Call for Plenary Speakers: Open Now
IMCC has a rich tradition of thought-provoking and dynamic plenary talks. For IMCC8, we invite the conservation community to nominate possible plenary speakers.
We feature speakers who have made a major contribution to the science or practice of ocean conservation, and have insights to share with the global marine conservation community in an engaging way. Talks which are broadly relevant to a global audience of scientists and practitioners, will be given priority. We especially encourage proposals that include co-speakers from two stakeholder groups (e.g., a practitioner and a researcher) to present a topic from multiple points of view. Please submit here. Deadline to submit: March 6, 2026.
Call for Proposals: Open Now
The 8th International Marine Conservation Congress, with the theme Making Marine Science Matter, will be held from 14-17 November, 2026 in Edinburgh, Scotland, with associated pre-conference short courses, workshops, focus groups, and events occurring on 13 November and the main conference from 14-17 November. Some short courses, workshops, and focus groups may be accommodated during the main conference schedule.
The Call for Proposals will close March 6 2026. Decision emails will be sent by early April 2026.
All proposals have to be submitted via the online submission platform for each category of proposals. More information below on each type of proposal category.
Please note that proposers are limited to one proposal (unless Symposium+Focus Group) and that IMCC follows the one presentation rule (i.e. one talk, including talks within a symposium, or one poster).
Please log in here to access the IMCC8 submission site. You can sign in using your SCB credentials. You have SCB credentials if you are a current or former member of the Society, or if you've previously created an account with SCB to submit an abstract or to register for IMCC or ICCB. New to SCB? Create an account, and then you'll then be redirected to the IMCC8 site to submit.
If you have questions, comments, or need assistance, please email the IMCC8 Organizing Committee at imcc@conbio.org.
Choosing a Category for your Proposal
Please think carefully about the category that best meets your goals. Your proposal will only be considered for the category you choose. When you have chosen a category, click on the corresponding linked description below to learn more about the submission process. We appreciate your flexibility in some cases as we may need to reduce the allocated time of a proposed session for scheduling purposes. We will communicate any anticipated changes as soon as possible to session organizers.
Categories
SYMPOSIA (Closed and Open, 1.5 hours)
Symposia, thematically focused groups of talks all about the same general topic, address conservation topics proposed by a facilitator. These feature multiple speakers who present their insights, perspectives and research on a focused conservation theme, topic, or issue through scientific talks and audience interaction. For “Closed” symposia, the facilitators organize both the overall session and all speakers. For “Open” symposia, the facilitators organize the topic and provide some speakers, but anyone with relevant work to share can choose to submit an abstract to participate in this session. All symposia talks will be allowed 15 minutes total, with up to 12 minutes of presentation and up to 3 minutes of brief Q&A following each talk, with time at least 15 mins reserved at the end of a symposium for discussion featuring all speakers in the session.
Symposia are included in the three primary days of the meeting (main scientific program, November 14-17, 2026).
Symposia are 90 minutes and usually feature five talks, and include a 15-minute general discussion period. It is potentially possible to have multiple 90 minute symposia on the same topic if there are many speakers available.
During the abstract review process, if an abstract submitted to join an open symposium is determined not to be a good fit for that symposium, the speaker may be offered the chance to give their talk as a regular contributed talk.
WORKSHOPS (1.5 – 8 hours)
Workshops, whether geared toward students or professionals, are more interactive than symposia and often have an educational/technical component. Workshops will usually be scheduled for the day before the main scientific program (13 November) and can be 1.5 hours, 4 hours, or 8 hours in length. Workshops can be scheduled for the day before the main scientific program (13 November) for 2 hours, 4 hours, or 8 hours in length or for lunch time during the main scientific program (14-17 November). .
When proposing a workshop, please clearly indicate how many participants you expect (this is vital so we can give you enough space) and whether or not you need WiFi. Pre-meeting workshops will require a separate fee for participants in addition to the congress registration fee to offset the additional costs of running the workshop. This fee will be paid for by participants or can be covered by the workshop organizer.
SHORT COURSES (2 – 8 hours)
Short courses offer training in topics of key relevance to the practice of conservation. Short courses will usually be scheduled for the day before the main scientific program (13 November) and can be 2 hours, 4 hours, or 8 hours in length.
When proposing a short course, please clearly indicate how many participants you expect (this is vital so we can give you enough space) and whether or not you need WiFi. Pre-meeting courses will require a separate fee for participants in addition to the congress registration fee to offset the additional costs of running the workshop. This fee will be paid for by participants or can be covered by the short course organizer(s).
FOCUS GROUPS (1.5 – 8 hours)
Focus Groups bring together people with diverse expertise for a focused discussion to develop tangible and actionable outputs—such as a list of recommendations, publication, policy briefing or white paper—on a specific marine conservation issue. Focus Groups can be scheduled for the day before the main scientific program (13 November) for 2 hours, 4 hours, or 8 hours in length or during lunch time during the main scientific program (14-17 November).
Focus groups are open to all delegates, unless designated “by invitation only.” Focus groups that require pre-registration are marked “pre-registration is required.” Focus groups typically have a smaller number of participants (10-30 maximum) than other sessions.
Pre-meeting focus groups may require a separate fee for participants in addition to the congress registration fee to offset the additional costs of running the focus group. When proposing a focus group, please clearly indicate how many participants you expect (this is vital so we can give you enough space,) and whether or not you need WiFi. This fee will be paid for by participants or can be covered by the focus group organizer.
SYMPOSIA + FOCUS GROUPS (3 hours)
To increase the opportunity for continued discussion, a focus group may be combined with a Symposium. If accepted, the focus group will be scheduled during the main scientific program (14-17 November) to follow the Symposium. We will do our best to schedule it for the same or next day. Combined Symposium+Focus Groups will run during the main congress.
Please note that a Symposium + Focus Group proposal is intended for organizers who have already submitted a Symposium proposal and wish to propose a related Focus Group that is explicitly affiliated with that Symposium. This means: You may only submit a Symposium + Focus Group proposal after submitting a Symposium proposal. The Scientific Committee will review the Symposium and the affiliated Focus Group separately. It is possible for a Symposium to be accepted without the affiliated Focus Group, or for the Focus Group to be accepted on its own.
Panel Discussions (1.5 hours)
We invite proposals for panel discussions that explore marine conservation topics at local, regional, national, or international scales. Panels may address emerging research, applied case studies, policy, community-led initiatives, or cross-sector perspectives relevant to marine conservation. Panel discussions will be held during the main scientific program (14-17 November).
Proposed panels may be structured in one of the following formats:
- A discussion-based format, designed to foster dialogue, debate, and the exchange of ideas among panelists and participants, or
- An introductory presentation by the moderator of no more than ten minutes followed by moderated discussion and audience engagement.
We particularly welcome panels that are interdisciplinary, inclusive of diverse voices, and designed to encourage meaningful interaction and knowledge sharing. The organizers will have the opportunity to invite panelists from contributing authors who indicate interest in participating in the panels they propose. However, the organizers will be responsible for finding and finalizing panelists and the moderator for each panel.
Art-Led Conservation Engagement Activities
We invite proposals for Art-Led Conservation Engagement activities at IMCC8 that creatively engage audiences in marine conservation. We welcome interactive, visual, performance-based, and interdisciplinary projects that bridge science, art, and community, and that inspire dialogue, connection, and action for the ocean. Proposals that highlight diverse voices, local contexts, and innovative forms of engagement are especially encouraged.
Questions? Send an email to imcc@conbio.org