Almost every furry convention publishes an open call for panels and programming each year. Most attendees never read it. The ones who do tend to fall into two camps: people who submit a fully-formed pitch and get accepted on their first try, and people who submit a one-line idea and never hear back.
The difference between those two camps is not talent. It is structure. Programming staff at large furry conventions read hundreds of submissions in a few weeks. The ones that make it onto the schedule are the ones that hand the panel team a clean, complete, low-risk decision.
This guide explains the panel submission process at major furry conventions, what programming staff actually want to see, what kills a submission, and how to handle the AV and prep work once you are accepted.
Panel submission windows vary by convention. The general pattern for top US cons:
European and Asian cons run on different timelines. Eurofurence accepts programming submissions in spring with summer notifications. Nordic Fuzz Con runs a tighter window. JMoF and Infurnity have their own cadences. Always check the host convention's panel call directly. Programming pages on the official site are the authoritative source.
The single most useful habit a prospective panelist can build is following each convention's official social accounts and watching for the panel-call announcement. Once it opens, do not wait. Submit in the first two weeks if possible.
The submission form on most large cons asks for the same fields. Programming staff are looking for fast, confident answers to specific questions. The fields you will almost always need to fill in:
Panel title. Specific, descriptive, six to ten words. "Fursuit Maintenance on the Road: Travel-Day Repair Kits" reads better than "Fursuit Tips". Cute titles are fine but only after the descriptive version is clear.
Short description. One or two sentences that would appear in the convention's printed and app schedule. This is what attendees see when they decide whether to come. Write it as if you are pitching attendees, not the panel team.
Long description for staff. Three to five sentences explaining what you will actually cover. The panel team uses this to evaluate the pitch. Bullet points are fine here. Mention specific segments, exercises, or examples.
Target audience. Beginners, intermediate, advanced, or all. Some cons also ask for content tags like "ages 18+" or "all-ages". Be honest. If the panel needs adult certification, say so.
Run time. Most furry convention panels are 50 minutes (one-hour slot with 10-minute buffer for room turnover). Some allow 80 minutes for workshops. A handful allow 25 minutes for "lightning panels". Pick the format that matches your content. A panel that runs short is fine. A panel that runs over is a problem.
AV needs. Projector, audio, microphone, second microphone for Q&A, recording allowed/not allowed, props, special lighting. Be specific. "No AV needed" is a green flag for the panel team because it widens the rooms you can be assigned to.
Your bio. Three or four sentences. Who you are, why you are qualified to run this panel, where attendees might already know you from. First-time panelists should say so. Veteran panelists should list two or three cons where they have run programming previously.
Co-panelists. If you are running the panel with other people, list them with their bios. Tag them by the username the convention will recognize (Telegram handle, Bluesky handle, or registration name).
The patterns we see year after year, across multiple major US and European cons:
They want panels that don't already exist on the schedule. Every con receives multiple "Intro to Fursuiting" or "Furry Music 101" submissions. Programming staff have to pick one. If you can find a niche that nobody else is pitching, your acceptance odds skyrocket. Look at the prior year's schedule. The gaps are the opportunities.
They want presenters who will actually show up. Reliable veterans get picked again. First-time panelists need to signal reliability in their submission. Say what time zone you are in, confirm you will be at the con on the panel day, and acknowledge that you understand the no-show consequences (most cons ban no-show panelists from future programming).
They want panels that fit the convention's culture. A heavy political-discussion panel will get rejected at a family-oriented con. A heavy adult-content panel will get filtered into the 18+ track or rejected outright if the con doesn't run one. Read the convention's content policies before submitting.
They want clear AV needs. A panel that needs a four-source mixer, two wireless mics, a projector, and a stable wifi connection is a real ask. The panel team can accommodate it, but the request needs to be flagged in the submission, not raised the week before the event.
They want panels that can flex on time. Programming inevitably reshuffles. A panel that can move from a 4 PM Saturday slot to a 10 AM Sunday slot without falling apart is easier to fit into the final schedule than one that is rigid.
These patterns get submissions rejected or filed in the "maybe if there is room" pile:
1. One-line pitches. "Discussion about commissions" is not a panel. It is an idea. Without a structure, a hook, and a target audience, the panel team has nothing to work with.
2. Topics already locked in by a known veteran. If a specific panelist owns the "Fursuit Cleaning 101" slot at a given con and has run it for four years, your competing pitch for the same panel will lose. Pitch the adjacent topic instead.
3. AV asks that don't match the content. "I need a full live-band rig" for a slide-deck Q&A panel reads as either inexperience or a red flag. Match the AV to the actual content.
4. Content policy violations. Adult content pitched to family-oriented tracks. Political content pitched to a con that explicitly forbids it. Read the call carefully.
5. Vague co-panelist lists. "Me and some friends" does not work. Programming staff need to know who is on stage with you, because the people on stage with you affect badge logistics and content review.
6. Title or description that reads as bait. "You won't believe what happened at Anthrocon" type framing makes the panel team nervous. Be direct.
7. Late submissions. Late means after the deadline. Even one day late at a large con typically means the slot was already filled by an on-time submission.
Acceptance emails go out weeks to months before the convention. Once you have one:
Confirm attendance immediately. Acceptance is conditional on you confirming that you will be at the event. Don't let this slide.
Build the deck or outline early. Most panelists overestimate how much time they have. Start outlining within two weeks of acceptance. Have a draft 30 days before the event. Practice it out loud at least twice.
Coordinate with co-panelists. If you have co-panelists, get a single shared document going. Decide who is leading, who is following, who is handling Q&A, who is running the slides.
Check AV requirements with the con. Most cons confirm AV setup the week before the event. Reply quickly. If you have specific needs (props, costumes, backstage time), this is when to surface them.
Plan your run time. A 50-minute slot is really 45 minutes of content plus 5 minutes for Q&A. A 25-minute lightning panel is really 20 minutes of content plus 5 minutes of Q&A. Cut content rather than overrun. The room behind you has another panel waiting.
Arrive 15 minutes early to your room. The previous panel may end on time or may end a minute over. Be at the door, ready to walk in, set up fast, and start on time.
A few things experienced panelists do that newcomers often miss:
Speak into the microphone, not over it. The audio is for the recording as much as the room. Some cons stream panels live, and the audio quality is the difference between a good live stream and a bad one.
Repeat audience questions before answering. The mic is on you, not on the audience. The recording loses the question if you don't repeat it.
Watch the time. Most panel rooms have a clock or staff member with a sign that flashes "5 minutes" at the back of the room. Acknowledge it. Wrap on time.
Leave room for questions. The Q&A section is where attendees engage. Even a tight panel benefits from five minutes at the end for the audience.
Hand the mic off cleanly. If you are running with co-panelists, signal handoffs verbally so the recording captures them.
End-of-con feedback matters more than panelists realize. Programming staff frequently revisit panelist performance when they decide on next year's invitations:
Reply to feedback emails if the con sends them. A short, polite response goes a long way.
Post a thank-you on social media. Tag the convention's official handle. This costs nothing and significantly improves your reputation with programming staff.
Save your deck or notes for future submissions. Reusing a successful format at another con next year is fine and common. Update it with new examples and submit it under a different title.
Note what worked and what didn't. The panel that filled the room and got laughs is a panel you can build on. The one with the dead spot at 30 minutes needs a rewrite before you pitch it again.
No. Programming staff at every major furry convention actively want first-time panelists. The submission form will give you space to introduce yourself. Use it.
Yes. Solo panels are common, especially for instructional and workshop formats. The submission form will have a co-panelist field that you simply leave blank or mark as "solo".
Some cons offer comp registration or partial-comp registration for panelists who run multiple panels. Most large cons do not. Smaller cons sometimes do. Check the panel call language.
Pitch a different angle. If "Fursuit Cleaning Basics" is taken, pitch "Fursuit Cleaning for High-Use Travel Suits" or "Fursuit Cleaning Disasters: What to Do When You Spill Beer in Your Suit". The adjacent topic almost always has room.
At cons that have an 18+ track, yes. At cons that don't, no. The submission form will indicate whether adult content is accepted and which track to apply to.
Tell programming staff as soon as you know. A no-show ban is the standard consequence for panelists who disappear without notice. A polite withdrawal weeks in advance is rarely held against you.
Browse upcoming furry conventions, then check each con's programming page for the next panel submission window.
See Upcoming ConventionsFurry convention etiquette explained: consent and hugs, fursuiter rules, photography manners, dealers den tipping, con crud, and welcoming first-timers.
How furry convention hotel blocks actually work, when to book, what to do when the main block sells out, and how to avoid the most common booking mistakes.
A clear A-to-Z furry terminology glossary: fursona, fursuit, partial, headless lounge, dealers den, YCH, ref sheet, con crud, GoH, and more, defined plainly.
