Call for Ad Hoc Contributions

Ad hoc sessions at iPRES 2026 are informal submission categories designed for experimental ideas, networking activities, and rapid-fire knowledge sharing.

Types of Ad Hoc Contributions

• Lightning Talks: These are high-energy, concise presentations covering recent developments, specific themes in digital preservation, or new project ideas.
• Birds of a Feather (BoF) Discussion Sessions: These are informal gatherings for like-minded individuals to connect as a community (e.g., students, first-time attendees, or specific interest groups) or to discuss niche topics without a rigid agenda. Because BoF sessions are not recorded, they offer a private environment for candid conversations and sensitive topics.
• Games: We welcome any board, video, or tabletop game that explores, illustrates, or amplifies aspects of digital preservation. While games may still be in the “beta” phase at the time of submission, they must be fully playable by the start of iPRES 2026.
• Other informal ideas: Do you have a creative format that doesn’t fit the categories above? We are open to unconventional ideas – tell us what you’re thinking!

Why Submit an Ad Hoc?

• Low Barrier to Entry: Perfect for first-time presenters or early-stage projects.
• Flexibility: Focus on community engagement rather than formal academic writing.
• Fast-Track: Share your most recent work without the long lead times of full papers.

Submission Criteria

General Requirements

• Submissions should be made in English
• Keep the main text below 500 words

Submissions will be accepted based on

• Relevance to the iPres conference themes
• Relevance to the field of digital preservation
• Innovation and creativity
• Significance and impact on the digital preservation community

However, we really want to encourage all ideas so if you have a submission that doesn’t quite fit into these categories but think is exactly what iPres needs please please don’t hesitate to submit!

How to Submit an Ad Hoc?

The Ad Hoc Programme will be open for submissions between May 1 and close on June 8. Applications will be received via this submission form.

The submission form is divided into three parts. Part one is about you, any other contributors and includes contact details and your role/ job title. The second part asks for a title, which category your ad-hoc submission best fits into and up to 500 words to describe your submission. As well as what key themes and keywords (find out more about keywords here) best relate to your submission so that we can work out where it might fit best in the programme.

The goal is to understand the idea,  and we are keen to hear about all your creative formats, whether game, bird of a feather session, lightning talk or something else!