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:

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

Ajay. James Bach. Kalpak Nikumbh. Hanisha Arora. Raneesh Choudhary. Yogendra Porwal. Deepika Hanumanthu. 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 Karakaya. Viviane Hennecke. Mohit Gaur. Samer Naqvi. Geosley Andrades. Brijesh Deb. Lalit Kumar Bhamare. Anamika Mukhopadhyay.

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:

It felt surreal.

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

The things that stayed

I came home with:

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 session from a first-time speaker — lots of relevant tips on how to get what you need for your context.
Gave me and my colleagues a new approach to a pattern we needed to break around choosing our toolset.
Insightful and well-structured — valuable for both early-career and experienced testers looking to level up.
Brilliant and really engaging. Tone, pitch and pace were excellent. Given me lots of ideas for our community.
An awesome speaker and an awesome collection of useful links. Huge thanks, Rahul!
Well presented, engaging and relevant. I feel better equipped to navigate the myriad tools at our disposal.

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:

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 — and maybe it can bring you too. If you’re thinking of submitting next year, do it.

More about EuroSTAR:

EuroSTAR is Europe’s premier software testing conference, drawing attendees from 50+ countries. With deep tracks, hands-on labs, and a vibrant community hub, it’s much more than presentations — it’s a celebration of the craft of testing. Now 31 years old, it hosts 1,000+ attendees yearly across 350+ companies and 60+ sessions including keynotes, tutorials, and track talks.

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