FAQ

The Call for Participation for 2026 is now open. The deadline to submit speaker proposals is March 24, 2026 at 5:00 PM PT.

We have a strong preference for customer stories that are unique to each region and will most likely assign speakers to the region they are based in.

The deadline to submit speaker proposals is March 24, 2026 at 5:00 PM PT.

Multiple people from an organization can apply to be speakers; however, only one submission is allowed per speaker.

Speakers will be given a complimentary Full Conference Pass to Workday Rising. Workday does not reimburse speakers for travel and expenses. Federal government employees will receive the complimentary pass on the day(s) of the presentation and must furnish written federal agency authorization.

Yes. However, the Call for Participation primarily focuses on customer speakers.

We only allow the recommendation of customer speakers. If your company is both a Workday customer and Workday partner, we welcome your submissions providing they discuss the use of our products in your company’s operations and are delivered by a speaker who is directly involved in the day-to-day use of our products.

Workday customers may indicate in their submissions the benefits of having a secondary speaker from the partnering company. If the review committee agrees with the outlined benefits, they may contact the submitter after the Call for Participation closes to ask for more details or speaker suggestions from the partner company. A speaking invitation is extended to a partner at the discretion of the review committee.

All sessions are in person so make sure your organization has approved your participation before you submit. A portion of our sessions will be live streamed and recorded for on-demand replay and/or digital attendees.

The review committee plans to send notifications to selected speakers in June 2026.  

Unfortunately, due to the high volume of submissions we cannot accept all proposals. The review committee will select the best proposals based on the guidelines outlined on this website and the overall goals of the event.

Presenting takes a considerable amount of time and effort. Because presenters are a crucial part of the attendee experience, we want you to be aware of the commitment required in advance of being selected to speak.

We are not accepting panel proposals via the Call for Participation as all panels will be curated by Workday. Proposals that describe panel discussions consisting of three or more speakers will be automatically disqualified.

If you have reviewed the guidelines on this website and have your information ready, it should take about 15 minutes or fewer to complete the submission process.

Once you submit to the Call for Participation, you will receive a notification email confirming your submission was completed. Our review process begins even before the Call for Participation closes so don’t wait until the last day to submit. From time to time, our review teams may reach out with questions before making the final decisions.

We will provide you the placeholder title of the session you are placed into, along with the names and companies of your co-presenters in your acceptance email. You have five business days to indicate your acceptance by signing the Speaker Agreement in the Speaker Portal. If we do not receive your acceptance before the deadline, we will assume that you are declining the invitation.

No, you will not be able to access the submission form once the Call for Participation closes.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accept your proposal if you change companies during the Call for Participation process. If you leave your company after being accepted, we will have to cancel your speaking engagement.

Our support team is here to help with all technical issues. Email risingspeakers@workday.events (subject line: Workday Rising CFP Inquiry) with any questions or concerns.

• Any Workday customer who is using one or more Workday products that are live and in production.  
• Partners involved in the implementation can be highlighted in the submission.
• Workday partners who are using a Workday product within their own organization can also submit an entry and are considered a Workday customer within this awards program.

For Workday Rising:

A donation to a charity listed and approved on benevity.com as chosen by the winner in the amount of 5,000 U.S. Dollars.

Award recognition at Workday Rising 2026.

Complimentary pass to Workday Rising North America 2027 (one per winner, excludes hotel and travel expenses).

Eligible customers will be entered into the Industry Innovation Awards

For Workday Rising EMEA:

A donation to a charity listed and approved on benevity.com as chosen by the winner in the amount of 5,000 Euros.

Invitation to attend Workday Rising EMEA 2026 award ceremony. 

Complimentary pass to Workday Rising EMEA 2027 (one per winner, excludes hotel and travel expenses).

Note: Government and government-related entities are not eligible to receive charitable donations and Workday Rising passes. Entries for customers where the subject has an open RFP with Workday will not be eligible to receive the charitable donation or the complimentary Workday Rising pass for 2027. In the entry form, customers must also confirm they’re able to accept the award, per their own policies.

Only one Customer Awards nomination is allowed per company. 

Yes, Workday partners and third parties can submit an entry, but they must confirm in their entry form that they have permission from the customer to participate in the awards program.

• Round 1: A panel of Workday experts review entries and select a short list for each category. 
• Round 2: The judging panel assesses and ranks the short-listed entries against each other according to the judging criteria.

Due to the volume of submissions, we are not able to follow up with every entry. If you are short-listed as a finalist, a member of the team will notify you by September 2026. If you are not contacted, that indicates that your submission has not been selected as a finalist. If you still have questions, you can reach out to customer.awards@workday.com.

Submit your entry in English.

Finalists will be notified in September 2026.

Send an email to customer.awards@workday.com.

The Workday Industry Innovation Awards recognize organizations that are using Workday in innovative and inspiring ways to address issues that are particularly important to their respective industry.

Specific industries covered by the Industry Innovation Awards program include:
 

• Tech and media
• Financial services and insurance
• Healthcare
• Higher education 
• Manufacturing
• Nonprofit
• Professional and business services 
• Retail, consumer goods, and hospitality 
• Public sector

Each industry listed above will determine award winners in 3 or more categories that are relevant to their industry.

Simply apply to the overall Customer Awards and you will automatically be entered into the Industry Innovation Awards for your industry. We will also tag your submission for consideration in additional industry-specific categories if there is one that is a better match than the original category you chose.

Your submission will be judged using a panel and process that is appropriate for your respective industry based on how your submission addresses the unique challenges, opportunities, and composition of that industry.

Winners will be recognized during your industry-specific summit or user group meeting at Workday Rising. Details on prizes and promotional opportunities for Industry Innovation Award winners will be shared as we get closer to the judging cycle.