Abstract Guidelines | National Archaeology Student Conference

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Call for Abstracts

We are pleased to announce that abstract submissions for NASC 2026 are now open and will close on the 30th of April 2026. Note that first authors/presenters, whether doing a poster or presentation, will need to register to attend the conference by the 31st of July 2026. Please read the following information before preparing your submission. If you are unsure whether you are eligible to submit an abstract, please email us at nascenquiries@gmail.com.

All applicants will be notified of their submissions outcome within two weeks of the closing date.

To submit an abstract for consideration, please fill out the Abstract Submission Form.

Who can submit an abstract?

NASC is an initiative designed for students and early career researchers to present their work. We encourage all undergraduate, honours, masters, and PhD students, as well as recent graduates and early career researchers, to submit an abstract.

Each person will be limited to the submission of two abstracts as a first author/presenter (posters and/or presentations). This allows for a more diverse program and gives the opportunity for more people to present. However, co-authorship on more than two presentations/posters is permitted. Please ensure that if you are submitting more than one abstract, that you complete more than one submission form.

NASC 2026 Theme:

‘Perseverance: Australian Archaeology Through Change and Continuity’

From understanding the past, to examining current practices in archaeology, this year’s theme explores how perseverance is demonstrated in a discipline shaped by both change and continuity. While we encourage students to present research that aligns with this theme in some way, we value all contributions to archaeology. Therefore, this theme is optional for presenters.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

Ethical Practice in Archaeology: Bioarchaeology, and the Treatment of Human Remains and Cultural Materials
Artificial Intelligence in Archaeology: Navigating a Changing Field
Ownership and Custodianship: First Nations Heritage and Community Authority in Archaeology
Archaeological Collections and Museums: Stewardship in an Evolving Practice
Colonial, Post-Colonial, and Pre-Colonial Archaeologies: Understanding the Context of Our Discipline
Environmental Archaeology and Changing Climates: Understanding Past Human-Environment Interactions
Archaeological Science in Australia: New Techniques and New Discoveries
Gender and Diversity: Representation in Australian Archaeological Practice
Archaeology amidst Social Change: Politics, Movements, and the Role of the Discipline
Training Archaeologists for a Changing Profession
Women in the Workforce: Integrating Equity into Archaeology
Sustainable Archaeological Practice: Adapting to Environmental Change
Landscape Archaeology in Australia: From Desert to Tropics, Challenges and Innovations

Research focus areas we will consider:

While we are an archaeology conference, and will give priority to archaeology-related topics, please do not hesitate to submit your abstract if it relates to any of the following research areas:

Conservation/heritage studies
History
Ancient history
Classics
Museum studies
Anthropology
Palaeontology
Other related fields

Presentation modes available:

Posters:

These will be displayed at the conference where you will have the opportunity to answer questions about your research at our poster display event.

Standard Oral Presentation:

A 15-minute presentation during one of our sessions followed by 5 minutes of questions.

Lightning Oral Presentation:

A 10-minute presentation during one of our sessions followed by 10 minutes of questions on a panel at the end of the session with other presenters.

Online Oral Presentation:

We will consider a limited number of abstracts for those who may need to present online (both lightning and standard). This option is not available for poster presenters. If you would like to present a poster, but cannot attend in person, please contact us at nascenquiries@gmail.com before submitting an abstract.

* Note: While we will try to assign authors to their preference for lightning or standard oral presentation styles, we cannot guarantee that everyone will get their preference. You will be notified of which presentation style you have been assigned upon acceptance of your abstract.

Guidelines:

Consent to Share Culturally Sensitive Information

It is the responsibility of presenters (of both posters and oral presentations) to ensure they have obtained consent from the appropriate Indigenous collaborators and communities to present any research that contains culturally sensitive materials or information.

Abstracts

Your abstract should be in a paragraph format containing a brief overview of the research you will be presenting at the conference (whether a poster or presentation). It should be no less than 150 words, and no more than 250 words, and should include the following information about the research/project:

Background
Aims
Materials and Methods
Results
Conclusions/significance

Things that should not be included in your abstract:

Figures
References or citations

Posters

Posters should be in A0 size and in portrait orientation only. Poster presenters will be required to send a digital copy of their poster prior to the commencement of the conference and will also be required to bring a physical A0 copy to be displayed at the conference. Further instructions will be provided to poster presenters upon the acceptance of their abstract.

Oral Presentation

Presenters giving talks (lightning and standard) will also be required to send their PowerPoint presentation prior to the commencement of the conference. Further instructions will be provided to oral presenters upon the acceptance of their abstract.

Acknowledgement of Country: We strongly recommend including an Acknowledgement of Country at the beginning of your presentation. The Traditional Custodians of the Brisbane region are the Jagera and Turrbal peoples. If you are travelling from outside of Brisbane, you might also like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians on the lands in which you work and/or study.
Images of human remains: If your presentation contains images of human remains, please advise the audience at the beginning of your presentation, and, if possible, provide a reminder on the slide/s before the images will appear on the presentation.
Sensitive and/or unpublished materials: If your presentation contains sensitive and/or unpublished materials that you do not wish for the audience to take photos of, please ensure you advise the audience at the beginning of your presentation, and/or on the specific slides you wish not to be photographed.