Call for Abstracts
The Young Female* Researchers in Speech Workshop (YFRSW) is a workshop for female* Bachelor’s and Master’s students currently working in speech science and technology. The workshop aims to promote interest in research in our field among women* who have not yet committed to pursuing a PhD in speech science or technology, but who have already gained research experience at their universities through individual or group projects.
The workshop will be held prior to Interspeech 2026 on Saturday, September 26th, 2026. The event will take place in Sydney, Australia. The workshop will feature panel discussions with PhD students and senior researchers in the field, student poster presentations, and a mentoring session. Student poster presentations should give an overview of a current or planned research project in which the student is involved, with an emphasis on promoting discussion.
The workshop is the tenth of its kind, after a successful inaugural event YFRSW 2016 in San Francisco/USA, followed by YFRSW 2017 in Stockholm/Sweden, YFRSW 2018 in Hyderabad/India, YFRSW 2019 in Graz/Austria, a virtual YFRSW 2021, YFRSW 2022 in Incheon/South Korea, YFRSW 2023 in Dublin/Ireland, YFRSW 2024 in Kos/Greece and YFRSW 2025 in Delft/the Netherlands. (No event was held in 2020 due to Covid-19.)
Students who are accepted to the workshop will receive a partial grant to pay for their student Interspeech registration (at the early-bird student rate) and to contribute towards travel costs.
Participation in the workshop will be possible in person only (as long as Interspeech has an in-person component). Thus you will be asked at the time of abstract submission to confirm that you will attend the workshop in person if you are accepted.
Eligibility:
All female* Bachelor's and Master’s students are eligible to apply, with the requirements that they are a current student and have not participated to YFRSW in-person in previous years. This is regardless of other factors such as age or location in the world. If students have an accepted paper at Interspeech 2026 (as first or co-author), participation in YFRSW is permitted, but they are not eligible for financial support. YFRSW organizers will get in touch after the Paper Acceptance Notification deadline of Interspeech to confirm whether submitted papers were accepted.
Submission:
To apply to the workshop, please submit all required documents to youngfemaleresearchersinspeech@gmail.com until May 3rd, 2026.
An abstract describing your (planned) research (maximum of 300 words excluding references). Please download and use this template for your abstract submission (submit it as a DOC, do not convert to PDF).
A statement of motivation outlining why you would benefit from participating in YFRSW. Please download and use this template for your statement of motivation (submit as PDF).
When submitting your abstract and motivation letter, please let us know (1) whether you have or have not participated in YFRSW before, and (2) whether you have submitted a paper to Interspeech 2026 (as a first or co-author).
Abstracts and statements of motivation will be reviewed by the program committee and applicants will be notified before the early-bird registration deadline for Interspeech. We will emphasize inclusivity, but all submissions should be in the core scientific domains covered by Interspeech.
Please note that by submitting to the workshop you agree that in case of acceptance:
Your abstract will be published on our website.
Your name and email address may be shared with our sponsors (with your permission).
Photos/videos taken at the workshop will be published for promotional purposes (for example on our website).
*The workshop is open for marginalized genders, including women, as well as non-binary and gender non-conforming people who are comfortable in a space that is centered on women’s experiences in the speech science and technology community. We aim to offer an inclusive and accessible program. If you are unsure if this workshop is for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
Accessibility:
Please indicate if you have any accessibility requirements so that we may facilitate you in attending this event.
Questions:
Please direct any questions to: youngfemaleresearchersinspeech@gmail.com