RootsTech 2027 Call for Presentations Is Open — Here’s Everything You Need to Know

RootsTech 2027 Call for Presentations is open! Submit your genealogy proposal by June 29, 2026, and reach millions at the world’s largest genealogy conference.

If you’ve ever dreamed of standing in front of a room full of passionate genealogists — or reaching thousands of family history enthusiasts from the comfort of your own home — this is your moment. The RootsTech 2027 Call for Presentations is officially open, and I want to make sure every one of you who has something valuable to share knows about it, understands what’s involved, and feels confident enough to hit that submit button.

Let me walk you through everything you need to know.

Speaking Your Roots: How to Build a Professional Genealogy Speaking Career
(Onsite, Online, and On-Demand) by Thomas MacEntee – CLICK HERE!

What Is RootsTech — Only the World’s Largest Genealogy Event!

If you’re new here, let me set the stage. RootsTech is the world’s largest genealogy conference, drawing a global audience of millions of family history enthusiasts, researchers, historians, and professionals. It’s not just a big conference — it’s the conference in our world. Getting a proposal accepted is a career milestone for genealogy educators and speakers at every level.

RootsTech 2027 will be held March 4–6, 2027, in a hybrid format that combines an in-person experience in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a robust online component that makes it accessible to attendees — and speakers — around the globe. That hybrid model is important: it means your reach as a presenter is virtually unlimited.

Who Should Submit a RootsTech Proposal?

Here’s the honest answer: probably more of you than you think.

RootsTech is actively seeking proposals from professionals, academics, and skilled genealogists in all languages and from all parts of the world. They’re looking for experienced, passionate, engaging speakers — and “experienced” doesn’t necessarily mean “has spoken at a hundred conferences.” It means you know your subject, you care about it, and you can communicate it effectively to others.

Whether you’re a DNA specialist, a courthouse research veteran, an expert in a specific ethnic heritage, a technology-forward researcher, or someone who has discovered a fresh new way to look at a classic genealogy challenge — the RootsTech planning team wants to hear from you.

Presentations are needed for all audience levels:

• Beginner — those just starting their family history journey
• Intermediate — researchers building on foundational skills
• Advanced — experienced genealogists ready for deeper dives
• Professional — practitioners serving clients or working in the field

If you’ve ever taught a class at your local genealogical society, given a presentation at a library, or even led a webinar from your living room — you have more to offer than you may realize.

RootsTech 2027 Topics of Interest

The RootsTech team has outlined 11 topic areas they’re especially interested in for the 2027 conference, though this list is not exhaustive. A strong proposal can come from any of these areas — or introduce something fresh they haven’t thought of yet.

• Genealogical research methodologies and best practices
• Getting started in family history
• Exploring historical records and archives
• Preserving and organizing genealogical data
• Using technology, including artificial intelligence, for genealogical research
• Genetic genealogy and its applications
• Ethnic and cultural genealogy
• Tracing lineage and ancestral connections
• Collaboration and networking in genealogy
• Preserving photos and stories
• Oral histories

Look at that list and ask yourself: which of these lights you up? Which one do you know so well you could talk about it for an hour without notes? That’s your starting point.

RootsTech also encourages proposals that highlight innovative research approaches, cutting-edge technologies, practical methodologies, and new perspectives that advance the field. And here’s something I love about this call — they also want to know about what inspires you to do family history and how you can share that inspiration with others. That’s not just a content call, it’s a storytelling invitation.

RootsTech Proposal Types Accepted

RootsTech 2027 is accepting proposals in several formats, which gives you flexibility in how you teach and connect with your audience:

• Prerecorded videos — great for on-demand learners and for reaching the global audience beyond the live event
• Webinars — live online presentations with real-time interaction
• Lectures — traditional in-person or broadcast sessions
• Panel discussions — collaborative conversations featuring multiple voices

If you’re newer to the speaking world, a prerecorded session can be a wonderful way to get your feet wet. You control the environment, you can re-record if needed, and your content lives on as an evergreen resource.

Key Dates for the RootsTech 2027 Call for Presentations

Mark these in your calendar right now:

• Submission Deadline: June 29, 2026, at 11:59 PM Mountain Time
• Notification of Acceptance: Early September 2026
• Conference Dates: March 4–6, 2027

You’ve got time — but don’t let that fool you into procrastinating. Crafting a strong proposal takes thought, and you’ll want to give yours the attention it deserves.

How to Submit a Strong RootsTech Proposal

This is where I want to spend a moment, because submitting a proposal is not just filling out a form. It’s your first audition. The review committee will be evaluating not just your topic, but your ability to communicate clearly, target the right audience, and bring something of genuine value to attendees.

A few things to think about as you develop your proposal:

• Be specific. Vague topics don’t stand out. “DNA Research” is broad. “Using DNA Matches to Break Through Brick Walls in 19th-Century German Research” is specific, actionable, and targeted.
• Know your audience level. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Pick your level and own it.
• Lead with the outcome. What will attendees be able to do after your session that they couldn’t do before?
• Match the format to your strengths. If you’re a natural performer who feeds off a live audience, a lecture or webinar may be your best fit. If you’re meticulous and love editing, a prerecorded video might serve you better.

For more information and to submit a proposal, visit https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/call-for-presentations/instructions. Note: you will need to create a FamilySearch account.  Don’t worry, it is FREE!

If you’re serious about submitting — or if you’ve been dreaming about building a real speaking career in the genealogy world — I want to point you toward a resource that I genuinely believe can help. My book, Speaking Your Roots: How to Build a Professional Genealogy Speaking Career (Onsite, Online, and On-Demand) https://genealogybargains.com/amazon-speaking-print, is designed exactly for moments like this. It walks you through how to develop compelling topics, write proposals that get accepted, build your speaking brand, and deliver confidently across every format — in-person, live online, and on-demand. If you’re preparing your RootsTech 2027 submission, this book is your backstage pass.

Why Speaking at RootsTech Is Worth It

Let me be clear about the opportunity here. With a global audience of millions, RootsTech is not just the world’s largest genealogy conference — it’s the world’s largest genealogical stage. There is no other platform in our field that offers this kind of reach.

Presenting at RootsTech can:

• Establish your credibility as an expert in your subject area
• Grow your audience — attendees become followers, clients, and students
• Open doors to other speaking engagements, writing opportunities, and professional collaborations
• Connect you with the global genealogy community in a way that few other opportunities can

Whether you’re looking to build a professional speaking career, promote your genealogical services, grow your society’s visibility, or simply give back to a community that has given you so much — the RootsTech 2027 Call for Presentations is your invitation.

Questions about RootsTech 2027 Call for Presentations

Questions about your submission? The RootsTech team is available at speakers@rootstech.org. Don’t hesitate to reach out — this is a welcoming, community-focused event, and the team wants to help you succeed.

The Bottom Line: Your Voice Belongs on This Stage

I’ve been in this community long enough to know that some of the best genealogy teachers and speakers I’ve ever met almost didn’t submit that first proposal. They second-guessed themselves, they thought someone else was more qualified, they told themselves they’d do it “next year.”

Don’t be that person.

If you have something valuable to share — a methodology that saves hours of research, a cultural story that deserves to be preserved, a technology tip that changes the game, an approach to oral histories that gets families talking — the genealogy community needs to hear from you. RootsTech 2027 is your platform.

Submit your proposal by June 29, 2026, and take your place on the world’s largest genealogical stage.

And if you want to walk into that process feeling prepared and confident, pick up a copy of Speaking Your Roots: How to Build a Professional Genealogy Speaking Career (Onsite, Online, and On-Demand) Whether you’re submitting your very first proposal or your fifteenth, it’s the companion guide I wish I’d had when I started out. From crafting your topic to delivering your best presentation, it covers everything — because you deserve to step onto that stage ready.

Here’s to seeing your name in the RootsTech 2027 program.

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Author’s Note: I want to be transparent that this content – RootsTech 2027 Call for Presentations Is Open — Here’s Everything You Need to Know – was created in part with the help of an artificial intelligence (AI) language model – Claude Sonnet 4.6. The AI assisted in generating an early draft of the content, but every paragraph was subsequently reviewed, edited, and refined by me. The final content is the result of extensive human curation and creativity. I am proud to present this work and assure readers that while AI was a tool in the process, the story, style, and substance have been carefully shaped by the author.