CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

The AARC 2026 Steering Committee welcomes abstracts from the full breadth of Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and Southern Ocean research. Contributions are invited from all relevant disciplines, including (but not limited to) glaciology, oceanography, atmospheric science, biology, geophysics, biogeochemistry, human impacts, humanities, law, arts and social sciences, as well as new technologies and their application. 

From 15 April, we invite abstracts around the themes of:

  • Antarctic ice loss and its impacts
  • Protecting Antarctica from existing and emerging threats
  • The past, present and future of Antarctic and Southern Ocean systems
  • Innovations in Antarctic and Southern Ocean research capabilities
  • Antarctic research for decision-making
  • Looking forward: Australian Antarctic research over the next decade

It is open to all Australian-based researchers interested in these themes, regardless of affiliation or discipline. Only the conference plenary sessions will be delivered in a hybrid format.

PRESENTATION TYPES

The Conference Steering Committee will build a balanced program from the submitted abstracts to deliver an exciting and engaging meeting through a mix of presentation types. There will be a single-stream plenary session for oral presentations, poster presentations (with optional lightning talk) and a dedicated Early Career Researchers (ECR) day. Orals and posters will be allocated based on an assessment of submitted abstracts. 

The Committee welcomes abstracts for:

  • Oral presentations (short),
  • Posters,
  • Lightning talks, and
  • Parallel sessions

Information about each type of presentation is given below. Abstracts are limited to a maximum of 200 words and are to be submitted under

the themes. The Steering Committee will assign accepted abstracts to a suitable session.

Oral presentations 

  • Oral presentations will be given a strict 10-minute time slot
  • Q&A panel with all the presenters will be held at the end of each session
  • Presentation slides must be provided to the session chairs by 4 pm on the day before the presentation at the latest

Poster display 

  • Posters must be in portrait and not exceed A0 size (1189mm high x 841mm wide)
  • Presenters are required to attend their assigned poster session
  • Poster hanging kits will be provided

Lightning talks

  • Poster presenters can also opt-in for a lightning talk
  • Lightning talks consist of concise presentations lasting one minute with one slide, without any Q&A session.
  • Lightning talks are subject to acceptance by the steering committee


Parallel sessions

Proposals for parallel sessions will also be accepted. The word limit for session proposals is 200 words. Session requests need to include the preferred format, draft agenda and a justification for the requested format (workshop, presentations, round table or panel discussion). Ideally parallel sessions should be requested to provide a forum for raising awareness (or collecting feedback) around key research questions or major field programs, national updates and other Antarctic-relevant focused interest groups. We invite proposals for parallel sessions of up to two hours in duration. 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submissions for abstracts close at 11:59 pm AEST, 8 June 2026.

All presenters are required to be registered and paid to confirm their presentation slot.

We cannot guarantee all submission preferences will be met. While we strive to fulfil as many preferences as possible, limited speaking

opportunities are available. Some requests for talks may need to be allocated poster presentations. Depending on available space, poster numbers may need to be capped.

Authors must submit a separate abstract for each presentation type put forward for consideration.

There will be a restriction of one oral presentation per participant. A poster abstract may be submitted in addition to an abstract for

an oral.

Accepted abstracts will be available online exactly as submitted.

FOR ENQUIRIES, CONTACT LEISHMAN ASSOCIATES

227 Collins Street, Hobart, TAS 7000

P: +61 3 6234 7844

E: conference@leishman-associates.com.au