Call for papers emails

A call for papers is a conversation between the people who submit and the people who organize, and the emails tell each side when it's their turn. There are eight, all with the same layout: what happened, the call's name, the proposal (with its track), the organizers' note when there is one, and a button that opens the proposal right inside the community.

#Why it helps to know

• For organizers: knowing what the speaker has already received before you message them separately, and why a note written on the screen arrives by email.
• For people who submit: knowing what to do with each email, and when there is a deadline.

#The eight emails

#We received your proposal

We received your proposal for Conference 2027 Your proposal is now in the review queue for Conference 2027. We will email you as soon as there is a decision — no need to keep checking. Button: View my proposal

Goes out when the proposal is sent. A proposal saved as a draft sends no email.

#Counter-offer (the only one with a deadline)

Conference 2027: we would like to adjust a few terms We liked your proposal and would like to adjust some terms before closing. Take a look at what we suggested and reply — you can accept or propose something else. Reply by 03/15/2027. Button: View and reply

It's the only call email in which the person owes an answer, and so the only one with a deadline and the Why reply soon block: "Other negotiations for this call are running in parallel, and the schedule fills up as answers come in. The sooner you reply, the better the chances of your session being confirmed."

• The deadline comes from the call's reply deadline, in days counted from when the counter-offer is sent. With no deadline set on the call, the email goes out with no date and no countdown.
• The countdown only appears in the last week: "3 days left", "1 day left" and, on the day, "last day". With more than 7 days to go, only the date appears.
• The note from the organizers, if written on the counter-offer, comes under "A note from the organizers:".

For now, the counter-offer reply deadline can only be set through the API (counterOfferTimeoutDays on the call). A call set up in the dashboard has no deadline, and the counter-offer email goes out with no date.

What if the person doesn't answer? Nothing happens on its own when the deadline passes: the proposal keeps waiting for the speaker's answer, and no other email is sent. The organizers decide what to do: reject, withdraw the counter-offer, or talk to the person separately.

#Accepted

Your proposal was accepted for Conference 2027! Your proposal was accepted. We will be in touch shortly with schedule and production details. Button: View the terms

The email repeats the terms of the agreement, so the person doesn't have to open the page to know what they accepted: format, duration, when, delivery format (in person or online), track, fee, and what the organizers cover (airfare, local transport, parking, accommodation, meals). If there was a negotiation, these are the agreed terms; if not, the proposal's own.

#Rejected

Conference 2027: about your proposal This time your proposal did not make the programme. The schedule is short and good proposals are left out — thank you for submitting, and we hope to see you next time.

If the organizers wrote a reason when rejecting, it comes in the note. A rejection with no reason is the worst version of this email: it's worth writing a line.

#Invitation to submit

We would love to have you at Conference 2027 We remembered you from a previous proposal here, and we would like you to submit to Conference 2027. Submissions are open. Button: Submit a proposal

Goes out when the organizers invite a member, with the call open or in draft. The invitation's note comes with it.

#Reviewer assigned

You are reviewing proposals for Conference 2027 You joined the review committee for Conference 2027. The proposals in your track are already in your queue. Button: Open my queue

The track's name comes in the email.

#The speaker replied

Conference 2027: Ana Souza replied Ana Souza replied to the counter-offer on "API design at scale". The ball is back with you. Button: View the reply

Goes to every owner of the call who accepted being an owner, not to the whole community. The same email goes out when the person accepts the counter-offer or withdraws the proposal, with their note, if any.

#What sends no email

On purpose:

• "New proposal received" for the organizers. On a call with two hundred proposals, that would be two hundred emails. The counter in the call's management bar already shows it.
• "Your score was saved" for the reviewer. The screen already confirmed it.
• "The call is open". That's promotion, not a notice of something that happened to the person: promote it through the Feed or your own channels.
• The speaker's final confirmation: the organizers see it in the call itself.

#Language, brand and link

• Language: the recipient's; if they never chose one, the community's. A Brazilian speaker gets it in Portuguese even when the organizer uses the platform in English, and dates come out in their language's format.
• Brand: the community's name and logo. The footer says "You received this email because you are part of …".
• Link: the button opens the call with the proposal already open, with no need to look for it in the list.

#Can they be turned off?

No. The call emails are notices of something that happened to the person's proposal, and always go out. The organizers control the content through the note they write with each action.

#When an email doesn't arrive

1. Spam and promotions tabs.
2. The address: it's the email of the person's account.
3. The timing: emails go out through a queue, within seconds. A draft sends no receipt; only sending does.
4. For owners: the "… replied" only goes to those who accepted being an owner of the call.

#Frequently asked questions

Does the speaker get a reminder of the counter-offer deadline? No. The countdown is in the counter-offer email itself, when 7 days or fewer are left. There's no reminder afterwards.

Can I write the email text? The text is the platform's, but the note you write when accepting, rejecting, making a counter-offer or inviting goes with it, highlighted.

Do reviewers get an email for each new proposal? No. They get one email when they join the track; after that, proposals appear in their queue.

#Related

• Call for papers
• Platform emails