TL;DR
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Devcon Community Hubs return for Devcon 8 in Mumbai, November 3–6, 2026.
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Hubs are physical spaces within the venue where community groups host their own programming — community-driven, educational, and marketing-free.
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Applications open June 10 and close August 12, 2026, all time zones included.
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Submit by replying to this post using the Devcon 8 Community Hubs Proposal Template.
Introduction
Following three successful editions across Bogotá, Bangkok, and Buenos Aires, Community Hubs are back for Devcon 8 India 
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Devcon is the Ethereum ecosystem’s annual global gathering — a place to connect, learn, and build a free and open future together. Across four packed days, you’ll dive into open-source technology, meet the communities behind it, and explore the ideas defining what’s next. This year, India is where Ethereum comes to life.
At its heart, Devcon is grounded in Ethereum’s core properties: censorship resistance, open source, privacy, and security. Together, we call them CROPS 
. Built on these principles, Devcon expands what’s possible by being an open door for explorers, a common ground for builders.
Whether you’re an open-source contributor who champions collective ownership, an advocate fighting for digital privacy and peer-to-peer freedom, a researcher exploring fairer economic models, or someone who builds tools because they should belong to everyone, there is a place for you at Devcon.
Description
Devcon Community Hubs are physical spaces within the main venue that host their own complementary programming. These programs are curated and independently organized by community groups with expertise in the chosen topic.
By designing their own content, these hubs help shape the overall Devcon experience — making it more decentralized, inclusive, and grounded in Ethereum’s community spirit.
Think of them as gathering points that complement the main Devcon program: spaces where attendees can stop by, ask questions, connect across domains with other communities, and explore new portals.
Most importantly, these spaces must not promote any single project or initiative. They remain strictly educational and community-driven, free of branding and marketing.
Activities that can take place in Community Hubs include (but are not limited to):
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Onboarding sessions
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Discussion roundtables
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Ideation sessions
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Workshops
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User research and feedback sessions
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Community building activities and cross-pollination
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Art, games, and creative formats
These are starting points, but it’s up to you, as community builders, to get creative!
The format and approach are open — what matters is that the programming serves the chosen topic and the broader open-source and Ethereum communities.
Background: A Brief History of Community Hubs
Community Hubs began as a concept for Devcon Bogotá (2022), with 6 pioneer hubs in their first iteration. For Devcon SEA in Bangkok, our RFP attracted such remarkable quality and diversity that the planned 9 hubs expanded to 14.
At Devconnect ARG (2025), Community Hubs grew further with a 15th ‘floating’ Legal Hub organized by Devcon Scholars and law students attending Devcon SEA, integrating their programming and education across other hubs.
With three editions in the books, Community Hubs are now an integral part of the Devcon experience. Their open, interactive, inclusive, and marketing-free format represents the heart of our annual global gathering and the important role of communities. Participants focus on the substance of discussions, with organizers, contributors, and locals engaging in valuable knowledge sessions, workshops, talks, and games — fostering open and long-lasting collaborations.
Check out last year’s Community Hubs here.
Back to the Roots 
As the Infinite Garden keeps growing, this year it invites us to come back to the source to strengthen the roots that have made it grow.
For Community Hubs, this means three things:
First, clear focus on the core properties of Ethereum: Censorship-Resistance, Open-Source, Privacy, and Security (CROPS) sit at the heart of this year’s request for proposals, and we particularly welcome initiatives from communities working on these topics. In past editions, Node Operators, Open Source, and Privacy Hub have done an incredible job carrying this work forward. This year, we’d love to see a Security Hub join them.
Second, deepening the format itself. Community Hubs have proven to be a vital part of the Devcon experience, and this year we’re taking it one step further with stronger bridges between hubs and the wider Devcon programming. Get ready to take the stage!
Third, an expanding horizon. The Infinite Garden is rich in diversity, with many stewards building towards an open future. This year, Devcon Community Hubs strengthens its core focus while also welcoming a wider range of communities: open source projects, privacy and cryptography researchers, civil liberties defenders, educators and public-interest technologists, builders of resilient local communities, and the quiet maintainers of civilization who keep essential systems and traditions running.
Community Hubs are not only deepening their roots; they’re also welcoming natural allies. Returning hub organizers bring continuity, depth, and experience. Aligned topics and communities bring new perspectives.
This year’s Devcon Community Hubs invite both. It’s time for global communities building a free and open future to connect, collaborate, and grow
An Evolving Format
What’s new for Community Hubs this year? As the concept matures, we’re exploring new ways for hubs to participate that build on the strength of the format.
This year, every Community Hub will be invited to take the stage!
Each hub will host its own dedicated stage session — with formats and final details to be defined together with selected hubs in the months leading up to the event. These sessions are an extension of the hub itself, designed to bring its programming and community to a wider Devcon audience.
We’re particularly interested in sessions that bring the audience into the conversation. Workshops, live Q&A formats, audience-driven discussions, roundtables with multiple community voices, live demos with participation — these formats fit the Community Hubs ethos in a way that traditional talks often don’t.
This is an evolution of the Community Hubs format, not a replacement: the hubs themselves remain the heart of the initiative.
Know Before You Apply
What’s expected from Community Hubs?
All Community Hubs must follow the Community Hub guidelines:
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Should be dedicated to and centered around one specific Ethereum / OSS / CROPS related topic.
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Must be driven by communities rather than a specific project or company.
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Must be free of marketing and branding, no shilling of tokens or promotion of specific projects.
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No fluff, no hype, original and educational content only.
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Should have a tech-driven approach to building real applications with and for communities.
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Must offer real value to attendees and be 100% accessible to all Devcon participants.
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Must be staffed during all event days and opening hours: November 3 - 6, from 9 am to 6 pm (final time frame subject to change).
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Must attend all onboarding sessions for pre-event coordination.
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Submit required information in a timely manner.
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Create or reuse an original logo for the topic of the hub.
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Organizers need to be available for setup day on November 2.
What will selected Community Hubs receive?
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A dedicated physical space within the Devcon 8 venue (capacity ~30 people)
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10 bean bags / cushions / chairs (specific format and number subject to availability)
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1 LED TV screen on a stand + HDMI connection
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2 wooden or cork boards
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2 whiteboards
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1 worktable for up to 6 people
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Power outlets
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Small cabinet
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1 Ethernet cable (20/20 mbps)
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Shared storage space for bigger items (to be defined)
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A limited number of Devcon 8 tickets for the organizing team and engaged contributors
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Coordination support from the Devcon Community Hubs team
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Inclusion in official Devcon communications and the Community Hubs program
Additional features will be confirmed closer to the event as detailed logistics are defined.
Beyond these items, community organizers are free to customize the space as they see fit while following the guidelines. However please note, Community Hubs should always complement and support Devcon’s official programming.
Creative Concept
Here are past examples of Community Hubs. Please note that the design and location of each Community Hub are subject to change, but can be used as a reference to visualize how Community Hubs are intended to look.
The space will be around 48 square meters. It considers around 30 people between those sitting and standing.
Submit a Proposal
Submit your proposal using the Devcon 8 Community Hub Proposal Template, and create a new post within the Community Hubs category.
Your proposal should include:
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Hub name and topic (i.e. Devcon 8 India: Privacy Hub)
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Description of the communities/coalition behind the proposal
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Programming plan (formats, sessions, key activities) and possible speakers
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Core organizing team and their experience
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How your hub aligns with the principles of Devcon Community Hubs (community-driven, marketing-free, educational)
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Any special requirements or considerations
Join the Discussion
Even if you don’t have a specific idea to present or won’t be actively organizing a Community Hub yourself, we highly encourage everyone to participate in discussions by sharing their thoughts and feedback on the submitted proposals, as well as on the overall concept and execution of Community Hubs.
To start and get familiar with the process, head over to the Community Hubs category of the forum, and check out the proposals that are already being shared.
Always be mindful of our code of conduct when joining the discussion.
RFP Process and Deadlines
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The RFP is open until August 12, across all time zones.
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Selected proposals will be announced by the end of August, followed by a collaborative phase to fine-tune each hub’s concept, programming, and production needs.
Timeline
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Wednesday, June 10, 2026 — RFP opens
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August 12, 2026 — Applications close
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August 13–25, 2026 — Internal review and voting
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August 26, 2026 — Selected hubs announced
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September, 2026 — Community Hubs onboarding calls
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November 2, 2026 — Setup day in Mumbai
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November 3–6, 2026 — Devcon 8 India
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Week of November 9 — Retrospective & feedback call
Questions?
For any questions about this RFP or the Community Hubs initiative, please reply to this post, reach out in our Devcon 8 India public chat, or email us at ecosystem@devcon.org.
We look forward to your proposals and to growing this initiative together — back to the roots, and onward to new horizons
See you at Devcon 8 India!