Create 2025-12-04-BOSC-keynote-solicitation.md

Author: nlharris

content/posts/2025-12-04-BOSC-keynote-solicitation.md

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+---
+author: nlharris
+date: "2025-12-04"
+category:
+ - community
+ - conference
+ - bosc
+
+tag:
+ - community
+ - conference
+ - bosc
+ - ismb
+
+title: "Call for Nominations: BOSC 2026 Keynote Speakers"
+url: /2025/12/02/2026-BOSC-keynote-nomination/
+
+---
+
+![Chris Mungall keynote - BOSC 2025](/img/2025/bosc2025-img/2025-mungall-keynote-wide.jpg)
+
+[BOSC 2026](/events/bosc) is planned for July 14-15, 2026, as part of ISMB 2026 in Washington, DC.
+
+We invite our community to [nominate potential keynote speakers](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchUjaUlZw9n05kinPrYOohqukURIJrK6y662E2jjqUlT1dRQ/viewform) who would be of interest to our community.
+You may submit as many nominations as you wish. The [form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchUjaUlZw9n05kinPrYOohqukURIJrK6y662E2jjqUlT1dRQ/viewform) may be filled out multiple times. Please submit nominations by **December 15, 2025**.
+
+### Why this matters
+Keynote talks are always a highlight at BOSC.
+We traditionally open and close the conference with invited speakers—prominent contributors or emerging leaders whose work resonates with the bioinformatics open-source community.
+
+### About the selection process
+Prior to 2023, keynote selection was handled internally by the BOSC Organizing Committee.
+In 2023, we introduced a more consistent, transparent, and community-aligned process, including a public rubric for evaluating candidates.
+The results were excellent, and we are continuing this open nomination process for 2026.
+(See our selection rubric: [https://github.com/OBF/bosc_materials/blob/master/invited-speaker-process.md](https://github.com/OBF/bosc_materials/blob/master/invited-speaker-process.md))
+
+### Key Dates
+
+- December 15, 2025 – Deadline for [keynote speaker nominations](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchUjaUlZw9n05kinPrYOohqukURIJrK6y662E2jjqUlT1dRQ/viewform)
+- December 19, 2025 – Nomination slate posted for community review
+- January 9, 2026 – Deadline for community comments on the slate
+
+### [Nominate a keynote speaker!](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchUjaUlZw9n05kinPrYOohqukURIJrK6y662E2jjqUlT1dRQ/viewform)