PyJam guide for PyLadiesCon 2026

Thank you for your interest in PyJam, our new track showcasing the musicians, performers and artists in the Python community! This guide covers what to expect and how to prepare, from applying through to broadcast.

For the full story on what PyJam is and why we’re doing it, see our announcement blog post. For details on signing in and using the portal itself, see our post on the PyLadiesCon speaker portal.

If you have any questions, contact us at [email protected].

Who can participate?

PyJam isn’t limited to PyLadies, that’s why it’s called PyJam! It’s open to people across the Python community, regardless of gender, race, age or background. You can perform by yourself or as part of a group.

All performances and participation must follow the PyLadiesCon Code of Conduct. Please read it before applying.

How PyJam works, step by step

1. Apply through the portal at portal.pyladies.com/speakers/propose. Create an account, or sign in with your existing one if you’ve volunteered with PyLadiesCon before, and tell us about the performance you’d like to submit.
2. We plan the schedule. Knowing what performances are coming in helps us build the PyJam programme, so apply as early as you can even if your performance isn’t recorded yet.
3. Video submission opens later. We’ll let everyone who applied know once file upload is available. Submission deadline: 21 November 2026.
4. We review and edit your video. Our post-production team handles the finishing touches.
5. You review the edited cut. We’ll send it back to you to check before it’s finalized, so let us know if anything needs fixing.
6. Broadcast. Your performance airs during the conference as part of the PyJam schedule.

Important dates to remember

• Apply with your performance details as soon as you can, there’s no fixed deadline for this step, but earlier applications help us plan the programme.
• Video submission deadline: 21 November 2026 (once file upload opens).
• PyJam broadcasts between 5 December 2026, 16:30 UTC and 6 December 2026, 23:45 UTC.

What we’re looking for

The call is open to:

• Music and singing
• Dance
• Theatre
• Spoken word and poetry
• Comedy
• Magic
• Juggling and circus arts
• DJ sets
• Storytelling
• Generative and visual art
• Other creative performances we haven’t thought of

Your performance can be up to 10 minutes long. You don’t need to be a professional performer, if this is something you love doing, we’d love to see it.

Recording requirements

You can start preparing your video now. Once video submission opens, you’ll upload it through the portal, we’ll let you know when that’s ready. In the meantime, prepare your video to these specs:

• No longer than 10 minutes
• Landscape format, preferably 16:9
• Ideally 1920 × 1080
• MP4 preferred, using H.264 video and AAC audio
• If you cannot export MP4, MKV is also accepted
• 30 fps is perfectly fine
• Clear video and audio

If your performance uses copyrighted music, backing tracks, recordings, images or other material created by someone else, please make sure you have permission to use them in a video that will be publicly broadcast and published online.

Tips for a good recording

You don’t need professional equipment to make a good PyJam video. A phone, tablet or webcam can work perfectly well.

Before your performance starts, you can choose to briefly introduce yourself if you’d like. You might want to say:

• Your name
• Where you’re from or how you’re connected to the Python community
• What you’re going to perform
• A little background about the piece or performance

This is completely optional. We’ll have a moderator introducing your performance before it begins and wrapping up afterwards, so if you’d rather start straight with the performance, that’s absolutely fine too.

Video

• Record in landscape, not portrait.
• If you’re using a phone, prop it up or use a tripod so the image stays steady.
• Place the camera roughly at eye level where possible.
• Make sure we can clearly see you and your performance. If you’re dancing, juggling or moving around, leave enough space in the frame for your whole performance.
• Try to have some light in front of you rather than directly behind you. Sitting in front of a bright window can turn you into a mysterious silhouette.
• You don’t need an elaborate background. A simple, tidy space is completely fine.
• Record a short test first and check how it looks before recording the full performance.

Audio

Good audio is more important than perfect video. If you need some basic recording equipment or assistance with your setup, contact us and we’ll try to help where we can.

• Record somewhere as quiet as possible.
• Close windows and doors and turn off fans, air conditioning or other noisy equipment if you can.
• Keep your phone or microphone reasonably close to you. The further away it is, the more room noise it will pick up.
• If you’re singing or playing an instrument, do a short test recording first. Listen back with headphones and check that the sound isn’t too quiet or distorted.
• If you’re performing with backing music, make sure we can still hear you clearly over the music.
• Avoid placing your phone or microphone directly next to a loud speaker or instrument.
• If you have an external microphone, you’re welcome to use it, but it isn’t required.

Before you submit

Watch your whole recording once with headphones if possible. Check that:

• The video plays from beginning to end
• You can be seen clearly
• Your performance can be heard clearly
• The audio and video are in sync
• There are no unexpected notifications, interruptions or background sounds
• The correct video has been uploaded

It doesn’t need to look like a professional production. We want to see your performance, not your video-editing skills, our post-production team will help with the finishing touches, and you’ll get a chance to review the edited version before it’s finalized.

When will PyJam be broadcast?

PyLadiesCon 2026 runs from 5-7 December, and PyJam performances will be scheduled between 5 December 2026 at 16:30 UTC and 6 December 2026 at 23:45 UTC, throughout the conference before Sprints. The final schedule will be published before the event.

If there’s a particular time during the conference when you’d prefer your performance to be broadcast, let us know when you apply. We can’t guarantee a particular slot, but we’ll do our best to accommodate you.

Videos will be made publicly available afterwards on the PyLadies YouTube channel.

Join us when your performance is broadcast

Although your performance is pre-recorded, we’d love you to be around when it goes live. Our main conference community space is on Discord. If you can, hop into the main Discord chat when your performance is being broadcast, you can see people’s reactions, join the conversation, and answer questions from attendees. It’s probably the closest an online conference can get to cheering from the front row. If your schedule doesn’t allow you to join us live, that’s completely fine too.

Thank you

Thank you for being part of our first PyJam! If you have any questions along the way, reach out to us at [email protected].