The Digital Preservation "Bake Off"

The Program Committee is pleased to announce the Digital Preservation ‘Bake Off’ Demo Showcase.  Although there is no actual baking at the conference, the whimsical name sets the light-hearted tone of a serious purpose.

The iPRES 2026 Tools Demo Session: The Digital Preservation Bake Off is a friendly challenge for anyone who wants to demonstrate their solutions, while allowing participants to observe the process and verify their claims. Our previous participants (fondly known as ‘Bakers’) include solution providers, tool or workflow developers, and fearless data wranglers. The demo could focus on anything from one very specific digipres challenge to complete, end-to-end workflows.

Our Bakers will receive a common set of inputs and requirements (aptly referred to as ‘The Pantry’) two weeks before the conference, from which they will be expected to choose their files (alt. their ‘ingredients’) to showcase their dish against. To help stock The Pantry, please fill out this form

At the bake-off session, the Bakers are given a (non-negotiable) ten minutes to showcase in a live demo how their digital dish meets the requirements. After the showcase, the audience (our beloved ‘restaurant critics’) will assess whether the Bakers have achieved the desired goal, and invite audience feedback.

As long as a Baker is showcasing a real issue, the Bake Off encourages submissions of any digital preservation system, tool, or workflow. Due to the complexity of submissions, last year we introduced two tiers:

• Track 1: The Signature Home Bake – Some of the best baking happens outside professional kitchens. This challenge is for practitioners whose main job isn’t software development but who’ve baked up a script, small tool, or clever workaround to solve a real problem in their work. Homemade doesn’t mean second-best; it means built with purpose, tested in the real world, and seasoned with hard-won experience. Bring your best bake.
• Track 2: The Showstopper Pro Bake – This is the professional showcase, a chance for software developers and vendors to present a single, focused demonstration of a tool, feature, or workflow from their product. Not a full menu, not a sales pitch: one showstopper item, plated with precision and presented with craft. Make every minute count.

The Bake Off is rounded off with Audience Choice Voting, which decides the most compelling tasting spoons, and attendees will vote for the most useful, clever, or surprising demos. Think of it as a service provider and vendor fair meets snack-sized showdown. In 2024, a short video was recorded on the Bake Off. Watch this here. You can also watch recordings of previous Digital Preservation Bake Offs, such as sessions from iPRES2022

How to Submit to the Bake-off

Submissions open on May 1, and participants can complete a submission form by June 8th. Submissions will be featured during a live session at iPRES 2026, where each caterer (service provider or vendor) gets to demo or describe their dish in a brief, timed presentation. Demonstrations must only use files from the iPRES Bake Off Pantry.

You’ll need to provide a demonstration title (baking puns encouraged, a description of your demonstration, your chosen track, the presenter’s information, and whether you’re attending virtually or in-person.

🍳 Open Kitchen Hours — Got Questions? Come Find Us!

Not sure which track is right for you? Wondering what’s in the Pantry, or how the submission process works? Join us for Open Kitchen Hours on May 22nd — an informal Zoom drop-in where the organising committee will be on hand to answer your questions. No agenda, no pressure, just a friendly chat over a (virtual) cup of tea.

We’re running two sessions to suit different time zones:

• ACST/NZ timezones: Register here
• US/EU timezones: Register here

We also have a blog post from previous years explaining the bake off concept and process in more detail.

We look forward to your submissions!