Apply to Present

Virginia Sea Grant invites abstract submissions for the 2026 Virginia Coastal Leadership Conference, a two-day event convening students, researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers to explore the current status and future of Virginia’s coastal systems—including the Chesapeake Bay, tidal rivers, and coastal communities.

This conference will serve as a dynamic forum to:

• Share cutting-edge research and applied innovations
• Highlight cross-sector partnerships and solutions
• Build leadership capacity among emerging and established professionals
• Strengthen networks across science, industry, and policy

We welcome contributions that reflect the interdisciplinary nature of coastal challenges and opportunities, and that emphasize actionable insights, collaboration, and impact.

Who Should Submit
We encourage submissions from:

• Undergraduate and graduate students
• Academic researchers and faculty
• Industry professionals (e.g., aquaculture, fisheries, maritime, coastal engineering)
• Agency and policy professionals
• Nonprofit and community leaders

Possible Presentation Themes
Submissions should align with one or more of the following themes:

1. Coastal Ecosystem Health & Restoration
   Status, trends, and restoration of habitats including seagrass, oyster reefs, wetlands, and living shorelines.
2. Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Blue Economy Innovation
   Sustainable fisheries management, aquaculture advancements, workforce development, and economic opportunities.
3. Climate Resilience & Coastal Hazards
   Sea level rise, flooding, storm impacts, adaptation strategies, and community resilience.
4. Water Quality & Watershed Management
   Nutrient reduction, pollution mitigation, monitoring technologies, and watershed-scale solutions.
5. Policy, Governance, and Community Engagement
   Policy development, stakeholder engagement, environmental justice, and decision-making frameworks.
6. Leadership & Professional Development
   Training models, experiential learning, communication techniques, workforce pathways, and skills for the next generation of coastal leaders.

Presentation Formats

Workshops: These 60 or 90 minute sessions are intended to be hands-on, working sessions. While we understand that you may need to present content, most of the time should be spent with participants actively involved. Provide detailed information in your submission about the types of interactions and engagement you have planned.

Topical Concurrent session: These 30-minute sessions provide an opportunity for you to give a presentation on a specific topic. Conference attendees expect sessions to provide practical advice and the sharing of experiences. The committee is seeking high-quality, thought-provoking and engaging sessions-not lecture format. Co-presenters are highly encouraged. Also, Virginia Sea Grant reserves the right to select your proposal to be featured in a panel along with other presenters.

Panel and round table discussions: These 60-minute sessions will be focused on discussions around a specific topic. You may propose a session in this category in one of two formats: (1) you may propose a traditional panel where you pre-arrange 3-4 speakers and one of you serves as the moderator, or (2) you may propose a topic of discussion, along with at least five questions you will guide the group through.

Poster session: These sessions will happen during a 60-minute time block and allow participants the opportunity to stop by your station for a short (5-7 minute) presentation.

Lightning talks: These talks should be short and to the point to engage the audience in a creative way. The topics should be multidisciplinary and focus on the power of ideas to inspire innovative thinking and change the world. The talks should be 7-10 minutes long and typically delivered by a single person. Audience members vote to determine which speaker has the best presentation. Note: If your talk topic is chosen, you will be required to meet, plan, and practice with the coordinator of the session to ensure you are prepared. The meeting may take place virtually or in-person depending on the availability of the speaker.

Submission Guidelines
The committee recommends that proposals be specific about what will make the presentation valuable to the attendees. The proposal should be focused on engaging and innovative working ideas and include information about how you intend to engage the audience. 

You may submit more than one proposal and/or be a co-presenter on multiple sessions.

The submission form will ask you the following, so please gather this information prior to the time of submission.

• Contact information: names and emails for any presenter and/or co-presenter
• Session type: workshop, concurrent, panel, poster session, or TED-inspired talk.
• Constituencies: who would benefit most from attending your session?
• Topic: what topic best fits your presentation?
• Title: a succinct, but descriptive title
• Number of participants: Is there a limit to the number of participants?
• Room & A/V requirements: Please list any technology requirements for your presentation
• Abstract: 200 words or fewer- Please note: the session abstract will be used to promote your session. Make sure it accurately reflects your session and how it will benefit attendees. This is what draws people to your presentation.
• Description: a clear summary of learning objectives, session content, and takeaways. You are also encouraged to share the types of audience participation you will use (e.g., hands-on exercise, polls, small group discussion, Q&A, etc.)
• Bio: Provide a bio for the lead presenter and co-presenter, if applicable.

Evaluation Criteria
The program committee will evaluate all session proposal submissions on the following criteria:

• Topic & Relevance: Are there other proposed sessions that are addressing the same topic?
• Audience & Impact: Who would benefit from the presentation, and how?
• Format: Is the session interactive and best-suited for an in-person meeting, or could it be achieved through a future webinar or other virtual session?

Proposal Submission Deadline
Completed session proposal forms must be received by 11:59 PM EST Friday, June 26^th. 

Contact Information
For questions regarding submissions of conference participation, please contact Lisa Eddy, at lmeddy@vaseagrant.org