96th Annual Meeting Invited Symposia
The deadline for Invited Symposium proposals is August 17, 2026.
The Symposium Proposal submission portal will open on July 15, 2026. Please read the instructions below and have all materials ready to enter before starting your proposal submission. Note: You cannot save a draft and return to it later.
Invited Symposium Overview
Invited Symposia are organized by one or more members of our professional community around a central topic. Symposia may highlight new advances, engage with emerging issues, or summarize the state of a subdiscipline. In contrast with Contributed Sessions, which are open to all members, symposia highlight biological anthropologists and other scholars invited for their expertise in the chosen topic.
AABA will host three Invited Symposium Formats at the 2027 meetings:
- In-person poster symposia (up to 20 total presentation slots available)
- In-person podium symposia
- Full session: morning (15 slots) or afternoon (14 slots)
- Half session: morning (7 slots) or afternoon (6 slots)
- Online synchronous podium symposia (up to 15 total presentation slots available)
Tribute and memorial symposia should be submitted as poster symposia. All symposia, regardless of format, must include dedicated time for discussion.
Poster symposia are flexible in format and may include anywhere from 10 to 20 posters. Organizers should schedule discussion times for individual posters or groups of posters and any discussants. If organizers require additional poster boards (in addition to those for the named presenters), please include this in your proposal. Poster symposia will occur in a designated room to facilitate discussion. Organizers should indicate any special space requirements or other needs, such as AV equipment, in their proposal. Organizers who wish to cater their event (at their own expense) should contact the Program Chair as early as possible to make arrangements.
Podium symposia vary in length depending on time of day (morning or afternoon) and session length (full or half). The total number of presentations must include any discussants. Due to the limited number of podium symposium time slots, proposals that use the maximum number of full- or half-session speaker slots will be ranked higher than those that do not fully utilize the time. Particularly high-impact symposia may be selected for live-streaming (hybrid format) at the Program Committee’s discretion.
Online symposia. Organizers may opt for an exclusively virtual symposium format. Typically, presentations are uploaded for asynchronous viewing followed by a 2-hour live webinar (recorded for asynchronous viewing) during which participants present and discuss their work. Online symposium organizers should indicate their preferred time zone.
Financial Support for Invited Symposia
Organizers may request up to $2,000 to help defray symposium costs; not all symposia will receive funding. Priority is given to symposia that include speakers/discussants who would not normally attend AABA meetings and who will significantly enhance the symposium’s scientific impact. Priority is also given to requests that will increase diversity and outreach, for example, by supporting attendance by scientists from qualifying nations.
Funds may be requested to cover travel expenses, registration fees, and honoraria. Requests may also include costs to extend the symposium’s reach through virtual technologies beyond those usually provided. Catering and/or reception costs will NOT be funded. Organizers requesting funding should provide a detailed budget with justifications for each line item, disclose other sources of funding, and indicate whether the symposium’s feasibility is contingent upon receiving AABA funds. Please note that funding decisions are made only after the conference program is set.
A Note on Registration Fees
AABA currently lacks the financial resources to waive registration fees for non-member symposium participants; however, all invited speakers will pay the member registration rate, regardless of membership status. If registration fees are a significant obstacle for your symposium, please consider converting your symposium proposal into an AABA-sponsored webinar. Webinar pitches may be directed to the Program Chair.
Symposium Proposal Preparation & Submission
To submit your proposal, first go to the ONLINE registration system. Your membership must be up to date to access the proposal submission form. Registration Validation: The online system will send a link via e-mail to authenticate your registration. If you do not receive your link within 15 minutes of registering, please check your spam filter and/or try a different e-mail account. If the problem persists, please e-mail the Program Chair at vicepresident@bioanth.org.
Proposals must be submitted before Midnight (12:00 AM) Pacific Daylight Time on August 17, 2026.
Note: talk/poster abstracts and registration fees are not due until October and should not be submitted with the symposium proposal. Acceptance of a symposium proposal does NOT guarantee acceptance of included abstracts, which will be reviewed on their individual merit.
Symposium proposal submissions must include:
- Symposium Title
- Symposium Organizer(s): Names, email addresses, and institutional affiliations of the lead organizer (submitter) and all co-organizers.
- Format Preference: poster, podium, or online. Note: the Program Committee cannot guarantee that organizers’ preferences will be honored.
- Time Slot Preference (if any): morning, afternoon, day, time zone (online only). Note: the Program Committee cannot guarantee that organizers’ preferences will be honored.
- Symposium Description (300 words max.): provide an abstract describing the content, purpose, and significance of the symposium. If the symposium is accepted, this description will appear in the official program, so please draft and proofread it carefully.
- Program & Participants: provide talk/poster titles (in order of presentation), full names and affiliations of first and co-authors, and confirmation status in the following format:
- Diversity Statement (300 words (max.): briefly describe the diversity of session presenters and how they contribute to a balanced view of the topic. Organizers should strive to represent a range of institutions, career stages, genders, ethnicities, and nationalities.
- Budget & Justification (if applying for funding): provide a detailed budget with justifications for each line item and an explanation of how the funding will enhance the symposium’s impact. Indicate whether the symposium’s feasibility is contingent upon receiving AABA funds and identify any additional funding sources.
- Organizer Statements: organizers will be required to affirm that they have exercised due diligence to ensure that all invited participants comply with the AABA Code of Ethics, institutional requirements, and best research practices, and that all participants have been allowed to review the symposium proposal in its entirety, including the full speaker list.
Symposium Proposal Review
The AABA Program Committee reviews and ranks symposium proposals. Program Committee recommendations are forwarded to the Executive Committee for final selections. Review criteria include scientific impact, originality, proposal quality, and speaker diversity. Poorly organized proposals and those that fail to conform to symposium guidelines will be rejected. Organizers will be notified of review results (acceptance or denial and format) no later than September 15, 2026.
Abstract Review for Accepted Symposia
Symposium abstracts and conference registrations are submitted through the regular abstract portal and are due by October 15, 2026. Symposium participants must choose the appropriate named symposium at the time of submission.
Note: Acceptance of a symposium proposal does not ensure acceptance of individual abstracts. Organizers are encouraged to communicate regularly with their contributors and to review all symposium abstracts before submission to ensure they meet quality and formatting standards. It is the organizers’ responsibility to see that symposium abstracts are submitted on time. The deadline for abstract submission will not be extended.
QUESTIONS?
Email AABA Vice President & Program Chair Michelle Singleton at vicepresident@bioanth.org.