The 2021 Early Childhood Australia National Conference is expected to attract more than 2000 in-person delegates—these numbers include practitioners, academics, professionals and policy-makers in the field of early years education and care. Applications to present at this conference are now open under the five conference themes: Children as citizens, Multiple perspectives on pedagogy and practice, Fostering creativity and curiosity, Ethics and leadership, and Workforce capacity, capability and wellbeing. Presentations can be either a stand-alone Oral Presentation or a Poster Presentation.
To have the opportunity to join these esteemed sector colleagues and present your chosen topic, simply submit your abstract online (which must be no more than 300 words and be accompanied with a 50 word bio & author details).
Download a copy of the application to present
Item | Deadline |
Closing date for submission of your application to present | Extended to 16 December 2019 |
Review of applications by ECA Conference Program Committee and notification to applicants of outcomes | Between 6 January and 28 February 2020 |
Draft program published on conference website | 31 March 2020 |
Closing date for successful applicants to register | 25 July 2020 *Extended to 30 June 2021 |
Submission of the final PowerPoint presentation |
15 August 2020 |
Applicants to present should identify which of the five conference themes their paper contributes to most directly:
Children are citizens from birth with civil, cultural, linguistic, social and economic rights.
There are many different perspectives on teaching and learning that we can draw on as educators and teachers.
Creativity and curiosity are two of the most important strengths children can develop to live resilient lives in a rapidly changing world.
What are the skills and knowledge needed for ethical leadership and how do we build the ethical leaders we need for the future?
Quality is dependent on workforce, professionalism, training and planning.
Applicants will be asked to identify the audience for their presentation—who is most likely to benefit. For example, presentations might target one or more of the following groups or individuals, including but not limited to:
The application process will ask about the experience of the presenter(s) and whether the content has been presented elsewhere. Please understand that this will help us to balance the program with a mix of new and known content. It will also help us to meet our aim of delivering consistent, high-quality presentations while also giving some new or inexperienced presenters an opportunity to gain experience.
Oral presentations will last 45 minutes, including time for attendees to ask questions or engage in a discussion with the presenter(s). ECA encourages presenters to deliver their presentation in an interactive way. There will be a 10-minute room change opportunity between sessions.
Presenters may be asked to present twice during the conference if their session proves to be very popular.
A designated 15-minute time slot will be determined during the conference for authors to present their posters. A template to assist with your preparation of the poster design is available here or click the template button below. Criteria for the poster:
Dimensions and layout
Suggestions to consider
Use of a digital augmented reality app
Poster presenters are encouraged to display a poster and use digital augmentation software as part of their presentation. ECA recommends using HP Reveal, which can be downloaded from Google Play or the App Store. Presenters opting to use the app will be required to display signage (A4) or hand out instructions to conference attendees on how to use their smartphones or devices to interact with the poster.
A condition of being able to present is that all presenters must register for the day on which they are presenting at the conference. If presenters wish to stay for the whole conference, payment needs to be made for the full three days. All presenters will receive the ECA member discount rate for full conference registration. A maximum of three (3) presenters per paper will be allowed to register and participate at the discounted rate. If registration confirmation and payment are not received by 30 June 2021, abstracts will be withdrawn from the conference program.
Applications must focus on:
Applicants must ensure that their research papers:
All selected abstracts will be published on the 2021 ECA Conference App and website, and presentations will be published on the conference website only. Presentations will not be edited and will be converted directly to PDF files from their submitted format. Some presentations and papers may also be separately published in other ECA publications. These will be independently decided on by the ECA Publications Advisory Committee. The ECA Publications team will approach presenters independently regarding potential publication. This may involve presenters summarising their paper or presentation for a magazine format. Further instructions will be provided by the ECA Publications team, as required.
PowerPoint facilities (data projectors, computers and screens), along with internet access, will be available for presenters. The conference will be networked, which means that presentations will be available in the workshop room from a central location. Presentations must be in PowerPoint format. The full and final electronic presentation must be submitted by 6 August 2021 to ensure compatibility with the system that will be used.
All applications to present will be reviewed by a panel that includes members of the Conference Program Committee. Members of the Conference Program Committee will:
Wherever possible, feedback will be given to unsuccessful applicants, depending on the number of applications received.
Applicants must confirm that their papers are free of commercial interest. Any paper that is selling or promoting a particular product or commercial service will not be accepted.
ECA seeks to minimise any negative environmental impact from the conference. We would, therefore, prefer that presentations do not involve the use of single-use plastics or unnecessary printed material—any handouts can be pre-loaded onto the conference website, app or USB. In keeping with ECA’s sustainability drive, all abstracts must be submitted online.
Successful candidates must agree to the following terms and conditions:
Abstracts will be withdrawn from the conference program if registration confirmation and payment are not received by 30 June 2021.
Applications to present are now CLOSED.
In keeping with ECA’s drive to improve environmental sustainability, all abstracts must be submitted online.
Instructions for completion of application
Step 1: Read all instructions carefully.
Step 2: Complete an application to present, which is made with a submission of a 300-word abstract.
Step 3: Ensure your application addresses the selection criteria.
Step 4: Submit your abstract—no more than 300 words—online, no later than 16 December 2019.
Step 5: Ensure presenter biographies are no more than 50 words in total.
Step 6: Supply at least one presenter photograph with the application( limit file size to a maximum of 1MB).
Please note
Before you submit online, please ensure that you have read and understood this information. If you have any questions, please contact the Conference Office for more information: T: 02 6242 1800 E: conference@earlychildhood.org.au |