Call for Proposals & Judges (Open Now)
Share Your Experience!
Join us for the virtual 25th Annual IHA Health Literacy Conference, taking place May 12–14, 2026. This milestone year invites our community to move from vision to action— sharing practical solutions, real-world insights, and innovative approaches that advance health literacy across people, workforce, and systems.
We welcome you to contribute in two meaningful ways:
- Submit a presentation proposal, or
- Apply to serve as a volunteer judge who reviews submissions.
1Submit a Presentation Proposal
We invite you to present your work or volunteer as a judge to help shape this year’s program. We are looking for proposals that turn vision into action by offering practical tools, strong communication strategies, community insights, and examples of what health literacy looks like in real practice.
Our 2026 conference theme, From Vision to Action: Advancing Health Literacy with People, Across Systems, will be reflected through three areas of focus:
How to Submit a Presentation Proposal
You will need to log in or create a Cvent account. Creating an account allows you to save your progress and return later before the deadline.
Complete all required fields, review your responses, and select Submit to finalize your application.
You will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation, please log back into the portal to confirm or resubmit your application.
Key Dates for Presentation Proposals
|
Jan 2026 |
Call for presentation proposals opens |
|
Feb 6, 2026 |
Deadline to submit proposals |
|
Mar 2026 |
Applicants notified of decisions |
|
May 12, 2026 |
Presentations begin |
Students & Early-Career Professionals: We Want to Hear From You
Whether you’re exploring a new project, completing coursework, conducting research, or beginning your career in health literacy, we encourage you to submit. Lightning Talks and Poster Presentations offer high-visibility, supportive formats for sharing your work, gaining experience, and connecting with the community. If you know colleagues, students, or emerging professionals doing meaningful work, please share this opportunity with them.
Presentation Formats
To make our virtual conference engaging, accessible, and respectful of attendees’ time, presenters are invited to select from the following session formats. Choose the one that best aligns with your goals, topic, and presentation style.
|
Session Format |
Duration |
Choose This Format If… |
Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
|
On-Demand Session |
30 minutes |
You prefer to pre-record your presentation for attendees to view at their own pace during the conference. Ideal for sharing research findings, project outcomes, or overviews that don’t require live interaction. |
Submit a pre-recorded MP4 session by April 24, 2026. |
|
Workshop |
60 minutes* |
You aim to teach a specific skill through interactive learning. Workshops encourage active participation using breakout rooms, polls, and shared whiteboards. |
Indicate your preferred group size (if limited) in your application. Includes at least 10 minutes for Q&A. Workshops include revenue sharing: IHA will charge a $50 registration fee, and 30% of workshop revenue will be provided to the presenter. |
|
Panel Discussion |
60 minutes* |
You plan to convene 3–5 subject-matter experts to explore a focused topic from multiple perspectives. |
Include biographical information for each speaker and the panel moderator. Includes at least 10 minutes for Q&A. |
|
Live Lecture |
45 minutes* |
You will present practical solutions that participants can apply in their work or communities. |
Describe the tools, frameworks, or resources you’ll share to help attendees advance their practice. Includes 10 minutes for Q&A. |
|
Roundtable Discussion |
45 minutes |
You prefer an informal, highly interactive discussion that invites participants to exchange ideas and experiences on a specific topic. |
Specify discussion themes and any resource or technology needs (e.g., shared document, poll). |
|
Lightning Talks |
15 minutes |
You want to share a concise, high-energy presentation highlighting a key project, research finding, or idea. Ideal for students and early-career professionals. |
Submit a 15-minute pre-recorded talk (MP4) by April 24, 2026. |
|
Poster Presentation |
Available throughout the conference |
You want to showcase research, programs, or evaluation findings visually. Posters will be displayed digitally for attendees to browse anytime. |
Submit a PDF poster and a 3-minute pre-recorded overview (MP4) summarizing your poster’s key findings and implications by April 24, 2026. Presenters are encouraged to participate in an optional live Poster Q&A Hour to interact with attendees. |
Notes:
- *All live sessions include at least 10 minutes for Q&A.
- Presenters will receive detailed technical instructions and support for recording, uploading, and engaging with attendees through the virtual platform.
- Presenters are responsible for introducing themselves and moderating their own live Q&A; IHA will not provide a live moderator.
Presenters play a vital role in shaping the conference experience, and we want to support you in sharing your work with confidence and visibility. To help you prepare and make the most of your participation, all confirmed presenters will receive access to our Presenter Toolkit, which includes:
Presenter Benefits
These benefits are designed to elevate your visibility, support your session delivery, and help you make meaningful connections across the health literacy community.
Additional Benefit for Workshop Presenters!
Workshop sessions are fee-based. IHA will charge a $50 registration fee, and 30% of workshop revenue will be provided to the presenter.
Selection of Presentation Proposals
A group of volunteer judges will anonymously score presentation proposals within their area(s) of expertise. Proposals will be reviewed by 3-5 judges based on the following criteria:
- Session summary: The summary is well-written in plain language AND describes the innovative methods, ideas, and/or resources used during the session.
- Applicable solutions: The proposal includes practical tools, resources, and solutions that attendees can readily use to enhance their own work.
- Objectives: The learning objectives are clearly stated as SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound).
- Outline*: The presentation will meet all the stated learning objectives and follow a logical sequence.
- Relevance: The proposal clearly shows its relevance to IHA’s overarching mission — to improve health literacy and advance health equity.
- Participant engagement**: The proposal demonstrates a well-thought-out plan for strong, interactive engagement.
- Free of Commercial Bias: All submissions must be educational in nature, neutral and unbiased. IHA requires potential presenters to disclose any proprietary, financial, professional, or other personal interests in the material to be presented. Any abstract that is not free of commercial bias will not be accepted.
*Not applicable to posters
** Not applicable to on-demand sessions and posters
2Become a Judge and Review Presentation Submissions
Who Are the Judges?
Volunteer judges are crucial in identifying the most relevant presentation proposals; they must assess which proposals have the potential to significantly advance health literacy. Leveraging your professional experience as a judge can be instrumental in this process. Please consider joining our group of independent judges.
By contributing your time, insights, and expertise, you can help recognize the ideas that deserve further discussion.
Judge Eligibility Requirements:
To be a judge, you should be comfortable with and agree to the following:
- Submit a judge application.
- Review entries impartially.
- Recuse yourself from evaluating entries submitted by individuals with whom you have personal or professional relationships.
- Refrain from submitting your own presentation proposals.
- Judge assigned proposals between February 16 – February 27, 2026. Review 15–25 submissions during the assessment window (final number confirmed by February 12, 2026).
Judge Benefits
Volunteer judges play an essential role in shaping the conference program, and we want to recognize the time, care, and expertise you contribute. All confirmed judges will receive:
These benefits are designed to honor your commitment and highlight the important role judges play in elevating strong, practical, and equity-centered content for the health literacy community.
How to Submit a Volunteer Judge Application
You will need to log in or create a Cvent account. Creating an account allows you to save your progress and return later before the deadline.
Complete all required fields, review your responses, and select Submit to finalize your application.
You will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation, please log back into the portal to confirm or resubmit your application.
Key Dates for Volunteer Judges
|
Jan 2026 |
Call for volunteer judges opens |
|
Feb 6, 2026 |
Deadline to submit judge applications |
|
Feb 12, 2026 |
Applicants notified of decisions |
|
Feb 16 – 27, 2026 |
Judges review proposals |