SSA members and associates have an exclusive opportunity to plan a session at the next Annual Conference. Organisers Dr Sarah Welch and Dr Carol-Ann Getty answer some questions to help you prepare a strong application by 16 March 2026.
What does this opportunity involve?
Each year, SSA members and associates are invited to submit proposals for symposia at the Annual Conference. These are themed sessions lasting 60–80 minutes, featuring three speakers, and ending with questions and answers.
Who can propose an idea for a symposium?
The person who submits the proposal must be an SSA member or associate and must be one of the named speakers. The other two speakers need not be members or associates. Proposals can be submitted by people at any career stage; in previous conferences, many successful proposals have been submitted by early career researchers.
Why is the call for symposia so early in the year?
The members and associates’ symposia are key elements of the conference. Early selection allows us to announce them as part of the programme and attract potential delegates.
Where do the symposia fit in the conference programme?
Symposia are timetabled alongside other parallel sessions but are typically located in a large room as they are expected to appeal to a broad range of delegates. This helps us to make a balanced programme, as it allows us to accommodate sessions for more specific interests in smaller rooms.
What are we looking for in a good symposium?
We are looking for high-quality presentations with a coherent overall theme, that will be of interest to a wide range of delegates. We particularly welcome symposia that bring together one or more of the following:
- Speakers from different universities / research centres and across different career stages
- Speakers from academic science with speakers from other roles and perspectives (e.g. clinical practice, policy-making, advocacy, lived experience, and education)
- Researchers who approach a theme using different methodologies from each other
- Research that is relevant to a range of addictive substances and behaviours
Can I add additional speakers or suggest a chair?
We would advise you to stick to the guidance to propose three speakers. Proposals with more than three speakers may not be reviewed. Please encourage other colleagues to submit their work in response to our later call for delegate abstracts, posters, and workshops, which will offer opportunities to present in other parts of the conference programme.
One of my proposed speakers has no access to funds for travel or accommodation. Can you help?
We have a limited number of supported places to help with expenses for conference speakers and delegates. Please alert us to this in your application and we can advise on eligibility.
What happens if my proposal is not selected?
We will select the proposals that are most highly rated by the scientific committee and conference committee (with hypothetical exceptions if all are on very similar themes). We usually receive more high-quality proposals than available places. If we don’t select your proposal, this doesn’t mean that your work cannot be presented at the conference. We will encourage you to look out for the call for delegate abstracts, posters, and workshops later in the year.
Submit your application by 17:00 GMT on 16 March 2026.
by Sarah Welch and Carol-Ann Getty
