2026 Presentation Information
The Call for Presentations is now open for the 2026 Conference hosted by NAME at the Dumas Bay Centre in Federal Way, Washington! This year’s theme is SOUND SCIENCE, SHARED LEARNING, and we will be celebrating 50 Years of Aquatic & Marine Education.
We invite educators, researchers, students, and resource professionals from the Pacific Northwest to submit your proposals using the online form on our website. There will be a range of presentation formats, including presentations, “hands-on” workshops, interactive sessions, and posters.
Most conference sessions will take place on Saturday, October 3, but there will be plenaries, networking opportunities, social activities, and local outdoor field experiences from October 2-4, 2026. All presenters must register for the conference and are encouraged to participate in other conference sessions, functions and events.
This year’s conference will feature 3 strands: Education, Culture, and STEAM. Do you have something exciting you want to share in marine or aquatic education, a way Tribal Ecological Knowledge or Indigenous Ways of Knowing are being uplifted, or an innovation in the field of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics)? We invite you to submit your proposal! Presentations should align with the goals and vision of this conference:
- Explore coastal dynamics and the connections between fresh and saltwater communities
- Impacts of climate change
- Every human on Earth should be water-literate
- Using the allure of water to enrich and facilitate learning
- Sharing our knowledge and experience with others to create a community of informed stewards
All submissions received before the priority deadline of July 10, 2026 will be reviewed and successful applicants will be contacted by mid-August. Applications received after the priority deadline will be reviewed if there is program space available.
Presentation Formats
30-minute Presentations:
These are intended to be standard slide presentations, featuring quick highlights and including time for discussion or questions.
50-minute Workshops:
Share marine and aquatic lessons, activities, or research aligned to the conference strands. These can be done indoors or outdoors, and we encourage presentations that are hands-on and incorporate participation from attendees.
90-minute Hands-on Experiences:
These can be held indoors or outdoors (or a combination of the two) and are meant to be immersive experiences for participants showcasing place-based, hands-on learning in the field of marine and aquatic science, education, and research.
Poster Presentations:
The poster session is an engaging way for students, teachers, scientists and community professionals to share their lessons, research, and citizen science initiatives. The poster display is a great way to draw the audience into your research idea, project results, education tips and offers opportunities for building connections. A specific time will be set aside during the conference for presenters to greet and share their posters with conference participants, offering time for networking, feedback and engaging with participants on a one-on-one basis while posters are up for viewing. The poster gallery will be available for viewing throughout the conference.
If you are selected to present a poster, we will provide additional information regarding guidelines for poster size and format and display instructions.
More information about anticipated registration and accommodation costs will be posted shortly on the conference website.
For any questions please reach out to Nathan Zabel at nzabel@n-sea.org.
