The Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts (APA Division 10) is pleased to invite submissions for its annual research conference taking place March 12-14, 2026 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Submission deadlines:
- November 7, 2025: deadline for symposia, talks, posters, and Student Showcase submissions
- January 23, 2026: “last call” for posters only.
Join a dynamic, and growing, interdisciplinary, and international research community as we come together for this unique event. We are seeking submissions on all areas of research related to the psychology of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts, viewed broadly, including basic, applied, clinical, neurological, and educational perspectives.
If your research targets creativity, artistic production or appreciation, or culture, creativity, or art’s relation to individuals, society, or current events; if your work might be a good fit for our flagship journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts or related journals (Creativity Research Journal; Empirical Studies of the Arts; Journal of Creative Behavior; Psychology of Music; Thinking Skills and Creativity; Visitor Studies); and if you would like to meet other researchers who share your passion and interest, then we hope to welcome you!
The conference will feature:
- keynote talks by leading international researchers in the APA Div. 10 community
- thematic symposia and individual talks
- poster sessions
- mentoring and networking events for students and early-career researchers
- a lively “student showcase” for student-led research
Types of Submissions
We are seeking submissions for four kinds of presentations.
- Symposia: Proposals for symposia should involve a cluster of related research talks (3 to 5) organized around an important topic (50 minutes total). Symposia consisting of talks presenting empirical findings are strongly preferred. Data collection and analysis should be complete at the time of submission (i.e., no presentations of “in progress” projects). Preference will be given to submissions that feature presenters from different career stages and from different institutions. (Discussant roles are discouraged, and proposals for “panel discussions” will not be considered.) Symposia are the preferred format and receive a higher priority than submissions of individual talks. If you know other colleagues who might plan to attend or who share research on a common theme we encourage you to consider this format.
- Individual Talks: Individual talks present research in a compact format (roughly 7-10 minutes). As above, data collection and analysis should be complete at the time of submission (i.e., no presentations of “in progress” projects). The program committee will organize individual talks into thematic sessions (50 minutes total).
- Posters: Posters present research using a traditional paper or fabric poster (36” tall x 48” wide) on an easel as part of a poster session. Our poster sessions also constitute an ideal place for projects that are still incomplete and in-progress at the time of the conference.
- Student Showcase: Students are encouraged to submit work for the Student Showcase, a signature event that highlights and celebrates student research. Students are allowed 3 minutes and 1 PowerPoint slide (with one click) to present their research. To qualify, you must be a student (i.e., undergraduate, MA, EdD, or PhD), and the talk must be about your own research (i.e., you would be first author on its publication). Cash prizes awarded to the top talks!
How to Submit
Submissions are accepted and managed online using the Microsoft CMT system, so you’ll need to log-in or create a free account. (link coming soon!)
Individual Talks, Posters, and Student Showcase
For individual talks, posters, and the student showcases, please submit:
- names of all authors
- name, affiliation, and career stage of the presenting author
- title
- an abstract (250 to 500 words) for peer review
This information is entered into the online submission form.
Symposia
For symposia, all information should be submitted by the symposium’s chair.
The following information should be entered into the online submission form:
- the chair’s name, affiliation, career stage, and contact information
- the session title
- a long session abstract (250 to 500 words) for peer review
- a brief session abstract (500 characters) for the program
- for each talk in the session include:
- talk title
- names of all authors
- name, affiliation, and career stage of the presenting author
- a long abstract (250 to 500 words max) for peer review
Submission Deadlines
This conference has two deadlines:
November 7, 2025 is the main deadline for proposals for symposia, talks, and student showcase presentations. Decisions for proposals submitted by this deadline will be announced by November 21, 2025. Posters may also be submitted at this deadline for decisions by November 21.
January 23, 2026 is an additional “last call” deadline for poster submissions only; posters will be peer-reviewed and decisions made on a rolling basis, so we encourage researchers to submit early.
Need More Conference Details?
More information about the venue, travel, lodging, and registration are available on the conference’s main page, which will be continually updated as the conference approaches. Questions about submissions and the program can be sent to the program co-chairs listed below.
See you all in Omaha!
The Microsoft CMT service was used for managing the peer-reviewing process for this conference. This service was provided for free by Microsoft and they bore all expenses, including costs for Azure cloud services as well as for software development and support.