Abstract Submissions

• Abstract Submission is free of charge; however, all presenters are still required to register for the conference
• Confirmation of receipt will be emailed to the Presenting Author
• Following peer review, only the presenting author will be notified of the outcome
• Accepted abstracts will be allocated to a 12-minute oral (traditional or image only), 3-minute oral or poster presentation, as determined by the Abstract Review Panel. Please note that some accepted abstracts may be invited to provider a longer form presentation.
• All presentations are to be delivered in person at the relevant conference location (Canberra or Brisbane).
• Abstracts and presentation recordings may be made available on the conference website for a limited time post-event.

The key dates for abstract submission are outlined below:

• Authors will have the option to nominate for one or multiple presentation modes. If an abstract is submitted for a 15 minute (12 min + 3) Oral mode presentation but is not accepted, a 3-minute Oral or Poster mode may be offered at the discretion of the organising committee.  
• You will also be asked to nominate your preferred presentation location/dates (i.e. Canberra or Brisbane).  
• Organisers will consider presenter preferences for presentation mode and location but may not be able to accommodate preferences in all circumstances. 

Authors may nominate one or several of the following options: 

Oral traditional presentation (15 minutes total: 12 minutes + 3 minutes for questions)

A traditional presentation refers to a research-informed style using a typical mode format (e.g., PowerPoint). Presentation content would include sections such as a Cover/Title slide; Introductory / Background; Methods; Results; Discussion; Implications / Applications; Acknowledgements. In the traditional mode, there is usually up to a maximum of 12 (PowerPoint) slides available. A time limit is set for presentation content and to permit audience questions. The presentations must be sent to austidconference@ausport.gov.au before Friday 1st May 2026.  The use of your own laptop or USB stick is not permitted.

Oral images only presentation (15 minutes total: 12 minutes + 3 minutes for questions)

An oral image-based presentation mode is one where only image forms (bar the Cover/Title slide) can be shown in a given format (e.g., PowerPoint).  The aim is to reduce written slide content, while encouraging a presenter to build the oral narrative around image forms (e.g., pictures, video, figures, graphs). The content order may be similar or different to the traditional oral mode. In the oral image mode, there is a maximum of 12 (Powerpoint) slides available for images. The oral image slides must be sent to austidconference@ausport.gov.au before Friday 1st May 2026.  The use of your own laptop or USB stick is not permitted. 

3-minute oral presentation (5 minutes: 3 minutes + 2 minutes for questions)

For the 3-minute oral mode, a traditional or image-based presentation can be adopted. The purpose of the short oral is to concisely (given the time limit) communicate a central idea, argument, topic/theme, research key findings; and/or applications for best or next practice. For this mode, a maximum of 5 slides is permitted. The final version of the 3-min oral presentation must be sent to austidconference@ausport.gov.au before Friday 1st May 2026. The use of your own laptop or USB stick is not permitted. 

Poster only presentation

Print posters will be A0 (height: 120cm, width: 90cm) size and portrait (vertical) format. The exact structure, content and layout of poster content, including colour and font styles/sizes can be decided by the author(s). However, poster content should be visible and readable from a standing distance (e.g., 2.5-3 metres). Poster presentations will be displayed during breaks and at lunchtime. As a presenter, you will be expected to be present at your poster from 12.15-12.45 pm on allocated conference day(s). You will need to place your poster on a designated board on the morning of your allocated date(s) before 8.30am and remove it after the afternoon tea.

Eligibility 

• Early career practitioner is open to all applied practitioners who have joined and been working in the industry for less than five years or have become employed in the industry in the last five years following completion of their highest degree/qualification graduation. 
• Early career researcher is open to all presenters who graduated less than five years ago from their highest degree/qualification. 
• Student awards are open to all presenters who are currently enrolled in academic study at a national or international higher education institution.  

Criteria 

For each respective award, a panel of four judges will be invited to evaluate and determine award winners. For the early career awards, panels will consist of independent (inter)national senior practitioners and researchers.  

For student awards, an additional two post-graduate students from (inter-)national institutions will be invited onto the panel.  

Each panel will be overseen by a conference committee member to act as adjudicator. Panel members will only be able to nominate potential prize winners from alternate organisations or institutions. Any potential conflicts of interest identified from the nomination process (e.g., similar affiliations) will need to be reported at the nomination stage. Adjudicators will take appropriate steps to ensure conflicts of interest do not affect prize winner nomination. 

Authorship:

• The content of each abstract is the responsibility of all listed authors
• The Presenting Author must obtain consent (written or email) from all co-authors prior to submission
• The Presenting Author must be registered for the conference. Abstracts without a registered presenter will be withdrawn
• In unforeseen circumstances where the Presenting Author cannot attend, organisers must be notified by email (austidconference@ausport.gov.au). A substitute presenter may be approved if registered before the event
• Registrations are non-transferable and non-refundable beyond the registration deadline.

Submission Guidelines:

Before submitting an abstract, please ensure you:

1. Read the full abstract submission guidelines
2. Obtain consent from all co-authors
3. Ensure your abstract follows the formatting and content requirements (outlined below)
4. Confirm your availability to present in person in May 2026
5. Check that your abstract aligns with the conference theme "Best Practice - Next Practice -The science and practice of detecting, selecting, transferring, and developing sport talent"
6. Select your preferred presentation mode (oral traditional, oral image-only, 3-minute, poster, or any).
7. Submit online, including: 

• Author names and affiliations
• Presenting Author contact details
• Declaration of student status (Presenting Author)
• Which steam: Research; Practice example
• Abstract title and text
• Disclosure statement(s)
• High-resolution portrait photo of the Presenting Author (for marketing use if accepted)
• Award entry

Abstract Formatting and Content:

Authors: Do not include titles, degrees, or qualifications.  Affiliations: List in the following order – [Department], [Organisation], [City], [Country].  Title: Typed in UPPERCASE (15 words maximum).  Keywords: 4-5 keywords not in title or main text and not included in world limit.  Main text: Typed in sentence case and limited to 250 words (maximum). 

Abstracts must be submitted under one of the following categories: 

Examples of professional best practice may include case studies of existing programs or athletes, cohort studies, or other examples of current practice in talent identification and/or development. This could relate to a strategy, initiative, or framework that has been implemented, and outcomes, insights or recommendations from the experience.   We also welcome lessons from previous practice that has not given the anticipated results. 

Additional Abstract Formatting Requirements:

• Abstracts must be in English and free of spelling and grammatical errors
• No tables, figures, or references
• Define abbreviations on first use
• SI units only
• Authors are responsible for obtaining any required copyright permissions
• No edits are permitted after submission
• Each individual may submit up to two abstracts as presenting author, nothing that only one abstract can be accepted per conference location (i.e., one in Canberra, and one in Brisbane)
• Each individual may appear as a co-author on multiple abstracts

Privacy Policy

Any information that you provide is being collected by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) for the purpose of selecting presenters for the AIS & QAS co-hosted International Talent Identification and Development Conference held in May 2026. The ASC will only disclose your personal information to the Conference Organising Committee and the Abstract Review Panel comprised of staff from the AIS, QAS and various subject matter experts from other organisations and institutions. 

All personal information collected will be disclosed, handled and stored in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles contained in Schedule 1 of the Privacy Act 1988 which regulates how our agency must manage personal information. Further information can be found in the ASC Privacy Policy. 

All abstract submissions will undergo a peer‑review process to determine: (i) suitability and alignment for inclusion in the conference program, and (ii) allocation to an appropriate presentation format (e.g., oral traditional or image-based, short 3-min oral, or poster).

Review Panel

Abstracts will be reviewed by members of the conference organising committee along with either: two invited research academic reviewers or two invited senior practitioners, based on the research or practice-focused nature of abstract submission. Invited review panel members will be drawn from (inter)national institutions and sporting organisations. Invited reviewers will have extensive and relevant expertise across research and applied practice in talent identification and development, helping ensure a breadth of disciplinary and contextual expertise informs the abstract review and decision-making process.

Review Criteria

Abstracts will be evaluated against the following criteria, as appropriate to the abstract submission type:

• Relevance: Alignment with the conference themes and focus on talent identification and/or development.
• Originality & Contribution: Novelty of the work and its potential contribution to research knowledge and/or applied practice.
• Implications: Clear relevance of findings or insights for researchers, practitioners, or policy, as applicable.
• Research Methodology or Practical Rigor: Appropriateness & robustness of methods (for research‑focused submissions) or rationale and soundness of applied approach (for practice‑focused submissions).
• Quality & Clarity: Clarity of purpose, structure, and communication of key ideas or findings

Review Procedure

Each abstract will be independently reviewed by panel members. Reviewers will provide ratings and qualitative feedback based on the stated criteria. Where reviewer scores or recommendations diverge substantially, abstracts may be referred to an additional reviewer or discussed by the panel to determine a balanced decision.

Decision‑Making

Based on reviewer evaluations, abstracts will be:

• Accepted for presentation with allocation to an oral (traditional or image-based), short 3-min oral, or poster format; or
• Accepted subject to minor revisions; or
• Declined.

Final decisions regarding acceptance and presentation format will be made by the conference committee, considerate of panel recommendations, program balance, and scheduling considerations.

Conflicts of Interest

The invited reviewer panel will only assess abstracts from authors affiliated with alternate institutions or organisations. Any potential conflicts of interest (e.g., shared affiliations, supervisory relationships, or close collaborations) will have to be declared prior to review. The conference committee will take appropriate steps to manage conflicts as well as ensure fairness and impartiality in decision‑making.

Notification

Submitting authors will be notified of the review outcome (accept or decline) by the stated notification date (see key deadline and dates in abstract submissions). For abstracts receiving a ‘accept subject to minor revisions’ decision, panel feedback will be made available to support resubmission. Unfortunately, due to constraints, panel feedback on abstract submissions receiving accept or decline decisions won’t be available.

Withdrawals

Requests for withdrawal must be made in writing to austidconference@ausport.gov.au. Include the abstract title, confirmation that all authors consent to withdrawal, and a brief reason.  Withdrawal or rejection does not entitle the author to any registration fee refund.