Call for Abstracts
Critical Dates
Abstract Submission Deadline: Friday 5 December 2025
Presenter Notification: Friday 30 January 2026
Presenter & Early Registration: Friday 6 March 2026
Optional Full Paper Submission: Monday 27 March 2026
The 2026 Floodplain Management Australia (FMA) National Conference will be held at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre from Wednesday 22 – Friday 24 April 2026, with optional pre-conference workshops on Tuesday 21 April.
The theme of the Conference is From Risk to Resilience: Advancing Flood Management. In an era of escalating uncertainty, this Conference will explore the development and implementation of flood risk management — moving from the reactive repair and recovery cycle towards informed, resilience-driven strategies, policies and mitigation projects. We invite papers that navigate this transition, by integrating strategic planning, proactive management, and innovation.
We are looking for a range of high-quality presentations from across Australia, and overseas, dealing with riverine, overland and flash flooding, and coastal inundation. The content can be technical or non-technical to suit our varied audience, so you don’t need to be a “flood expert” to provide a presentation. The practical experiences of Councillors, flood committee members and community representatives can be of real value to fellow conference attendees.
Tertiary students studying floodplain management or natural disaster management and Young Floodplain Managers are particularly encouraged to participate and share their experiences.
The subject of the presentation should align with one or more of the following topic areas:
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Guidelines & Submission
Please note that the 2026 Abstract Submission requirements have changed for 20 minute oral presentations.
Authors are required to submit a minimum 500 word abstract or up to a two page extended abstract at time of submission. The extended word abstract can include tables, figures and/or images. You may submit an extended abstract or a full paper by Monday 27 March, provided your initial abstract meets the 500 word minimum word count for a 20 minute oral presentation.
10 Minute Oral Presentations or Poster Presentations only require a maximum of 300 word abstract.
Presenters of accepted abstracts are required to register and pay to attend the Conference as an attendee for at least the day they are presenting.
Presentation Types
Oral Presentation: 10 minute presentation for concurrent session. Provision of a written full paper or extended abstract is optional.
Oral Presentation: 20 minute presentation for concurrent session. Provision of a minimum 500 word abstract or extended abstract for publication on the FMA website is an essential requirement at time of submission.
Poster Presentation: will be displayed during the conference and there will be an allocated time for authors to provide a 3 minute presentation and answer queries. A digital copy of each poster is to be provided for publication on the FMA website.
If you are interested in submitting an abstract for consideration, please complete the following steps:
- Save the Abstract Template to your computer and use this to prepare your abstract.
- Write your abstract using the Microsoft Word template, adhering to the formatting guidelines outlined in the Author Instructions Save your abstract on your computer, in an easy to find location. Please note that abstract titles should be a maximum of 15 words, and abstract text should be a minimum of 500 words (20 minute presentations) or maximum 300 words (10 minute presentations and posters).
- Ensure you have a short biography (max 50 words) for yourself.
- Click on the “Submit Abstract” button below, and follow the steps outlined in the Author Instructions.
Presenters agree to provide their 500 word abstract, extended abstract or full paper and PowerPoint presentation to be published electronically on the Floodplain Management Australia website, Members’ Section, following the conclusion of the Conference. They will be publicly available 12 months after the Conference.
All presentation types require an abstract to be submitted and need to be submitted by the main presenting author of the paper.
If you experience any difficulties with the abstract submission process, or have any questions, please contact Amy McIntosh at East Coast Conferences by emailing amy@eastcoastconferences.com.au or by calling 02 6650 9800.
If accepted, all presenting authors will need to register and pay to attend the conference, at least for the day of the presentation. The deadline for presenters to register is Friday 6 March 2026.