Proposal Guidelines & Information

Application Deadline: March 19, 2026

It's time to build the National Comp 2026 program, and we couldn't be more excited to see what you're hoping to bring to our Las Vegas stages. The selection process is competitive — only about 20% of the proposals we receive will make it onto the program. That's why it's important to make your proposal stand out from the crowd.

Successful proposals will help reviewers understand why the topic matters, what you plan to include in the conversation, and what kind of real-world value it will deliver to attendees.

Here's an updated list of guidelines and suggestions that will help you understand what National Comp reviewers are looking for.

Proposal Info

  • Give your presentation a descriptive and engaging title. Think about your target audience and the issues top of mind for them. What statement or question will resonate with them? If you want to get clever with your title, that’s great. But avoid ambiguity – the topic should remain clear. If you need inspiration, ask ChatGPT or your favorite AI platform for suggestions.
  • Write your abstract description for your potential audience. Include enough detail to give the selection panel a clear grasp of why the topic matters to the workers’ comp community, what you’re going to talk about and what attendees will gain from it. Give attendees a clear picture of how this content fits into their work.
  • While our program is intended for practitioners from all industries, don't avoid proposing topics that are specific to your industry. Our Industry Theater is the ideal venue to get specific, and talk about issues shared by your industry peers.
  • Engagement is essential. Describe how you intend to connect your audience with your content and with speakers. Can you include a poll? Add a short quiz? Ask an attendee to help you demonstrate something? Let reviewers know how you plan to make attendees a part of your presentation. We will prioritize submissions that include creative ways to engage attendees.  Our conference app supports attendee surveys & live polling or you can get creative with QR codes.
  • We urge presenters to consider offering PDF resources or tools that attendees can download from the conference app and use once they’ve returned to their employers. Examples include checklists, assessment forms, whitepapers, how-to’s, toolkits, templates, or worksheets.
  • Give three (only 3 please) key learning objectives for attendees, clearly articulated, with measurable outcomes where applicable.
  • Optional: List any evidence-based references or supporting documents used for developing the presentation.

Presenter Info

  • Who are your panelists? We want to know. Enter each intended presenter as a co-author of the proposal. Please submit a name, title, company, brief bio, high-resolution headshot photo and email address for each person.
  • Proposed panels with too many voices from the same company are rated less favorably by reviewers. Create a panel of diverse perspectives on your topic so that attendees can get a well-rounded view, and tap into new insights on the issues they’re facing. 
  • Helpful hint: Sessions that include professionals directly involved in managing employer safety or workers’ compensation programs will be given preference by the selection panel. Attendees tell us they benefit most from the firsthand experience of their peers facing similar challenges. We value all vendor and provider perspectives, but ideal presentations should also include an employer-client engaged with the topic firsthand.
  • Panelist qualifications and connection to the subject matter are a key part of the selection criteria focus. While we understand that speaker changes may occur later due to schedule availability, it is our expectation that the speakers included in your abstract are the same speakers you will bring to the stage if the proposal is accepted.
  • Please secure at least a ‘handshake’ agreement to participate from all presenters before including them in your submission. “Surprise, you’re speaking in Las Vegas” isn’t everyone’s idea of the best way to kick off a Monday morning in May.

2026 Policy Update: There is a maximum of 4 chairs onstage for all breakout sessions, no exceptions. Requests to include a 5th speaker may be approved in limited circumstances, with a stipulation that one participant serves as moderator and is able to remain standing throughout the presentation.

What You Need to Know

about speaking at national comp 2026

2026 Educational Tracks & Formats

For information on this year's updated educational tracks and options for presentation formats, visit the Program Track & Format Information page.

Printable Guidelines

Download the guidelines on this page for easy reference.

DOWNLOAD PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

Important Deadlines

Application Deadline: March 19

Decision Notifications: May 11

Topic Suggestions

Not sure what to present? Find inspiration in the list of topic ideas we've compiled, sources from Advisory Board members and attendees.

Submit Your Ideas Today!

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

If you have any questions or problems submitting this form, email [email protected].

Thought leadership policy

Zero Tolerance for Selling and Promotion

National Comp’s mission is to educate, elevate, and connect the workers’ comp community. Each year, our chairs and advisors select presentations based on the value of the educational content for attendees.

An invitation to speak at National Comp is a thought leadership opportunity. We invite professionals throughout the workers’ comp community to share knowledge and experience that is “vendor-agnostic” –without bias toward or promotion of any specific product, program or service.

We expect presenters to come to the stage with the intent to educate, but not to sell or to promote their business, products or services, or to attract new clients. Proposals that promote or endorse particular products or companies will not be considered. Presenters that receive negative feedback about sales-focused content will not be invited back on the program.

If you're not certain where your presentation stands, here's a question that may help. Can you identify three substantive takeaways that an attendee can bring back to their organization and use, whether or not they ever become your client? 

More Important Reminders

Feel free to submit up to three proposals. We’re looking for diverse approaches across tracks. Submitting proposals for multiple tracks increases the chance we’ll find an ideal fit for your material on the session agenda.

Make sure all corporate approvals are secured prior to submitting your proposal. Speaker names and photos will be promoted in our pre-event, onsite and post-event marketing activities.

Final Advice

  • Be passionate about your chosen topic.
  • Avoid using undue amounts of jargon. Draft your proposal in plain language.
  • Include specific strategies attendees can implement within their own workers’ comp and injury prevention programs. The best presentations give attendees a framework to envision how your ideas can be applied to the challenges they face.
  • Start with your goal in mind. Consider the key ideas you want attendees to walk away with and develop your proposal around how you’ll deliver those ideas and instill attendees with the urgency of your message.
  • Keep in mind that participants learn not only from successes, but also from the lessons taken away from failed efforts.
National Comp is presented by Risk & Insurance®, which covers the people, stories and risks that embody the essential functions of risk management and commercial insurance. Now an affiliate of The Institutes, R&I is dedicated to bringing the workers' compensation community together to share challenges and opportunities, and the latest solutions and innovations. Our mission is to provide a platform for industry leaders and executives to collaborate and build the solutions that will drive the workers' compensation industry forward.