SPIEL Essen is not only the place to discover the world's latest games but also the heart of exchange regarding our favorite hobby. For the popular SPIEL.talks, taking place from October 22 to 25, we are once again looking for inspiring minds, passionate experts, and creative forward-thinkers who want to share their knowledge and perspectives with our international audience.

Seeking Diverse Topics: From Theory to Practice

We invite all interested to apply as speakers and send us their topic proposals for the SPIEL Essen 2026 stage program. We want to collaborate with you to create a program as colorful and multifaceted as the gaming world itself.

We welcome every submission – whether it concerns scientific analysis, exciting insights into game development, social trends, or very practical workshops.

We are looking for contributions for the following formats and days:

Thursday, Saturday & Sunday: On these days, the focus is on broad topics. We are looking for exciting panels, open discussion rounds, captivating lectures, or interactive workshops aimed at the general fair public or industry experts. 

Friday (Educators Day): This day is entirely dedicated to education, research, and the transfer of knowledge. Here, we are specifically looking for educational topics, such as the use of games in schools or kindergartens, university research, further education, care/nursing, and many other ideas.

You can find the topics and lectures from last year on our YouTube channel in the playlists SPIEL.talks 2025.

How to Submit Your Proposals

Do you have a topic that moves the board game world and that you would like to present on stage at SPIEL Essen? Then let us know via our form at this link: Submission SPIEL.talks

We are open to all formats and look forward to proposals that stimulate thought or invite participation. If you have any questions, we are available at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The submission deadline for all topic proposals is May 17, 2026 

After the deadline, we will carefully review all submissions and select the topics. We strive for a balanced and exciting mix for our stage. All potential participants and speakers will receive feedback from us by end of June 2026 regarding whether their topic will be part of this year's program.

We look forward to your creative ideas and can't wait to shape the SPIEL.talks 2026 program together with you.