GOAT 2026

Welcome to GOAT 2026!

Conference dates: 12/7-12/11/2026

Location: St. Christopher’s Camp and Conference Center, Seabrook Island, SC 29455

Application: To attend you must first apply. Please apply early! The conference organization team is made up of volunteers and late applications and registrations are increasingly difficult to manage. Applications deadlines:

Application Review Begins: Early September
Early Acceptance: Mid September
Rolling Acceptance: October
Late Acceptance: November 1-15 (registration price increase!)

How to attend

To attend GOAT you must fill out an application. In October, applications will be reviewed in bulk and registration links will be sent to accepted applicants.

Why are there applications?

We have applications to ensure there is a fair and equitable process to select which applicants will attend GOAT and/or receive funding, and to ensure good representation of the diversity of stakeholders working at this intersection. A large component of GOAT is its unconference sessions. Provided much of the agenda is not defined ahead of time, we want to ensure attendees are armed with exciting and important topics to discuss. The role of the application form is to learn more about who you are, why you want to attend, and what you want to present, propose, or learn about at GOAT 2026!

The GOAT application helps us plan the structured sessions, so in practice the application functions as a per-registration phase. We accept MOST applicants, and so anticipate that your submission is an indication that you plan on attending. There are very few conditions that disqualify a applicant, but not engaging sufficiently with the application is one.

This application should take between 15 to 30 minutes. Your responses don’t need to be long, but it matters that you are thoughtful and consider how your work, ideas, and questions intersect with the open ag tech movement, both within the existing GOAT community and ideally, beyond! Please see the GOAT Review Process to understand how we evaluate applications

Program

The 2026 program will feature a mix of unconference and pre-planned sessions. Stay tuned for more details.

What is an unconference?

In this video Ankita Raturi explains how we conduct an unconference at GOAT.

GOAT is largely organized as an unconference. That means the participants help create the agenda.

Rather than coming to a conference with every session planned in advance, we begin by reflecting together on what is happening in our community, in our work, and in the wider world. Everyone will be invited to name something they want to share and something they want to learn. We will group those ideas into themes and build the session schedule together.

If you see a topic you care about, you may volunteer to convene it. You do not need to be an expert or prepare a formal presentation. Convening can be as simple as welcoming people, offering a starting question, and helping the group have a useful conversation.

During the conference, you can choose the sessions that feel most relevant to you. We encourage you to “vote with your feet”: stay where you are learning or contributing, and feel free to move to another conversation if your needs or interests change.

The value of the unconference is that the program reflects the people in the room. Your questions, experiences, and curiosity are part of what makes GOAT possible.