Oslo 2025

We welcome Special Session submissions!
This call will close on 31 October 2024.
You can submit your contribution here

Please read the information below carefully before you make your submission.

A session is a meeting held during a time slot in a physical place, together with other conference participants. Sessions can have different formats, as described in some detail below. Each session will have a chair who is responsible for the session.

Parallel sessions will be held during the same time slot of 1.5 hours (90 minutes). Special Sessions will be carried out during the parallel session slots.

Any person can submit a proposal for organizing a Special Session. The Special Sessions aim to give space for content with a unique topic and format, and/or groups of people who want to present the progress or results of a specific project or creative contribution. These sessions can align with any of the 10 predefined thematic tracks and sub-themes, or they may also bring in new themes – as long as they align with the conference's overall main theme: Building socially just postgrowth futures – linking theory and action.

A Special Session can be either “open” or “closed”:

- Open Special Sessions are sessions of which the general framing is defined by the session proposer and organizer. These sessions will be open to the participation of any applicant during the “call for abstracts” period that opens by early December.

- Closed Special Sessions are organized within the context of a specific project that aligns with the overall theme of the conference. Presenting in a closed session is by invitation only, as presenters are determined by the session proposers and organizers.

All applicants proposing an Open Special Session or a Closed Special Session must indicate whether their proposed session fit within either the "Conventional" format or the “Free format".

- A conventional session is a classical, academic panel session, in which 3-4 presenters share from their analytical work, and receive feedback and questions from each other and the audience.

- A free format session is a session that differ from the conventional panel format. These sessions may provide artistic and interactive avenues to learn, debate, and co-create in transdisciplinary manners, such as artistic performances, workshops, debates or panel discussions, or presentations of books or films. We also invite submissions of artworks which will be considered for live and/or virtual exhibition and/or performance during the conference.

We also welcome proposals for hybrid Special Sessions of different formats, as long as the organizer(s) of the session will be physically present at the conference. 

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Proposals for Special Sessions must be submitted through the submission platform by 31 October, 2024. To be accepted for evaluation, each proposal must include the following information:

- Type of Special Session: Open/Closed.

- Format of the Special Session, as outlined in the submission form.

- Organizers: full name, organization (if any), and e-mail.

- Title for the proposed session.

- Abstract that provides a clear description (up to 700 words) of the proposed session, including (but not limited to): i) general presentation of the session, ii) relevance to the conference theme, iii) format of the session, and iv) background of the session organizer(s). Please also describe in detail any specific logistical needs such as i) type of venue/ space requirements, ii) equipment, iii) ideal number of presenters, iv) the optimum duration (up to 90 minutes for each individual session), and v) any other relevant information for the appropriate development of the session. For interactive sessions, please include an explanation of what audience participation may involve. (Note that while the main language of the conference is English, it is also possible to propose to organize Special Sessions in other broadly used languages).

- Thematic tracks: a selection of 1-2 themes that best suits your submission. Your submission does not necessarily need to relate to any of the predefined tracks of the conference. If this is the case, you can specify the most relevant theme/ track under "Other". Make sure to clearly state the relevance of your contribution to the following overall conference themes: Ecological Economics, Degrowth, "Building socially just postgrowth futures - linking theory and action".

- Keywords: Add a minimum of 3, and a maximum of 5 keywords, related to your proposed Special Session.

EVALUATION OF SPECIAL SESSIONS

Proposals will be evaluated by the Local Organizing Committee and the Scientific Advisory Committee, according to the following criteria:

- Thematic relevance and relation to the overall theme of the conference.

- Quality of the proposal.

- Clarity of presentation.

- Originality and creativity.

- Academic quality (only relevant to academic contributions). 

Note that the approval of a Special Session after review does not guarantee its final inclusion in the program. Contributions submitted to Open Special Sessions during the abstract call, which will be launched by December, will undergo review similar to that for regular sessions. For an Open Special Session to be organized at the conference, it must include at least 3 approved contributions/ abstract presentations, or the minimum number indicated in the Special Session submission. If an Open Special Session does not reach the minimum number of approved contributions, or does not cover a full session slot, the conference organizing team may decide whether to cancel the session or merge it with another related session. 

RESPONSIBILITIES OF SPECIAL SESSION ORGANIZERS

Organizers will be responsible for their session, always working in cooperation with the conference organizers. Some of the organizers’ tasks include:

- Participating in revising and evaluating the contributions submitted for their session (Open Special Sessions only).

- Chairing the session or naming a chair.

- Giving support to the participants of the session and helping to address any questions or difficulties that may arise.

- Ensuring that participants are aware of, and follow, the sessions objectives and rules.

- Any other issues directly related to their session.

More information about the conference here.