My EuroSTAR Story: From CFP rejections to Best Tutorial 2025 Award

I didn’t plan this. Not this far. Not this big.

It began with an email. Just one. In 2022.

Ajay Balamurugadas, my mentor, sent me a note. He said, “You should apply for the RisingSTAR award at EuroSTAR.”

I read it twice. And then I just submitted to it. I actually didn’t know how big was EuroSTAR back then.

The idea? A testing assistant built on open-source tools and public testing knowledge. It reached the finals. I didn’t win.

Still, something clicked. Something opened. That moment planted a seed to go to EuroSTAR someday.

What happened next - 2022 to 2024

Between 2022 and 2024, I kept applying. Proposal after proposal.

No reply. Rejection emails. Silence.

In 2024, I changed the approach. Instead of just sending topics, I studied.

I went and read the speaker guide from EuroSTAR’s site. I looked at past agendas. I read speaker tips, twice.

I wrote to the program chair, Tanja Vos. Asked her what makes a good CFP.

She replied. Her advice was sharp, kind, and real. That email became my blueprint.

So I rewrote everything. Submitted four proposals. Three were rejected. One got in.

“Do you have a Testing Toolkit? Let’s build one.” That was the one.

Behind the scenes: five months of building

Once I got the acceptance, the clock started ticking.

This wasn’t going to be a slide-deck talk. This needed structure. Energy. Flow.

So I began:

Sketching learning outcomes
Designing hands-on activities
Writing handouts testers could actually use
Doing dry runs over and over again

I tested every segment like code. I asked folks I respected for feedback.

Ajay. James Bach. Kalpak. Hanisha. Raneesh. Yogendra. Deepika. My WhatsApp testing groups.

They pointed out weak spots. Encouraged better metaphors. Helped me tighten the flow.

Nothing was off-limits. Those feedback loops actually turned my session into something real.

The journey to Edinburgh

I went via Delhi and stayed at a relative’s place whose flat number was #404.

Yes, that 404. A little inside joke for a tester.

Not found, but very much on the way.

Scotland welcomed me with winter winds. Sharp, quiet, and beautiful.

The conference venue – EICC stood tall, confident.

I arrived early to collect speaker swag and welcome kit.

The moment: a room, a whiteboard, and nerves

My tutorial was on Day 1. Slot 1. I got there early. Alone in the room.

No one had arrived. So I set up. Sticky notes on each table. Pens. Chart papers. Handouts. Extra sheets just in case.

I looked at the room. I breathed. First in-person tutorial.

First EuroSTAR stage. First time facing faces, not Zoom boxes.

And the attendee list?

Experienced. Seasoned. Some had been testing longer than I had been alive.

My thoughts started spinning:

What if no one talks? What if it falls flat? What if they know more than me?

And then the doors opened. People walked in.

One by one, they found seats. Introductions. Smiles. A few jokes. The energy started shifting.

Then it was time. I started the session. Something sparked. It just did. People shared.

They scribbled on sticky notes. They laughed. They questioned. They built toolkits.

I didn’t just teach. We explored a lot of stuff together. That room came alive.

Later that day, I joined Michael Bolton’s tutorial.

If you’ve never heard of him, search now.

His session? It was raw. Insightful. Direct.

And full of moments that made you go “Ah, I’ve done that too.”

I learned things.

I created mindmaps. It reminded me why I love testing.

The rest of EuroSTAR: joy in every corner

After the tutorials, I went into the joy mode. Booths. Games. Demos. New tools.

Every hallway had conversations. I met people I had only read online. Now I could shake their hands.

At the speaker dinner, I sat with: Tubga. Viviane. Rohit. Samer. Geosley. Brijesh. Lalit.

And others I now call friends. We laughed. We swapped stories. We planned ideas.

The night I’ll always remember

Then came the EuroSTAR 2025 Awards night & dinner.

People dressed up. Tanja walked to the stage. She began announcing awards.

First came Best Tutorial. She smiled. She said my name.

I froze. It didn’t register at first. I stood. Walked. Took the trophy.

I don’t remember the walk. I remember the weight. Not of the trophy. But of the journey.

The winners that night:

Keith Klain – Excellence in Testing
Usha Kandala – Best Paper
Sara Martínez Giner – RisingSTAR
Me – Best Tutorial

It felt surreal.

Not better. Not best. Just proud to be part of that moment.

The things that stayed

I came home with:

A suitcase full of memories
A laptop now buried in stickers
A heart full of gratitude

My awards shelf looks different now.

Not because of one more trophy. Because of what that trophy represents.

Also, the wonderful feedback that I got from my attendees, thanks to Siobhan Hunt (Programme Manager – EuroSTAR Conferences) for sharing it. Here are a few notable ones:

“Great tutorial! Thanks Rahul 😃”
“A difficult start for me, but with help from RP we came through. Lots of relevant tips and hints on how to get what you need for your context. Great session from a first-time speaker.”
“Excellent tut. Gave me and my colleagues a new approach to a pattern we need to break, in respect of choosing our toolset.“
“Rahul delivered an insightful and well-structured tutorial that effectively highlighted the importance of having a robust testing toolkit. The session was particularly valuable for both early-career and experienced testers looking to level up their testing practices.“
“Very organized, very clear. Exercises were interesting and well placed in the tutorial. Very good”
“An awesome speaker and an awesome collection of useful links. A bit overwhelming, will get back to my notes to dive deeper. Huge thanks, Rahul!”
“Brilliant and really engaging session, that’s given me lots of ideas to ask back to our community to help them. Although the session was about the toolkit, it also helped embed when/why we should be using the tools within the life cycle of a testable requirement, and how we can utilise those more as well. Really well presented, tone, pitch and pace were excellent and was really engaging.”
“A very good presentation about world of tools! Especially Informal phase of Testing. Liked it very much! Thank you!
“The session was really insightful, well-structured, and provided practical takeaways! Rahul presented the concepts clearly and shared valuable tools and techniques that will streamline and strengthen our testing process! Thank you for such a relevant and engaging session.”
“Very informative and thought provoking and loved the practical exercises.“
“Very informative and always a joy listening to passionate people willing to share their vision, experience, findings and in your case a whole lot of resources you’ve shared with all of us that allows us to gain momentum, experiment and investigate further. Hope to see you again in Jaipur one day 😉”
“This was informative and very well presented. The activities were engaging and relevant. I particularly appreciated the fact that Rahul recognised that testers must meet multiple demands and factored this into his recommendations. I feel better equipped to navigate the myriad tools at our disposal.“
“Enlightening workshop, good pace, the aggregation-resources are a real find, as well as the idea of having a tool-buddy.“
“Thank you for uncovering a bunch of great resources, Rahul. The variety of available tools can be overwhelming, and you equipped us with some useful tips how to navigate this complex world. Will for sure benefit from the knowledge I got out of your tutorial.“

Why I shared all this on my blog?

If you’re new to testing, you might wonder if conferences like EuroSTAR are out of reach.

They’re not. You just need to take the first step.

Ask yourself:

What excites you about testing?
What do you wish more people talked about?
Could you speak about that?

Then write. Ask for help. Get rejected. Write again. Get better. Keep going.

You don’t need to be famous. You just need to be curious. And persistent.

That’s what brought me here. Maybe it can bring you too. If you’re thinking of submitting next year, do it.

Here is the link to the EuroSTAR website: EuroSTAR Conference | Software Testing Conference Europe

Looking for some speaking tips, I have curated a speaking checklist here: Talk Checklist

Also, if you would like to listen to my talks at other conferences and events, check this out:

Testing Talks & Conferences – Rahul’s Testing Titbits

I am also a writer and you can check out my ebooks on my homepage here (many of them are free):

Rahul’s Testing Titbits – Testing Insights & Resources

More about EuroSTAR:

EuroSTAR is Europe’s premier software testing global conference, with attendees from 50+ countries. With a rich history, deep tracks, hands-on labs, and a vibrant community hub, it’s much more than just presentations, it’s a celebration of the craft of testing. It is a 31 years old conference.

It hosts 1,000+ attendees yearly, with 350+ companies represented.

It also offers over 60+ sessions, including keynotes, tutorials, and track talks.

The 2025 “AI on Trial” conference in Edinburgh continued this tradition with a spotlight on AI’s role in Testing.