We invite proposals for symposia for the Island Biology 2026 Conference (IB 2026), to be held in Atami, Japan, from 2–6 November 2026.

・All symposia should address a theme related to Island Biology.

・Symposia may run for 2 hours and include 4–6 talks.

・Symposium proposals and abstracts must be submitted directly through the website.

Please note that IB 2026 does not provide financial support for speakers or chairs. All participants must cover their own registration fees by the early-bird deadline.

Timeline 

・ 2 February 2026: First call for symposia proposals

・ 31 March 2026: Deadline for proposal submission

・ Late April 2026: Notification of proposal decision

・ 23 July 2026: Abstract submission closing

Symposium submission format

All symposium proposals must be submitted through the online system and include the following:

1. Symposium title

2. Lead organizer (name, institutional affiliation and address, email address, registration number)

3. Up to two co‑organizers (names, institutional affiliation and address, email addresses, registration number)

4. List of speakers (name, institutional affiliation and address, email address, and tentative talk titles, registration number)

5. Description (up to 400 words) – Clearly summarize the background, scope, and goals of the symposium.

Evaluation process and criteria

All proposals will be peer-reviewed and ranked by the IB 2026 Local Organizing Committee.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

・ Scientific merit, including potential to advance understanding of Island Biology, or using innovative or interdisciplinary approaches.

・ Broad impact, including relevance to conservation, policy, or outreach.

・ Appeal to a broad audience.

・ Effective structure and organization that promotes synthesis and diverse perspectives.

・ Diversity among speakers.

Symposium organizers are responsible for ensuring that all abstracts from symposium participants are submitted by the deadline in July 2026.

Confirmation of session

All of the organizers and speakers must complete their registration before submitting a symposium application. We require the organizers' and speakers' registration numbers on the symposium application form. The symposium application will be invalid if any of the organizers or speakers have not registered by 31 March 2026. In such cases, those organizers or speakers can apply to the general oral or poster sessions.

If your proposal is accepted, you will be responsible for organizing the symposium and accommodating requests from the IB 2026 Local Organizing Committee.

Symposium organizers will be informed of their symposium’s date and time by the end of August 2026 and must share this information promptly with their speakers .

Symposium speakers may also apply for general oral or poster presentations. However, if the number of applications for the general oral or poster presentations is high, general presentation applications from accepted symposium speakers may be declined without peer review.

Cancellation policy

Please submit a symposium proposal only if you are committed to attending the meeting and fulfilling your responsibilities as a symposium organizer. If unavoidable circumstances arise, a lead symposium organizer may be replaced by the symposium co-organizer or another qualified colleague.

IB 2026 cannot provide financial assistance, stipends, or complimentary registrations to speakers. Symposium organizers must notify this clearly when they invite speakers. Symposium organizers are responsible for securing funding for their speakers if necessary.

The registration fee will be refunded if a symposium is canceled before the deadline of regular registration on September 30, 2026. The organizers and speakers must bear any refund handling or processing fees.

Under unavoidable circumstances in which a speaker must cancel, the speaker must immediately notify the symposium session organizer. The organizer is responsible for finding a replacement speaker and notifying the Program Chair as soon as possible—even if the replacement is determined the day before the session.