#OpenEd26 Call for Proposals NOW Open!
The Call for Proposals for the 2026 Open Education Conference is now open!
We enthusiastically invite proposals from anyone with an interest in sharing about open education. The conference warmly welcomes participation from attendees regardless of country, educational background, or professional role. Students are especially encouraged to submit proposals and participate.
The Open Education Conference is an annual convening where over 1,600 educators and open education advocates gather to collaborate, support, and drive strategies for education that are accessible, affordable, and reflective of the learners they serve. This year’s conference will be held in a fully virtual format.
Submission Deadline: Friday, April 3rd at 11:59pm Pacific (GMT -7:00)
Theme & Topics
The 2026 Open Education Conference theme, “The Space Between”, invites us to examine the possibilities that exist in the spaces we often overlook. Recognizing that openness is fundamentally relational, this theme acknowledges the gaps that remain in our open education work and how we might work together to bridge them.
Proposals are invited to address the following topics:
Between Here and There: Examining how strategic open education work can get us from where we are to where we aspire to be.
Between Us: Exploring how open values and practices can improve the educational experience for all learners.
Between the Lines: Examining the intersections and implications of emerging technologies in open education.
Connecting the Dots: Expanding the reach of open education to wider audiences.
Beyond Borders: Exploring open education projects and perspectives from outside the US and Canada.
Blank Space: Open space for any other open education related topics.
Session Types
All session types are virtual. See the full Call for Proposals for details.
Short Presentation (20 min, Live)
Full Presentation (40 min, Live)
Panel (55 min, Live)
Lightning Talk (10 min, Pre-Recorded)
Contributed Papers
This year, the Open Education Conference is introducing contributed papers as a new optional submission format in collaboration with the Journal for Open Educational Resources in Higher Education (JOERHE). Contributed papers may report the results of completed research, describe research in progress, or present a position or theory on a compelling problem or issue relevant to one or more of the conference themes. Accepted papers will go through an open peer review process and be published as conference proceedings in May, 2027. For more information on contributed papers, read the contributed papers section of the conference FAQ.
Submit a Proposal Now!
Proposals must be submitted through Oxford Abstracts by the deadline Friday, April 3, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific (GMT -7:00). This requires the creation of a free Oxford Abstracts account.
Get Involved
The Open Education Conference is inviting volunteers to serve as proposal reviewers. If you’re interested in signing up to be a proposal reviewer, please fill out the volunteer interest form.
