In Person and Hybrid

How to Submit

You must submit your proposal using the online submission form. Proposals sent by email will not be considered. Proposals that are incomplete will not be considered.

All ESA Annual Meeting proposal and abstract deadlines are 5:00 PM Eastern so that technical support and ESA staff assistance will be immediately available when submitters need it. If you begin your submission very close to the deadline, you are choosing to take a risk, and we will not make an exception if you are unable to complete your submission in time. The form automatically closes at 5:00 Eastern Time (2:00 Pacific Time) whether you have completed your submission or not.

We have a new submission system this year. Unlike previous years, you will not receive an automatic email when you start a new submission. You will receive an automatic email when you complete your submission. You will be able to return to the proposal to edit it until the submission deadline has passed.

To submit a proposal, you will need to log in using an ESA member account. If you have been an ESA member or registered for an ESA meeting in recent years, you should already have an ESA member account. Your username and password to log in for the meeting are the same as for your ESA member account. If you have not been an ESA member or registered for an ESA meeting in recent years, you will need to create an ESA member account before you can submit. You do not need to pay membership dues to create an ESA member account or submit for the meeting.

Important Note

ESA meetings, open to ESA members and those interested in ecology, are among the most respected meetings of ecologists in the science community. ESA is committed to providing a safe, productive and welcoming environment. All participants including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, ESA staff, service providers and others are expected to abide by the ESA Meetings Code of Conduct. This Code of Conduct applies to all ESA meeting-related events including those sponsored by organizations other than ESA but held in conjunction with ESA events, in public or private facilities. In addition, ESA members and authors of ESA publications must adhere to the ESA Code of Ethics and the ESA Diversity Statement.

About Inspire Sessions

Inspire sessions are Ignite-style sessions intended to stimulate the exchange of new and exciting ideas in a short time period. Proposals are encouraged to address the meeting theme, “Supporting Ecologists Throughout Their Careers”, if appropriate, but doing so is not necessary. Any timely and coherent subject of broad ecological interest will be considered. We also welcome proposals that explore interdisciplinary connections with areas of social and natural science outside of ecology or that relate to ecological education at any level.

Inspire sessions will be scheduled for 90 minutes and consist of between six and ten 5-minute talks organized to address a common theme. Each Inspire talk will feature 20 slides that advance automatically every 15 seconds.

About In Person Inspire Sessions

Most Inspire sessions will be scheduled as in person sessions. These are a traditional session setup with all participants and the audience present in the session room. All speakers for an in person Inspire session should plan to present in person in Long Beach.  We are unable to accommodate remote presentations for this session type. If you plan to have some speakers present remotely, please submit a proposal for a hybrid session.

About Hybrid Inspire Sessions

Hybrid sessions will include a mixture of speakers who present in person in the session room and speakers who present remotely through Zoom from a remote location. These sessions will also have two audiences: attendees who are present in person, and attendees who are participating remotely through a livestream. All presenters will be able to answer questions from both audiences in real time.

Each hybrid session will take place in a dedicated room with professional technical support staff and equipment to allow remote presentations and remote participation by attendees. Remote speakers will present live through Zoom. All presentations in hybrid sessions will be livestreamed through the meeting website so that registered attendees can watch the session online as it happens. The livestream video will also be recorded and made available after the session to all registered attendees on demand.

We will have limited capacity for hybrid sessions in 2024 and will select for sessions that make a strong case for remote participation by speakers and attendees. A strong proposal for a hybrid session will broaden participation and increase inclusion through remote participation and focus on a topic that will be of strong interest to a livestreaming audience.

Abstract Fee

All speakers who submit an abstract for an accepted Inspire session will be asked to pay an abstract fee at the time of abstract submission. This fee is $35 for students and $60 for non-students. Speakers are unable to pay this fee due to a lack of funding will be able to opt out during the payment step of abstract submission. The abstract fee covers technical costs associated with abstract submission and review. There is no fee to submit a session proposal.

Topical Tracks

In recent years we have listed career-oriented sessions in a Career Track. New in 2024, we are testing adding 5 additional topical tracks to explore whether they help attendees navigate the program. These tracks are also intended to help the Program Subcommittee identify potential conflicts during scheduling. Submitters will be able to indicate that they would like their proposed session be included in up to 2 tracks. Selecting tracks is entirely optional. We do not expect every proposal to fit into a track. It will ultimately be the Program Subcommittee’s decision which track(s) each session is listed in. The tracks are: Career Exploration; Education; Justice, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI); Data Skills Training; Traditional Ecological Knowledge; Communication and Engagement.

Inspire Session Topics

Each session should be organized around a general topic that is related to the advancement of ecology. Inspire sessions are intended to complement the traditional scientific program. These sessions will provide an opportunity for ecologists to share information with their colleagues that would not fit into the usual session types. The concise speaking slot and rapid slide transitions lend themselves to a more conversational and storytelling presentation style. Given 5 minutes to speak, what would you share with other ecologists? What would you most like to learn from your colleagues?

Possible session themes include, but are not limited to:

• Recent advances in traditional topics – what are the new ideas and findings in the field that are not yet well enough developed for a traditional paper session?
• Points and counterpoints from the discipline – is there an idea you are passionate about that is being overlooked? Or overvalued?
• Stumbling blocks and problems within the field – are there insights you could share with up and coming ecologists based on your own experiences?
• How-to guides and toolkits – have you learned how to use an emerging tool or practice of interest to ecologists and can share a brief introduction?
• Themes that spark new ideas– what is on the horizon for ecology?

What is Inspire?

The links in this section are highly recommended reading and viewing for anyone considering submitting an Inspire session, as well as any speakers they invite to participate. Inspire talks will require different preparation than typical ESA presentations. Some differences to keep in mind:

• A presenter will only have time to make 1 or 2 main points that are explained or supported by the slides. It may be best to show one data slide and use the remaining slides to briefly introduce the idea and explain the rationale and consequences of the main point.
• The slides are not visible long enough to be a major focus of the presentation. The slides should support what you’re saying, not say what you’re supporting.
• Slides should focus more on quick, powerful visual impressions than on details. If you’re including complex figures or more than a couple of simple bullet points then you’re saying too much on the slides.
• Data intensive slides are very likely to give a speaker significant trouble pacing their slides.
• The slides will advance every 15 seconds whether the speaker has said everything they meant to say on the current slide or not. Practicing the timing is critical in order to avoid chasing the slides.
• Assume your first and last slides (and therefore, 15 seconds) are mostly for introducing your topic and wrapping it up, respectively.
• You can repeat a slide for more than one 15 second interval if you wish.
• Don’t let these differences intimidate you! Just be sure to prepare for them.

Some helpful videos about Ignite-style talks

• How and why to give an Ignite-style talk
• How to give a successful Ignite-style talk
• How to give a great Ignite-style talk

Some example of effective talks on various subjects

• On being a refugee
• Cup Noodle: Innovation, inspiration and manga
• Fighting dirty in Scrabble
• Why is math cool?
• The 22-minute meeting
• How to buy a new car
• Social hacking with spatial data
  

Proposal Format

Most fields are required. Note that there are 3 fields required only for hybrid proposals listed after these.

For In Person and Hybrid Proposals

• Submitter agreements. The submitter must agree to abide by the Code of Conduct for ESA Events, the ESA Code of Ethics, and the ESA Diversity Statement.
• Session title. A short and descriptive title works best.
• Organizer (Name, institution, email, country). This person is the point of contact for the session and responsible for communicating with speakers.
• Co-organizers (Name, institution, email, country for each). There can be any number of co-organizers, including zero.
• 6-10 Confirmed speakers (Name, institution, email, country, and tentative talk title for each). Only speakers who have been contacted and have committed to the session should be listed. The talk title can be updated later during abstract submission, but please avoid vague placeholder titles (note the review criteria).
• Session description (up to 200 words): Describe the theme and purpose of this session. The session description should avoid overly specialized language. Any ecologist attending the meeting should be able to understand it. It may include background information, goals, objectives, importance, and interest to the membership of ESA. Please do not duplicate information that appears elsewhere here (session title, organizer name, speakers names, speaker topics, etc.) This description will appear in the online program and be read by attendees deciding whether or not to attend the session.
• Session justification (up to 200 words): The justification should focus on how the review criteria are met by the proposal. It should not simply repeat the session description. The session justification will only be seen by peer reviewers and the committee. It will not appear in the meeting program.
• Diversity and inclusion: ESA is committed to promoting diversity in all areas of activity, including the Annual Meeting. In keeping with this policy, organizers of invited sessions are expected to affirmatively promote ESA’s Diversity Statement by including representation from diverse voices and demographics, especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, LGBTQ2S people, people with disabilities, or others who have been and are currently marginalized. While not every session must include every aspect of human diversity, we ask you to please confirm that you have taken efforts to ensure a diverse and inclusive session: (Yes/No)
• Topical track (select up to 2, optional): Would you like this session to be considered for inclusion in any of the following tracks? Please only select a track if you think it’s a good fit for this proposal.
  • Career Exploration
  • Education
  • Justice, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)
  • Data Skills Training
  • Traditional Ecological Knowledge
  • Communication and Engagement
• Scheduling notes (up to 200 words, optional): Is the session intended to be linked to another session or social event? Are there any other sessions proposed for the meeting you are aware of that should not be scheduled at the same time as this one? Are there any other considerations we should know about when scheduling this session? Please note we cannot honor requests to schedule for a specific date or time. These sessions may be scheduled Monday through Thursday. We will do our best to avoid known scheduling conflicts. This will only be seen by peer reviewers and the committee. It will not appear in the meeting program.

Hybrid Proposal

These fields are required for hybrid proposals.

• Hybrid format description (up to 200 words, required): Describe how this session will broaden participation and increase inclusion through remote participation and focus on a topic that will be of strong interest to a livestreaming audience. We will have limited availability for hybrid sessions in 2024 and will select for sessions that make a strong case for remote participation by speakers and attendees. This description will only be seen by peer reviewers and the committee while making acceptance and scheduling decisions. It will not appear in the meeting program.
• Remote speakers (up to 200 words, required): List all speakers who are planning to present remotely during this session and their expected location.
• Time zone Conflicts (remote speakers, required): Are there specific time slots we should avoid to accommodate remote speakers? Please note that Long Beach will be on Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). You can use this online tool to compare time zones to the time in Long Beach.
  • 8:00 – 9:30 AM PDT
  • 10:00 – 11:30 AM PDT
  • 1:30 – 3:00 PM PDT
  • 3:30 – 5:00 PM PDT

Demographic Questions about the Session Organizer

The submission form asks a few questions about the session organizer to help ESA improve our services and monitor our efforts towards diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. You will be asked to answer the following questions about the lead session organizer for this proposal.  All information will be shared only in the aggregate to help us assess the diversity of our submissions. Proposal reviewers and the committee will not see this information for individual proposals. It is required that you answer each question, but you can select “Prefer not to answer”.

What best describes your race and/or ethnicity? You can select multiple answers.

• Asian/Asian American
• Black/African American
• Native American / Alaskan Native
• Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
• Middle Eastern or North African
• Hispanic/Latinx
• White
• Bi/Multiracial
• Other
• Prefer to self describe (free response option)
• Prefer not to answer

Where are you currently in your career? You can only select one.

• Student (undergraduate or graduate, including PhD students)
• Early Career (1-8 years since final degree, including post docs)
• Mid-Career (within 25 years since final degree)
• Senior Professional (more than 25 years since final degree)
• Prefer not to answer

What best describes your gender? You can only select one.

• Female
• Male
• Non-binary
• Prefer to self describe (free response option)
• Prefer not to answer

Advice To Help Your Submission Go Smoothly

• Read the proposal requirements and review criteria before you start developing your proposal. You may find the idea you have in mind is a better fit for one of the other session formats.
• Start recruiting speakers as soon as possible. This generally takes longer than most people think it will. You do need a complete list of confirmed speakers and tentative talk titles (not final, but specific) for each person.
• We recommend submitting from a computer. The submission form is not optimized for mobile devices.
• You will be able to search our member database list to find people to enter for your session in different roles. You will need to enter everyone’s affiliations after you add them to the proposal. We advise you to make sure you have everyone’s affiliations as they would like it to appear in the meeting program.
• When copying text into the form, including the session title, please do so from a plain text editor (like Notepad). Please avoid copying directly from a word processing program (like Microsoft Word). This will ensure any special characters in your abstract are preserved without adding any unnecessary formatting such as HTML that can cause issues. Subscripts, superscripts, special characters, and Greek and mathematical symbols are available to add into each field as needed.

Review Criteria

All proposals will be peer reviewed by reviewers selected by the Program Subcommittee. The Program Subcommittee may accept, decline, or offer an opportunity to present the proposed session in a more appropriate session type. Session organizers will be notified of decisions by January 18, 2024. Proposals will be assessed using the following criteria. The weight of particular criteria may vary depending on the nature of proposals.

Criteria for a strong Inspire session proposal

Relevance and impact

• features significant contributions to the field of ecology.
• presents innovative and original work.
• benefits broader society (for example through education, public policy, communication/public engagement, application to commercial technology, national security or international cooperation).
• The proposed session is a good fit for the Inspire session format: 5-minute talks, automatic slide advancement, engaged discussion to end the session.

Structure and organization

• forms a coherent whole through contributions from individual talks.
• offers a range of perspectives through the collection of speakers.
• avoids the appearance of biases toward their organizers’ own perspectives.

Speakers

• lists 6-10 confirmed speakers (speakers who have been contacted and have committed to the session).
• includes a specific title for every speaker’s talk.
• involves diverse perspectives and voices as elaborated in the ESA Diversity Statement, beyond or in addition to career stage and disciplinary diversity.  

Hybrid format (Hybrid proposals only)

• includes a mixture of in person and remote speakers.
• broadens participation and increases inclusion through remote participation.
• focuses on a topic that will be of strong interest to a livestreaming audience.

Other details to consider

In the interest of broadening participation, an individual can be the lead organizer for only one invited paper session (symposium, organized oral session, Inspire session). If you are working with a group to submit related proposals as a series, each proposal should be led by a different person. There is no limit on how many proposals you can help organized as a co-organizer, only on taking the lead.

One presentation rule

The one presentation rule does not apply to participants speaking in Inspire sessions. Inspire presenters should commit to give only one Inspire presentation. They may present something else (a poster, or a different type of talk) as their second presentation.

If Your Proposal is Accepted

After acceptance decisions have been made and the scheduling for the meeting is underway, cancellations and schedule changes are very disruptive to meeting planning. It is therefore very important that session organizers obtain firm commitments from their invited speakers before submitting their proposal. If a proposal is accepted, the organizer will be required to submit an up-to-date version of the session details and confirmed speaker list within a few weeks of acceptance.

Communication with speakers

If a proposal is accepted as a session, it is very important that the organizer communicates with speakers starting with the acceptance of the session and continuing throughout all stages of program development. This includes communicating with speakers about session acceptance, abstract requirements and deadlines, session scheduling, and expectations for participation in the conference. Ongoing and clear communication is important to the success of a session.

Other helpful information

Here are a few details that all speakers should know up front. Miscommunication about them can disrupt session planning later in the process.

We are unable to honor scheduling requests. When asking speakers to commit to the session, organizers should inform them that the session could be scheduled any day Monday through Thursday. We cannot schedule or move a session to accommodate the availability of speakers.

Speakers who fail to submit an abstract on time will be removed from the session. It is the responsibility of the session organizer to make sure each speaker submits an abstract for their talk using the unique link that will be emailed to each speaker in late January. It is important to make sure all speakers are aware of the abstract submission deadline early on.

All session participants, including the organizer, any co-organizers, and all speakers, are required to register for the conference. Organizers are responsible for making this clear to their speakers early in the process.

Cancellations

For session organizers

Once a session has been accepted and listed online, cancellation imposes a serious burden. Do not submit a proposal if you are uncertain that you will be able to fulfill your obligation to organize and conduct the session. Once a session is accepted by the Program Chair, cancellation by the session organizers may preclude the organizers from being allowed to submit any proposals for sessions for the 2025 ESA Annual Meeting.

For presenters

When submitting an abstract, presenters should be reasonably confident that they will attend the meeting and give the presentation as scheduled.  We understand that planning ahead is particularly challenging this year, but the presenting author should notify ESA Meetings as soon as possible if a presentation needs to be cancelled.  Please cancel by May 1 if possible, to help us minimize gaps in the final meeting program as well as receive an abstract fee refund if you paid the fee.

Important Dates

November 9, 2023	Deadline for submitting a session proposal to ESA.
January 18, 2024	Notification of acceptance sent to organizer.
February 1, 2024	Deadline to update session and speaker list before abstract submission.
February 29, 2024	Deadline for speakers to submit abstracts.
May 1, 2024	Deadline for speakers to cancel presentations.

Questions?