Your Insight. Their Impact.
Have an idea, lesson, or success story that could help others think differently about Total Rewards? Whether you're solving real-world challenges, or rethinking how rewards work in your organization, your voice can help others take the next step with confidence and creativity.
We’re seeking content that:
- Shares fresh approaches and forward-thinking strategies.
- Offers practical, real-world solutions to today’s workplace challenges.
- Encourages new ways of thinking to meet the needs of a changing workforce.
You don’t need to have all the answers—just a meaningful perspective and the passion to share it. Let’s build what’s next, together.
Join us in San Antonio, Texas from April 19-22, 2026 for an experience designed to leave you feeling informed, connected, and energized.
Go to the Applicant Resource Center for information and tools to help you craft a stand-out submission, or if you're ready, click the Complete a Submission button below.
Submissions are due by Monday, September 8 at 5:00pm PT. If you have any questions, please reach out to speakers@worldatwork.org.
Our Commitment
We are committed to providing resources that allow us to engage and embrace speakers that represent diversity in all forms, including gender, nationality, experience, and thought at WorldatWork events. In 2026, our goal is for all applicants and speakers to feel like a valued member of our Total Rewards community. During the call process we will provide live feedback sessions, on-demand resources, and planning tools to help speakers of all experience levels craft excellent submissions. For accepted speakers, we commit to providing resources tailored to your level of speaking experience.
Two Ways to Submit
Option 1: Submit a Story Idea
Not ready to build a full proposal? No problem. If you have a compelling experience, we'll help shape it into a session. All you need to share is:
- A short description of the situation or challenge
- What actions you or your team took
- What others could learn from your experience
- Any co-presenters or collaborators, if applicable
We’ll review your idea and, if selected, work with you to refine and co-create a full session.
Option 2: Submit a Full Session Proposal
Have a session ready to go? Great! You can submit a full proposal including:
- Session title and abstract
- Key takeaways
- Target audience
- Format and duration
- Speaker bios
Please note there are new guidelines for Consultant and Service Partner submissions.
First-time Speaker? We’ve got you.
If you’ve never presented before, don’t let that stop you. We’re committed to elevating new voices and will support you through speaker coaching and content development.
Still not sure?
If you’re wondering whether your story is “good enough," it probably is. Sometimes the most powerful sessions come from honest stories, not perfect ones.
Call for Content Webinar
Watch a recording of the webinar from August 5 all about the Total Rewards '26 Call for Content!
Whether you're thinking about submitting a proposal or just want to better understand the process, this session is for you.
Hear directly from a past Total Rewards speaker about their experience, get tips and tricks for crafting a standout submission, and answers to your questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Submission Requirements & Evaluation
The Applicant Resource Center has information about the types of questions you will answer as you complete your submission including topics, available session formats, and the types of speakers we who generally participate. It also contains resources including a Planning Worksheet and information on Office Hours, where WorldatWork staff will be available on a first-come-first serve basis to provide feedback or answer questions.
We highly recommend completing your submission in the Planning Worksheet and then copy and pasting that information into the online form as it can timeout due to inactivity. You will not be able to save the online form as you go.
We estimate it will take approximately 20 minutes to upload the requested information into the submission form. The amount of time it will take to craft answers to certain questions will depend on how developed your submission idea is before beginning the process.
Our selection process is highly competitive. An advisory committee reviews submissions and makes selections to craft a program that balances topics, session formats, and speaker profiles.
The information you will provide in the submission form is critical to the selection process. The committee relies on this information to understand precisely what will be delivered to participants, and WorldatWork's marketing team uses it to ensure optimal attendance at your session. Additionally, the speaker information asked for in the submission form is essential to understanding the speaking style, professional expertise, and diversity of perspective of applicants.
Additional information on selection criteria is available on the Applicant Resource Center page.
You can complete as many submissions as you like while the call is open; however, due to the limited number of speaking spots available, we encourage you to carefully craft each submission with a clear vision, strong application message, voice(s) of authority and experience, and connection to the practitioner audience. The more specific and detailed your submission, the better.
You can make edits to your submission anytime while the Call is still open.
Yes, but there are specific guidelines. Please visit the Consultant & Service Partner Guidelines page for full details.
Submitters
- Submit a complete proposal including names and emails of all committed speakers who will be a part of the session.
- Before submitting a proposal to speak, make sure all speakers are available and holding the conference dates of April 20-22 until notified of your submission status.
- Communicate the accept/decline status of the submission to all presenters.
- Please note the submitter is considered the primary point of contact for each submission. All notifications associated with submissions will be sent only to the submitter.
Yes. However, you must receive confirmation from the speaker(s) that are included in your submission(s) that they are interested in speaking at Total Rewards '26 and have the event dates held prior to submitting.
Intent to bring additional speaker/s will not be considered in the assessment of a submission. Only those whose details are provided in full will be considered as a voice and perspective to the submission.
Note that you will be required to provide all session and speaker details for each submission.
Yes. If interested, please get in touch with Julie Aten at julie.aten@worldatwork.org for more information about the opportunities or process.
Speakers
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Be available to present in-person at Total Rewards '26 during all of the scheduled programming times from Monday, April 20 to Wednesday, April 22.
- Create fresh, original, unique, and current content aimed to solve today’s problems. Please, no replays of webinars or other presentations.
- Tailor content and delivery to address participant needs.
- Attend speaker training and preparation meetings, be open to feedback, and meet all deadlines. For training, we will ask that at a minimum you will participate in the following:
- One group orientation session in November-December 2025.
- One 30-minute session review in January-March 2026.
- Meet all speaker deadlines, including final submission of materials.
- Refrain from selling or lead generation in education sessions. WorldatWork offers several paid, sponsor-led sessions to feature your organization and showcase your solutions, as well as booth and networking opportunities. If interested, please get in touch with Julie Aten at julie.aten@worldatwork.org for more information about the opportunities or process.
We are so grateful to our speakers for both their time spent in preparation and their willingness to share their expertise. As a Total Rewards '26 speaker you will receive:
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If you are a Practitioner, Academic (with no other source of employment), or Nonprofit Organization Representative, you will receive a complimentary event registration so you can engage and network with other participants throughout the event. Consultants and Service Providers will not receive a complimentary registration.
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Visibility and recognition for you and your organization as a thought leader.
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A chance to give back to the profession and help peers devise solutions to current and emerging business challenges.
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Access to exclusive, complimentary speaker coaching and resources to help bring your session to life.
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If you are a Practitioner, Academic (with no other source of employment), or Nonprofit Organization Representative and a member of WorldatWork, WorldatWork will cover the costs of room and tax for a two-night stay at a host hotel. If you are a Practitioner, Academic, or Nonprofit Organization Representative and are not a member of WorldatWork, WorldatWork will cover the cost of room and tax for a one-night stay at a host hotel. Speakers who are Service Providers or Consultants not engaged with a single company's workforce are not eligible for complimentary hotel accommodations. Speakers will be responsible for all other expenses.
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WorldatWork recertification credits.
Notifications
Notifications will be sent to the submitter by late October 2025.
Session date and time placement will be included in your acceptance email. Room assignments will be sent closer to the event date.