community Service Awards. Proposals for the Art Program are also now being accepted.
SXSW 2020 registration and housing will open Thursday, August 1, 2019. For more information,
please go here.
The 2019 Conference featured more than 2,100 sessions, with speakers including Olivia Wilde,
Jeffrey Katzenberg, Meg Whitman, T Bone Burnett, Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond of the
Beastie Boys, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Brené Brown, Stacey Abrams, Neil Gaiman, and more.
The SXSW Film Festival screened 133 features, 131 shorts, and 17 episodics in 8 venues
across Austin. Films were selected from 8,495 submissions. The Feature Film slate screened
155 World Premieres, 14 North American Premieres, and 8 U.S. Premieres. More than 73,000
seats were filled at 425 individual screenings, while 26 Virtual Cinema VR/AR projects attracted
14,055 views over 3 days.
The SXSW Music Festival showcased 1,964 artists on 94 stages, featuring 612 international
acts representing 62 countries. The 7-day SXSW official music showcase attendance totaled
over 159,000 at 2,727 total performances. Performers were selected from 7,712 applicants.
SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in
Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the
convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. An essential destination for global
professionals, the event features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of
networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when
diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2020 will take place March 13 – 22, 2020. For
more information, please visit sxsw.com. To register for the event, please visit sxsw.com/attend
beginning August 1, 2019.
