Call for papers

Call for papers

Key 2026 dates

Abstract submissions open: 1 May 2026 (via Conftool)
Abstract submissions close: 26 July 2026 (new extended deadline)
Paper acceptance notifications by: 15 September 2026
Early bird registrations: Opening soon!
Early bird registrations close: 20 Sept 2026
Conference registration closes: 10 November 2026

CONFERENCE DATES: Wednesday 25 to Friday 27 November 2026 (inclusive)
ECR/HDR pre-conference day: Tuesday 24 November 2026

LOCATION: Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia

ONLINE OPTION: AANZCA26 will offer online participation/hybrid sessions

The theme for the AANZCA 2026 conference, Storytelling in an Age of Disruption, asks us to reflect on the centrality of stories, storytellers and storytelling in our current age, one typified by disturbance, unpredictability and uncertainty. From pandemics, platforms, and propagandistic plutocrats to climate change, culture wars, the capture of creativity by capitalist cabals, and the terrifying intensity of military conflicts and sectarian violence – we have grown accustomed to political and economic disruption as a norm.

We call for papers that consider disruption as both a crisis and an opportunity, or which reflect on the uneven impacts of disruption upon storytelling. AANZCA26 provides the opportunity to ask how storytelling can help us navigate disruption, develop authentic relationships and encourage collaboration by providing a refrain that orients us around our shared humanity. Disruption is not just about the creation of chaos; it is also the opportunity for reflection and change.

This conference is an invitation to scholars, creatives, practitioners, and students to come together across disciplines and industries, to explore how stories are crafted, contested, and circulated when nothing feels certain.

Expect serious ideas, bold provocations, creative experiments, and friendly exchange.

We invite contributions addressing the following questions/themes:

• How can storytelling practices ethically and meaningfully engage with different communities in ways that recognise power, representation and responsibility?
• What role(s) can communication scholars and practitioners play in building collective resilience to misinformation and propaganda?
• How are AI systems reshaping storytelling, knowledge production and media practice, and with what ethical, disciplinary and cultural implications?
• What are the ‘secrets’ to effective or affective storytelling?
• How can effective storytelling be used to build trusting, caring and engaged communities and publics?
• What are the opportunities presented by disruption in media and communication policy, practices and platforms?
• In what ways can media and communication research support truth-telling, particularly in collaboration with First Peoples and in ways that respect indigenous knowledges?
• What are the new opportunities for storytelling emerging from the current state of disruption?
• How do our storytelling practices (and policies) regulate cultural power and political legitimacy, and how might they be made more inclusive and equitable?

Submission guidelines

While we encourage submissions that engage with these broader dynamics, we also welcome more finely focused empirical studies.

We strongly encourage abstracts and panel proposal submissions that align with the conference theme however all communication (and cognate discipline) – related papers will be considered. 

Abstracts can be up to 300 words in length and may include references as needed (though they are not required). Please include a 100-word biography for each author with your abstract.

Attendees are welcome to submit multiple abstracts for peer review and consideration for the conference program however participants are asked to only be the lead author of one paper. In the interests of diversity and inclusion, participants can appear on additional papers as secondary authors but are discouraged from presenting more than one paper.

Abstract submission opens on 1 May 2026 and closes on 1 July 2026. In keeping with AANZCA’s values of diversity and inclusion, we particularly encourage students, LGBTQI+ scholars, scholars with disability, and scholars from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Māori and Pasifika backgrounds to submit their research for consideration.

AANZCA also welcomes scholars from around the world, those working in fields adjacent to communication studies, as well as practitioners and educators working in communication, media and/or the creative industries.

For pre-constituted panel proposals of 3-4 speakers, submissions must include a panel title, panel abstract (300-500 words), the names and affiliations for each speaker, an abstract for each speaker (250 words) and a biography for each speaker (100 words).

Conference Publications

Any paper presented at AANZCA26 can be submitted as a full written version for consideration for the post-conference special journal issues of Media International Australia (MIA) and Communication Research and Practice (CRP). Submitted papers will need to be 6,000 – 7,000 words in length (including references) and will be due by February 1, 2027. When conference abstracts are submitted, you will be able to indicate if you would like your paper to be considered for post-conference publication or any of the conference awards.

Authors selected for Media International Australia (MIA) and Communication Research and Practice (CRP) will be contacted following the conference with specific details on the submission process for these issues. Once submitted, full papers will then go through a double-blind peer-review process.

Travel Bursaries

AANZCA is offering grants of $1000 to support members travelling to AANZCA26. Bursaries being offered are: 

• Three for general membership (open to all Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand members)
• Two reserved for Aotearoa New Zealand members only
• One reserved for a Northern Territory member only

Bursary applications will be invited when you submit your abstract on the Conftool portal. To apply, select the appropriate box to apply for funding. You will be asked to provide a statement supporting your application which should include:

1. A brief statement of financial need
2. Any context you feel is relevant to understanding your circumstances, and
3. Details of other accessibility issues, if any, that you face (optional).

Applications will be assessed by a panel of three executive committee members.

Awards

All submissions, whether full papers or abstracts, will be considered for the Grant Noble and Christopher Newell Prizes. The Mills Award is awarded to help students and early career scholars in organisational communication attend AANZCA conferences.

When submitting your abstract, applicants must nominate that they wish to be considered for the relevant award(s).

How to submit your abstract or panel proposal:

Submit your abstract at https://www.conftool.net/aanzca2026/

Abstract submission opens May 1, 2026 and closes July 1, 2026.

Should you have any questions please contact the AANZCA26 conference team at aanzca26@gmail.com

Pre and Post-Conference Events:

A pre-conference event will be running on Monday November 23^rd, 2026:

• Audio, Accessibility and AI
  • Hosted by Curtin University at their Bentley Campus

Pre-conference information and registration: https://ccat.curtin.edu.au/events-and-conferences/audio-accessibility-and-ai/

And a post-conference event will be running on Saturday November 28th, 2026:

• The Communication Imagination: The Field of Media and Communication in Contemporary Times
  • Convened by Terry Flew and Steven Maras at University of Western Australia