diff --git a/app/models/event.rb b/app/models/event.rb
index 522b65ee..f59f1a40 100644
--- a/app/models/event.rb
+++ b/app/models/event.rb
@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@ class Event < ApplicationRecord
   validates :city, presence: true
   validates :region, presence: true
   validates :url, allow_nil: true, format: %r{\Ahttps?:\/\/.*\..*\z}
-  validates :contact, email: true
-  validates :submitter, email: true, presence: false
+  validates :contact, email: true, allow_nil: true
+  validates :submitter, email: true, presence: true
 
   geocoded_by :full_address
   after_validation :geocode, if: (lambda do |obj|
diff --git a/app/views/events/_form.html.haml b/app/views/events/_form.html.haml
index ce876bbe..2423f0a5 100644
--- a/app/views/events/_form.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/events/_form.html.haml
@@ -61,9 +61,9 @@
   .field.url{ title: t('.url_helper') }
     = f.label :url
     = f.url_field :url, placeholder: 'Ex: https://april.org'
-  .field.contact.required{ title: t('.contact_helper') }
+  .field.contact{ title: t('.contact_helper') }
     = f.label :contact
-    = f.email_field :contact, required: true
+    = f.email_field :contact
   .field.submitter{ title: t('.submitter_helper') }
     = f.label :submitter
     = f.email_field :submitter
diff --git a/db/migrate/20180408212139_change_events_null_contact.rb b/db/migrate/20180408212139_change_events_null_contact.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c50fbb1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrate/20180408212139_change_events_null_contact.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# Events contacts are no longer required
+class ChangeEventsNullContact < ActiveRecord::Migration[5.1]
+  def up
+    change_column :events, :contact, :string, default: '', null: true
+  end
+
+  def down
+    change_column :events, :contact, :string, default: '', null: false
+  end
+end
diff --git a/db/schema.rb b/db/schema.rb
index f99c0d64..d64b574b 100644
--- a/db/schema.rb
+++ b/db/schema.rb
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 #
 # It's strongly recommended that you check this file into your version control system.
 
-ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20171015143615) do
+ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20180408212139) do
 
   create_table "active_admin_comments", force: :cascade do |t|
     t.string "namespace"
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20171015143615) do
     t.integer "region_id", limit: 4, default: 0, null: false
     t.integer "locality", limit: 4, default: 0, null: false
     t.string "url", limit: 255, default: ""
-    t.string "contact", limit: 255, default: "", null: false
+    t.string "contact", limit: 255, default: ""
     t.string "submitter", limit: 255, default: "", null: false
     t.integer "moderated", limit: 4, default: 0, null: false
     t.text "tags", limit: 255, default: ""
diff --git a/db/structure.sql b/db/structure.sql
index 2cdb48c8..0af72b9c 100644
--- a/db/structure.sql
+++ b/db/structure.sql
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ CREATE UNIQUE INDEX "index_admin_users_on_email" ON "admin_users" ("email");
 CREATE UNIQUE INDEX "index_admin_users_on_reset_password_token" ON "admin_users" ("reset_password_token");
 CREATE TABLE "cities" ("id" INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL, "name" varchar(255) DEFAULT '' NOT NULL, "majname" varchar(255) DEFAULT '' NOT NULL, "postalcode" integer(4), "inseecode" integer(4), "regioncode" integer(4), "latitude" float(24), "longitude" float(24));
 CREATE INDEX "cities_name" ON "cities" ("name");
-CREATE TABLE "events" ("id" INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL, "title" varchar(255) DEFAULT '' NOT NULL, "description" text(65535) NOT NULL, "start_time" datetime NOT NULL, "end_time" datetime NOT NULL, "city" varchar(255) DEFAULT '', "region_id" integer(4) DEFAULT 0 NOT NULL, "locality" integer(4) DEFAULT 0 NOT NULL, "url" varchar(255) DEFAULT '' NOT NULL, "contact" varchar(255) DEFAULT '' NOT NULL, "submitter" varchar(255) DEFAULT '' NOT NULL, "moderated" integer(4) DEFAULT 0 NOT NULL, "tags" varchar(255) DEFAULT '' NOT NULL, "secret" varchar(255) DEFAULT '' NOT NULL, "decision_time" datetime, "submission_time" datetime, "moderator_mail_id" varchar(32), "submitter_mail_id" varchar(32), "address" text(65535), "latitude" float(24), "longitude" float(24), "lock_version" integer(4) DEFAULT 0 NOT NULL, "place_name" varchar(255), "count" integer DEFAULT 1, "repeat" integer DEFAULT 0, "rule" text, "event_id" integer);
+CREATE TABLE "events" ("id" INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL, "title" varchar(255) DEFAULT '' NOT NULL, "description" text(65535) NOT NULL, "start_time" datetime NOT NULL, "end_time" datetime NOT NULL, "city" varchar(255) DEFAULT '', "region_id" integer(4) DEFAULT 0 NOT NULL, "locality" integer(4) DEFAULT 0 NOT NULL, "url" varchar(255) DEFAULT '' NOT NULL, "contact" varchar(255) DEFAULT '', "submitter" varchar(255) DEFAULT '' NOT NULL, "moderated" integer(4) DEFAULT 0 NOT NULL, "tags" varchar(255) DEFAULT '' NOT NULL, "secret" varchar(255) DEFAULT '' NOT NULL, "decision_time" datetime, "submission_time" datetime, "moderator_mail_id" varchar(32), "submitter_mail_id" varchar(32), "address" text(65535), "latitude" float(24), "longitude" float(24), "lock_version" integer(4) DEFAULT 0 NOT NULL, "place_name" varchar(255), "count" integer DEFAULT 1, "repeat" integer DEFAULT 0, "rule" text, "event_id" integer);
 CREATE INDEX "index_events_on_event_id" ON "events" ("event_id");
 CREATE INDEX "events_date" ON "events" ("start_time", "end_time");
 CREATE TABLE "kinds" ("id" INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL, "name" varchar NOT NULL, "icon" varchar, "created_at" datetime NOT NULL, "updated_at" datetime NOT NULL);