Instructions for Abstract Submission

Call for abstracts to be presented at TDWG 2026

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Last modified date: 7 Apr 2026

Call for Abstracts

We invite you to submit an abstract for a presentation or poster at TDWG 2026 in Oslo, Norway, 21-25 September. Submissions should reflect the work that TDWG does and the ways that data standards and biodiversity informatics contribute to our understanding and documentation of biodiversity.

We strongly encourage you to consider the conference theme: Research and Robot-ready Biodiversity Data Standards.

Deadline for abstract submissions is 20 May 2025 23:59 UTC-12.

About the Program

The program for TDWG 2026 will be composed of keynote presentations, symposia, discussion sessions, working meetings, workshops, and posters. There will be up to five sessions running concurrently each day. See the detailed list of sessions.

What you need to know

  • Submissions include oral presentations (15 min. is standard but other durations may be chosen), lightning talks (5 min.), and poster presentations.
  • Submissions from virtual attendees for oral presentations must be pre-recorded and uploaded before the conference. In-person attendees can optionally pre-record their content. All posters must be submitted as a digital version and uploaded before the conference. Instructions for presentations will be added separately, later on.
  • Selection of abstracts is done by a competitive review process. Not all submissions will be accepted due to time and space constraints. The authors of abstracts not accepted for in person presentation may still be offered the opportunity to upload a video recording of their presentation for on-demand access.
  • Accepted abstracts will be published on the conference platform and in the conference program.
  • TDWG publishes formal conference Proceedings through the journal Biodiversity Information Science and Standards (BISS). Authors with either an oral presentation or a poster must also submit an extended abstract to the BISS journal via Pensoft’s ARPHA platform. Instructions will be provided to abstract authors after acceptance.
  • Accepted abstracts for oral presentations and posters will not be included in the conference schedule until conference registration fees have been paid by the presenter.
  • By participating in TDWG 2026, you agree to abide by the Code of Conduct
  • When you are ready to start your abstract, we recommend compiling your title, authors, author affiliations, and abstract text offline, before starting your submission online.
  • Make sure you have read the descriptions of the sessions prior to starting to submit your abstract. You will need to know which session you want to submit your abstract to. See list of sessions.

Key dates

  • Abstract submission opens: 10 Apr 2026
  • Submission deadline: 20 May 2026
  • Notification to submitter: Late June 2026
  • Registration opens: Early May 2026
  • Registration deadline for presenters: Late August 2026

Abstract Submission Instructions

In 2026, the TDWG conference will use the Whova platform. You can access the submission system through the Call for abstracts conference page.

If this is your first time using Whova, you will need to register. Note that event organizers will use the email address you use to register to communicate with you about the conference and your abstract submission. Please make sure you check your email regularly. Please do not register with one email but put in an abstract with a different one - it causes problems every year.

As the submitter, you will be asked to fill out the following form fields. Your submission will appear in the final program. Required fields are indicated by (*). Do not use all uppercase text for any part of the form. Be sure to italicize as appropriate.

Please proofread your abstract carefully, as the Program Committee administrators cannot edit your abstract.

  • Title*
    • Enter the full title of your submission (200 character limit).
    • Do not use all upper case or use terminal punctuation (that is, do not put a period or full stop at the end of the title).
  • Presentation type*
    • Choose Oral presentation (standard length), Lightning talk (5 minutes) or Poster.
    • Oral presentations can be submitted to symposia, discussions, keynotes and some workshops.
  • Track *
    • There are many sessions to choose from. We have done an initial sort into Tracks. Choose one of the conference tracks you think your abstract relates to, having read all of the session descriptions.
  • Session*
    • Select the session type from the choices: Lightning talk session, Symposium, Discussion session, Workshops and working meeting, Contributed Oral Session or Poster.
    • Choose the session to which you will be submitting this abstract. See the full list of sessions with all their details.
    • If none of the sessions seem to fit your topic, submit it in a contributed session or as a (virtual) poster.
    • Sessions listed as (CLOSED) require an invitation from the session organizers to submit an abstract and have it considered for presentation during that session. All other sessions are open for abstract submissions.

    Everybody is welcome to attend any session! Restrictions apply only to abstract submission.

    • Keynote sessions are reserved for invited keynote speakers only.
  • Authors and affiliations*
    • Enter the names of all authors in the order in which they should appear in the program.
      • The system allows up to 10 co-authors to be named. Whova calls them Co-speakers in a setting we can’t change. We assume that only one person will be the speaker. Who that person is will be designated at a later time.
      • Whova requires that the submitter and co-speakers all provide an Affiliation. If you do not have one, please use a term such as “independent”, “unaffiliated” etc.
      • We have included a field for Country. Whova does not give a picklist, please type the country name carefully.
      • Optional fields within this category include: ORCID ID
  • Abstract*
    • There is a 1,800 character limit on abstract text.

    Note that when the extended abstract is resubmitted to BISS there will be a 6,000 character limit

  • Use of Generative AI
    • Indicate what, if any, generative AI technologies (e.g., ChatGPT, DeepL, DeepSeek, LLaMA) were used in the creation of this abstract.
    • Adding a short description of why/how you chose to use this technology allows us to understand and consider adjusting requirements for future conferences.
      • Answering this question will not affect the selection process.
      • The use of corrective technologies, such as a grammar or spelling checker, do not have to be listed (and are in fact, appreciated by the reviewers)
  • Funding program
    • If applicable, a short statement (30 word limit) may be entered about how your project was funded.
  • All author approval*
    • Confirm that the submitting author has provided the contents of the submission to all listed authors and that they approve of its submission for presentation at TDWG 2026.
  • Is this a student presentation? *
    • Each year we award student prizes. Please indicate if the talk or poster is the work of a student and should be included in the student prize judging.
  • Permission to publish*
    • You give permission to the organizers of TDWG 2026 to publish this abstract on electronic media and in hardcopy, including the (i.e., in the abstract book, program, Biodiversity Information Science and Standards (BISS) Journal and poster gallery) if it is accepted for presentation.
    • If your abstract is accepted then you agree to submit an extended version for TDWG BISS Journal. Instructions for extended abstracts will be made available at a later stage.

Modification of submission. You will be able to modify your abstract after submission up until the deadline of 20 May 2026 23:59 UTC-12. Review of submissions will begin after that date.

Multiple submissions. If you wish to submit more than one abstract, please complete a separate form for each. Presenters may be limited in the number of oral presentations that may be accommodated due to scheduling.

Submission withdrawal. If you wish to withdraw your abstract, please contact conf-organizers@tdwg.org.

Review Process and Notification

Each submission will be reviewed by a panel selected by the Program Committee, including at least one organizer from the session to which you attached your submission. Abstracts that are incomplete (i.e., not all * mandatory questions have been answered) at the time of assignment to reviewers will not be considered for presentation at the conference.

Reviews will take place between May and June 2026.

While reviewers are not editors, they may elect to suggest minor changes to abstracts as required. They are unable to make any direct changes to your abstract, so please proofread your abstract carefully.

The submitter will be notified by email regarding the outcome of their submission by late June 2026.

If your abstract is accepted, the presenter will need to register for the conference (deadline for presenters registration is in late August 2026). Instructions for presentations, uploading of slides, posters, and pre-recorded videos will be announced after the deadline for submission of abstracts.

Publishing in BISS. Authors of Whova abstracts accepted for presentation at the conference must publish an extended abstract in TDWG’s Pensoft publication, Biodiversity Information Science and Standards (BISS). Instructions for publication will be provided in June.

Questions

Do you have questions or need help?
Please direct questions about abstract submission to editor@tdwg.org.

To contribute an abstract to a closed session without a prior invitation, first contact the session organizer for permission.

For general questions about the conference please email conf-organizers@tdwg.org or go to the conference homepage.