Application to present has CLOSED!

The Early Childhood Australia (ECA) National Conference provides a platform for professional discourse relevant to the rights, wellbeing and early education of young children (birth to eight years). It is attended by early childhood educators, teachers, service leaders and executives, as well as policymakers, program administrators, academics, researchers and those involved in pre-qualification training and ongoing professional development. The conference is live streamed and in 2025 attracted over 1,800 national and international in person and virtual participants.

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 biography for each presenting author & author affiliations).

Download a copy of the application to present

Key dates

Submission and post-selection schedule	Deadline
Closing date for submission of your application to present	21 January 2026 extended until 27 January 2026
Review of all applications by ECA Conference Program Committee	30 January – 20 February 2026
Outcome notification to applicants	27 March 2026
Draft program published on conference website	13 April 2026
Pre-recording of presentations	June–August 2026
Closing date for successful applicants to register	30 June 2026
Submission of the final PowerPoint/poster presentation	4 September 2026

Conference theme and sub-themes

Holding the Past, Creating the Future

The 2026 conference theme, ‘Holding the Past, Creating the Future‘ invites us to reflect on our policy and practice memory—what we have carried forward, where these ideas and approaches come from, and what may have been left out or lost within the dominant narratives of early childhood education and care. This theme encourages us to consider the cultural and historical legacies that shape our practices—what we choose to pass on—and the stories our sector will tell about this moment in time, as we continue shaping the future.

Supporting social cohesion in divided times

Strengthening community, inclusion, belonging, and cohesion while navigating growing polarisation in local and national contexts.

Learn More

Treaty and truth-telling in the early years

Elevating the role of early years settings in engaging with Treaty, Aboriginal sovereignty, and truth-telling.

Learn More

Professional bravery—holding purpose and risk

Engaging with complexity—including social justice, equity, truth-telling, and risky play—with courage and care.

Learn More

Championing children here and now

Advocating for children’s right to access teaching and learning from birth, with attention to place, context, and community.

Learn More

Application information

Applications to present must be made using the online portal. Applicants will need to follow all steps and address all sections of the application process.

Applications to present at the conference will need to identify which one (1) of these four (4) areas of inquiry the presentation will most directly contribute to:

Supporting social cohesion in divided times
Treaty and truth-telling in the early years
Professional bravery—holding purpose and risk
Championing children here and now

Applicants are required to submit a 300-word abstract and will be asked to identify a target audience for their presentation.

The application process will ask about the experience of the presenter(s) and whether the content has been presented elsewhere. This information will help ECA balance the program with a mix of new and known material. It will also help us to meet our aim of delivering consistent, high-quality presentations and give new or inexperienced presenters an opportunity to gain experience.

Applicants will also need to list the position and organisation of each author and provide biographies for each presenting author.

All successful applicants will be required to register for the conference for the day on which they will be presenting. If registration confirmation and payment are not received by Tuesday 30 June 2026, abstracts will be withdrawn from the conference program.

Presentation type

There are three presentation categories for the conference. Applicants must specify which presentation format they are applying under.

1. Oral presentation

Oral presentations are allocated 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.

2. Flash presentation

Flash presentations are allocated 15 minutes each and are presented back-to-back within a single session. Time is allocated at the end of the session for discussion and questions.
Grouped together under a common theme, these concise and impactful presentations build on one another to convey a collective message that encourages collaboration and inspires delegates to take the ideas further.

Please note: For all presentations, the room configuration will be in a theatre style setting. Applicants must ensure their submission reflects the room setting, as changes to the configuration and setup of the room are not possible throughout the conference.

Selected presentations will be live streamed to a virtual audience. By accepting to present at the ECA National Conference, applicants grant ECA permission to live stream and record presentations to be made available for delegate viewing for up to 60 days after the conference. All presenters will be required to pre-record a copy of their presentation for use on the virtual platform.

ECA reserves the right to request successful presenters to modify the length or format of their presentation (for example, from an oral presentation to flash style or panel discussion) to best align with the structure and objectives of the conference program.

Audio-visual requirements

Presentations must be in PowerPoint format. The full and final electronic presentation will need to be submitted by Friday 4 September 2026, to ensure compatibility with the system available at the venue.

At the venue, presenters will have access to facilities such as data projectors, computers, screens and the internet. The conference will be networked, which means that presentations will be loaded from the Speaker Preparation Centre. All presenters will be required to check in at the Speakers Preparation Centre the day prior to their presentation.

3. Poster presentation

All poster presentations must follow a standard format and adhere to the following dimension and layout criteria:
• The maximum size allowed for posters is 1.2 m (h) x 1 m (w).
• The title and author names must be clearly indicated at the top of the poster. Large letters are to be used for the title (equivalent to 80-point font size or larger).
• All text on the poster is to be legible from a distance of 1 m. It is suggested that headings be a minimum of 30-point font size and body text be a minimum of 24-point font size.
• Posters are to be either printed on poster paper or assembled on light cardboard.
• Use of columns is recommended as it is easier to read than material arranged in rows.
• Presenters are encouraged to include visual aids in their posters (e.g. images, flow charts, graphic representations of data).

If successful, poster presenters will be required to record a short video presentation (5-10 minutes) to talk about their poster for viewing during the conference via the mobile app and virtual platform. The recording will be made available to delegates for up to 60 days after the conference. A digital version of your poster will also need to be available at the time of recording.

Please note: successful poster presenters will not be listed on the program. However, we do encourage poster presenters to engage with delegates viewing their posters during meal breaks.

Recorded presentations remain the property of ECA, for the purposes of the ECA National Conference only.

Presenter registration

A condition for being able to present is that all presenters must register for the day on which they will be presenting at the conference. All presenters will receive the ECA Member rate for full conference registration. A maximum of five (5) presenters per paper will be allowed to register and participate at the Member rate. If registration confirmation and payment are not received by Tuesday 30 June 2026, abstracts will be withdrawn from the conference program.

Selection criteria

Key focus

Applications must focus on:

relevance to at least one of the conference themes
examples of emerging or exemplar practice that enhance children’s experiences and/or the sector
university research, action research or extension of existing thinking
relevance to the target audience, understanding that delegates attending the session may come from across Australia and overseas.

Required inclusions

Applicants must ensure that their papers:

specify the aims of the project or research questions and/or focus of inquiry, where applicable
outline research methods and/or analytical and/or theoretical framework in brief
have a strong emphasis on findings and/or translation to practice and contribution to the professional practice of the target audience.

Free of commercial interest

Applicants must confirm that their paper is free of commercial interest and declare if they are a commercial enterprise. Papers that primarily promote or sell a specific product or service will not be accepted. Presentations that contain a commercial interest, will be asked to provide further information on:

how the product or commercial service contributes to or benefits the early childhood education and care sector
how you will present your paper to ensure it remains informative and educational in nature, rather than promotional or sales focused.

Sustainability

In keeping with ECA’s sustainability drive, all abstracts must be submitted online using the following link: https://eca.eventsair.com/g60-2026-melbourne-national-conference/2026melbourne

ECA seeks to minimise any negative environmental impact from the conference. We therefore encourage successful presenters to avoid the use of single-use plastics or unnecessary printed material—any handouts can be pre-loaded onto the virtual platform, app or USB.

Publication of papers

All selected abstracts will be published on the 2026 ECA Conference App and virtual platform.

Some presentations and papers may also be selected by the ECA Publications Advisory Committee for inclusion in other ECA publications. 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.

Conference live stream

The 2026 ECA National Conference will be live streamed to delegates who purchase a Virtual Delegate Pass. Selected papers will be asked to participate in the live stream. Presenters will be filmed and their presentation will be shown to the audience.

Following the conference, presentations will be made available for viewing in the library of presentations for a period of 60 days after the conference.

Review process

All applications to present will be reviewed by a panel that includes members of the ECA Conference Program Committee. Members of the ECA Conference Program Committee will:

know the identities of the applicants
assess the applications to ensure the quality and relevance of the presentations
assess the applications in accordance with the ECA selection criteria.

Wherever possible, feedback will be given to unsuccessful applicants depending on the number of applications received.

Cultural Engagement

ECA values the respectful representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures, and knowledge. If your presentation explores Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander topics, cultures, or communities, please tell us how you have engaged with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities and sought their support to deliver a presentation at our conference.

This helps ensure that presentations reflect community voices and uphold cultural protocols.

Terms and conditions

Successful candidates must agree to the following terms and conditions:

All presenters must purchase a registration for the in-person conference. Up to five (5) presenters will receive the ECA Member rate for full conference registration.
All presenters must pre-record their presentation for use on the virtual platform during the timeframe provided by ECA.
All presenters must be available to present live in person and speak at any time during the conference.
If the conference changes to a fully virtual format, all presenters must be present on the virtual platform during their presentation and have a virtual registration.
ECA may broadcast selected presentation(s) via live stream to conference delegates.
Presenters grant ECA the right to publish their recorded presentation in the library of presentations for a period of 60 days after the conference.
Presenters must ensure their availability for media comments about the conference.
Presenters may be asked to repeat their session if it proves to be popular, or if delegates miss out on the session due to lack of space.
Presenters grant ECA the right to publish their papers on the conference website and/or in various ECA publications.
Abstracts will be withdrawn from the conference program if registration confirmation and payment are not received by Tuesday 30 June 2026.

How to submit your abstract

Applications to present are now OPEN.

In keeping with ECA’s drive to improve environmental sustainability, all abstracts must be submitted online.

Submission process

Step 1: Read all instructions carefully.

Step 2: Write an abstract (no more than 300 words) related to the preferred sub-theme.

Step 3: Ensure the abstract addresses the selection criteria.

Step 4: Submit the abstract online before Tuesday 27 January 2026, via: https://eca.eventsair.com/g60-2026-melbourne-national-conference/2026melbourne

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:

The abstracts and biographies of successful candidates will undergo editing before being published in the conference program.
A maximum of five (5) presenters will be allowed to register and present per paper at the Member rate.
Applicants may submit multiple papers but only one paper can be accepted to present at the conference.
Applications will only be accepted online.

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