Evaluation

We are looking for a meaningful story with a clear "so what?" for our audience.

The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon. — Brandon Sanderson

The Narrative Journey in the talk submission we are looking for:

Context: Grounds the talk in real, lived challenges or burning questions.
Relevance: Makes clear why this story matters for today’s data visualisation practice.
Process: Makes the journey visible — including sketches, failed drafts, and pivots, not just the polished final chart.
Engagement: Creates space for reflection and follow-up thinking beyond the talk.
Utility: Offers concrete, reusable insights, frameworks, or checklists the audience can apply.
Authenticity: Shows practical takeaways over polish — the journey, not just the destination.

Talk Evaluation Rubric

Your proposal will be reviewed by our Editorial Team and external reviewers with extensive speaking experience. We aim to have a rough consensus amongst the multiple evaluators for each proposal. The evaluation rubric below is how each of them will be looking at the proposal.

Criteria	Strong	Maybe	Weak
Context & Relevance	Clearly grounded in lived challenges and makes a compelling case for why this story matters now in data visualisation practice.	Some context provided, but urgency or relevance could be clearer.	Lacks grounding in real practice or unclear why it matters.
Narrative Journey	Transparently outlines the journey — including process, pivots, failures, or evolution of thinking.	Mentions process but focuses mainly on outcomes.	Focuses only on final results; no visible journey.
Idea Quality	Core idea is thoughtful, coherent, and aligned with the spirit of the conference.	Idea has merit but lacks clarity or strong alignment.	Idea is unfocused, derivative, or misaligned.
Engagement Design	Proposal shows intentional design for reflection, curiosity, or continued thinking beyond the talk.	Some engagement implied but not clearly structured.	Purely presentation-focused; no consideration for audience engagement.
Utility of Takeaways	Clear, practical insights, frameworks, or lessons the audience can apply.	Takeaways present but vague or underdeveloped.	Takeaways unclear, generic, or impractical.
Authenticity & Reflection	Demonstrates honesty, reflection, and learning — not just polished achievement.	Some reflection evident but limited depth.	Reads as self-promotion or highlight reel without reflection.