PYGYRG Call for 2026 Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference
Hi all,
The Participatory Geographies Research Group (PyGyRG) is inviting proposals for sessions to be sponsored by PyGyRG at the 2026 Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference. Session sponsorship means that a session is linked as an official PyGyRG session in the full conference programme and enables greater promotion to and engagement with the broader participatory geographies community. The PyGyRG looks forward to engaging with the conference theme on Geographies of Inequalities through diverse participatory theories, methods, tools, and approaches.
Please find all relevant details below. In summary – session proposals can be inclusive of all flavours of theoretical and applied participatory geography – including impactful, bottom-up, and action-oriented research – and should be emailed to Lamis Elkhatieb (lamiselkhatieb18@gmail.com) and Aled Singleton (singletonA1@cardiff.ac.uk) by Monday 26th January 2026. The RGS submission deadline for session proposals is the 6th March.
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Anyone involved in the geographical research community is invited to propose a session for the RGS-IBG conference, inclusive of any career stage, background, and institutional affiliation. We warmly encourage postgraduate and early career researchers to submit session ideas and are open to answering any questions to support this. We welcome joint sessions with other research groups, which means that the session will be linked to PyGyRG and another group in the conference programme (e.g., DGRG, RGRG, GCYFRG). Please note that session sponsorship does not include financial sponsorship.
The PyGyRG encourages innovative session formats and invite proposals for sessions that engage with the conference theme (Geographies of inequalities), as well as sessions that draw from other aspects of participatory geography, including but not limited to:
- Conceptual and applied research focused on delivering (and/or critiquing) real-world impact.
- Participatory Action Research (PAR), Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR), and other action-oriented approaches that involve researchers and participants working together.
- Disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research at the interface between science, policy and practice.
- Critical participatory, radical, and emancipatory approaches to science, capitalism, and colonialism.
- More-than-human participation, democracy, and governance.
- Community-led, place-based, grassroots and bottom-up research (as well as research that considers intersections with top-down and intermediary approaches).
- Diverse types of engagement with publics, communities, and wider stakeholders.
- Co-produced and co-designed work.
- Research that engages with participatory and creative methods such as Photovoice, participatory video, participatory mapping and Geographic Information Systems (PGIS, PPGIS), digital participatory platforms and technologies, and more.
We encourage session convenors to actively involve relevant interdisciplinary academic and non-academic audiences, within and beyond the geography community. Guest passes are available from PyGyRG to support this. PyGyRG can offer guest passes, which cover the registration fee for a day’s attendance at the conference (but not travel and accommodation). Please contact Aled and Lamis for details about the application process.
To apply, session proposals should be emailed to Lamis Elkhatieb (lamiselkhatieb18@gmail.com) and Aled Singleton (singletonA1@cardiff.ac.uk) by Monday, 26th January 2026. We are happy to answer any questions. The PyGyRG will review submissions and respond to convenors with a decision promptly after this date.
Your session proposal should include:
- Title of session, including the name and contact details for the session convenors.
- Name of any co-sponsoring groups, if applicable.
- Abstract, outlining the scope of the session (approx. 200 words).
- Intended target audience
- Number of session time slots that you would like sponsored. The RGS permits a maximum of two slots of 1hr40 minutes. If you would like to request an additional slot, then please email the RGS directly to discuss this.
- Indication of the preferred organisation of your session, e.g., 4x 20min presentations plus discussion. Don’t worry if you don’t know full details yet.
- Indication for in-person, online, or hybrid formats. Please note that hybrid sessions are limited.
Please consider the RGS statement on accessibility at the conference when thinking about your session organisation and desired format.
Whether PyGyRG is able to sponsor your session(s) or not, proposals will need to be submitted directly to the RGS; please see the RGS-IBG website for full details on how to design and submit a session for the conference. You can find information about key dates and deadlines here.
The RGS submission deadline for session proposals is the 6th March, and session details should be submitted through the online submission portal. You can contact the RGS directly (ac2026@rgs.org) with any questions about the session organisation and submission process.
Please feel free to circulate this call widely within your networks.
We look forward to receiving your proposals.
With best wishes,
Lamis Elkhatieb, Aled Singleton & Eifiona Thomas Lane