diff --git a/src/program/apps.py b/src/program/apps.py
index f6a955ad..a7ec74a0 100644
--- a/src/program/apps.py
+++ b/src/program/apps.py
@@ -1,12 +1,25 @@
 from django.apps import AppConfig
 from django.db.models.signals import m2m_changed, pre_save
-from .signal_handlers import check_speaker_event_camp_consistency, check_speaker_camp_change
+
 
 class ProgramConfig(AppConfig):
     name = 'program'
 
     def ready(self):
-        from .models import Speaker
-        m2m_changed.connect(check_speaker_event_camp_consistency, sender=Speaker.events.through)
+        from .models import (
+            Speaker,
+            SpeakerProposal,
+            EventProposal
+        )
+        from .signal_handlers import (
+            check_speaker_event_camp_consistency,
+            check_speaker_camp_change,
+            notify_proposal_submitted
+        )
+        m2m_changed.connect(
+            check_speaker_event_camp_consistency,
+            sender=Speaker.events.through
+        )
         pre_save.connect(check_speaker_camp_change, sender=Speaker)
-
+        pre_save.connect(notify_proposal_submitted, sender=SpeakerProposal)
+        pre_save.connect(notify_proposal_submitted, sender=EventProposal)
diff --git a/src/program/models.py b/src/program/models.py
index 22814519..9eb9c176 100644
--- a/src/program/models.py
+++ b/src/program/models.py
@@ -12,18 +12,14 @@ from django.db import models
 from django.core.exceptions import ObjectDoesNotExist, ValidationError
 from django.dispatch import receiver
 from django.utils.text import slugify
-from django.utils import timezone
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse_lazy
 from django.core.files.storage import FileSystemStorage
 from django.urls import reverse
 from django.apps import apps
 from django.core.files.base import ContentFile
-from django.db.models.signals import post_save
 
 from utils.models import CreatedUpdatedModel, CampRelatedModel
-from .email import add_new_speakerproposal_email, add_new_eventproposal_email
-from ircbot.models import OutgoingIrcMessage
 logger = logging.getLogger("bornhack.%s" % __name__)
 
 
@@ -287,40 +283,6 @@ class EventProposal(UserSubmittedModel):
         self.proposal_status = eventproposalmodel.PROPOSAL_APPROVED
         self.save()
 
-
-@receiver(post_save, sender=EventProposal)
-@receiver(post_save, sender=SpeakerProposal)
-def notify_proposals(sender, created, instance, **kwargs):
-    target = settings.IRCBOT_CHANNELS['orga'] if 'orga' in settings.IRCBOT_CHANNELS else settings.IRCBOT_CHANNELS['default']
-
-    if created and isinstance(instance, SpeakerProposal):
-        if not add_new_speakerproposal_email(instance):
-            logger.error(
-                'Error adding speaker proposal email to outgoing queue for {}'.format(instance)
-            )
-        OutgoingIrcMessage.objects.create(
-            target=target,
-            message="New speaker proposal: {} - https://bornhack.dk/admin/program/speakerproposal/{}/change/".format(
-                instance.name,
-                instance.uuid
-            ),
-            timeout=timezone.now()+timedelta(minutes=10)
-        )
-
-    if created and isinstance(instance, EventProposal):
-        if not add_new_eventproposal_email(instance):
-            logger.error(
-                'Error adding event proposal email to outgoing queue for {}'.format(instance)
-            )
-        OutgoingIrcMessage.objects.create(
-            target=target,
-            message="New event proposal: {} - https://bornhack.dk/admin/program/eventproposal/{}/change/".format(
-                instance.title,
-                instance.uuid
-            ),
-            timeout=timezone.now()+timedelta(minutes=10)
-        )
-
 ###############################################################################
 
 
diff --git a/src/program/signal_handlers.py b/src/program/signal_handlers.py
index 4f374b9d..08fbb4d5 100644
--- a/src/program/signal_handlers.py
+++ b/src/program/signal_handlers.py
@@ -1,4 +1,15 @@
+import logging
+
+from datetime import timedelta
+
 from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
+from django.utils import timezone
+from django.conf import settings
+
+from .email import add_new_speakerproposal_email, add_new_eventproposal_email
+from .models import EventProposal, SpeakerProposal
+from ircbot.models import OutgoingIrcMessage
+logger = logging.getLogger("bornhack.%s" % __name__)
 
 
 def check_speaker_event_camp_consistency(sender, instance, **kwargs):
@@ -26,3 +37,42 @@ def check_speaker_camp_change(sender, instance, **kwargs):
             if event.camp != instance.camp:
                 raise ValidationError({'camp': 'You cannot change the camp a speaker belongs to if the speaker is associated with one or more events.'})
 
+
+# pre_save signal that notifies if a proposal changes status from draft to
+# pending i.e. is submitted.
+def notify_proposal_submitted(sender, instance, **kwargs):
+    try:
+        original = sender.objects.get(pk=instance.pk)
+    except sender.DoesNotExist:
+        return False
+
+    target = settings.IRCBOT_CHANNELS['orga'] if 'orga' in settings.IRCBOT_CHANNELS else settings.IRCBOT_CHANNELS['default']
+
+    if original.proposal_status == 'draft' and instance.proposal_status == 'pending':
+        if isinstance(instance, EventProposal):
+            if not add_new_eventproposal_email(instance):
+                logger.error(
+                    'Error adding event proposal email to outgoing queue for {}'.format(instance)
+                )
+            OutgoingIrcMessage.objects.create(
+                target=target,
+                message="New event proposal: {} - https://bornhack.dk/admin/program/eventproposal/{}/change/".format(
+                    instance.title,
+                    instance.uuid
+                ),
+                timeout=timezone.now()+timedelta(minutes=10)
+            )
+
+        if isinstance(instance, SpeakerProposal):
+            if not add_new_speakerproposal_email(instance):
+                logger.error(
+                    'Error adding speaker proposal email to outgoing queue for {}'.format(instance)
+                )
+            OutgoingIrcMessage.objects.create(
+                target=target,
+                message="New speaker proposal: {} - https://bornhack.dk/admin/program/speakerproposal/{}/change/".format(
+                    instance.name,
+                    instance.uuid
+                ),
+                timeout=timezone.now()+timedelta(minutes=10)
+            )