Proposal Types

Presentation Mode (All Proposal Types)

The 2025 meeting will take place October 18–21, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia with the Virtual Meeting sessions taking place November 12–14, 2025.

The Meeting will feature a number of live-streamed sessions and events. We will accept individual presentation proposals to be given in person in Atlanta and virtually as part of a fully virtual program following the meeting. Individual presenters will have the opportunity to select between virtual or in-person presentation modes when they submit their proposals.

Pre-organized Panels

All sessions will be scheduled in 90-minute blocks by default; session chairs can request a 120-minute session when they submit their session proposal, but this amount of time is not guaranteed.

Presentation Mode for Sessions

Pre-organized panels may present at the in-person meeting or propose a virtual session. Any panel with at least one member who is unable to attend the in-person meeting in Atlanta should propose its session for the virtual meeting. Having a mix of pre-organized as well as assembled panels allows the virtual meeting to build on the in-person meeting and enable participation, and better reflect the variety of scholarship in the field.

Paper Sessions

For all paper sessions, 

• the panel chair must submit:
  • a 500-word abstract of the session for blind review
  • a 100-word abstract to be published in the program;

AND

• each presenter must submit:
  • their own presentation title 
  • 100-word abstract for their paper

The proposal form will offer the chair a choice between “standard” and “short papers” (or a mixed session); choose the one that best fits the structure of your plan, and use the Notes field to communicate any details that don’t fit the proposal form.

• Standard Paper Session: The standard paper session consists of three 30-minute blocks, each with a 20-minute paper followed by 10 minutes of Q&A.
• Short Paper Session: A more flexible format that supports 4-6 presenters, each with a prepared presentation of 10 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A. Panel chairs may make scheduling notes about how the panel time block should be allocated.
• Mixed Paper Session: some combination of standard and long papers.

Forums

The Forum is a flexible format for creating discussion about a specific topic or problem, with extensive interaction by panelists and the audience. The panel will be scheduled as a single discussion block, but participants may structure the conversation as they see fit within that block. Panelists may prepare brief remarks (5 minutes or less), but they should not include papers or other formal presentations. Therefore, the forum proposal form does not collect abstracts for individual presentations; panels with any prepared presentations should instead use the Short Paper Session form. Forum participants will be listed alphabetically.

For all forums, 

• the chair must submit:
  • a 500-word abstract of the session for blind review
  • a 100-word abstract to be published in the program;

AND

• each panelist must submit a proposal form to convey their own personal information and consent provisions.
  • Forum panelists should write in the Title of the forum in both the “Title” and “Abstract” fields of the proposal form.

We encourage creative use of the discussion panel block, but all forum proposals should allow for at least 15 minutes of participation by the audience. For instance:

• Round table: Up to 8 panelists may present for 5 minutes each, then discuss the topic amongst themselves, before engaging the audience.
• General discussion or breakout discussion: A few panelists (or even one) may facilitate a discussion that engages the audience for the entire session, with or without breakout groups.

Individual Proposals

The program review committee will assemble panels made up of individual presentation proposals. All individual proposals should include a 500-word abstract for blind review, and a 100-word abstract for program materials.

Presentation Mode for Individual Proposals

When you submit an individual proposal, you will have the opportunity to select between virtual or in-person presentation mode.

If your proposal is accepted and your availability to present in the scheduled mode changes after July 31, we ask that you either submit a recording to be played in the session, or find a colleague to read your paper or give your comments in absentia.

Paper

You may choose one of two paper formats, or leave your options open:

• Short papers are allotted 15 minutes: 10 minutes to read the paper, followed immediately by 5 minutes for questions. Additional time at the end of the panel will be used for discussion.
• Standard papers are allotted 30 minutes: 20 minutes to read the paper and 10 minutes for discussion immediately after the paper.
• Willing to present either option: You may indicate on the proposal submission form that you are willing to present a long or a short paper; in that case, the program committee will have more flexibility in finding a good place for your paper and assign you a paper length. If you choose this option, please check the preliminary program when it is released to see details of the panel on which you have been placed, including which presentation format you have been assigned. You will also receive an email indicating which format, standard or short, you have been assigned.

Poster

Poster sessions return this year! Poster presenters will be named in the program. This is a great option for first-time presenters to dip their toe into AFS (and get a CV line!) or for seasoned presenters to debut early works-in-progress. Accepted Posters are assembled through the conference platform into a digital poster hall which is viewable for the duration of the meeting—both in person and virtual. Poster presenters will upload their posters to the system by August 15.

Lecture, Workshop, Media Screening, Exhibit

Programs including Lectures, Workshops, Media Screenings, and Exhibits that take place outside of concurrent sessions are welcomed. These presentation types require a short description (up to 100 words) that will be included in the program material. The proposal form also asks for other specific information about scheduling and set up needs, which may be provided by email at a later date as needed.

Reception, Special Event, Business or Section Meeting

AFS sections, university folklore programs, publishers, and other organizations may propose sponsored events, requesting either social events or meetings, or a combination of social and business. All events require a short description (up to 100 words) for program material. The proposal form also asks for other specific information about scheduling and set up needs, which may be provided by email at a later date as needed.

Section conveners should submit their requests for section business meetings or other section gatherings through the submission form before April 1.