The Call for Proposals is an opportunity for you to share your experience, knowledge and skills in tertiary education sustainability at the annual ACTS conference. All proposals must be submitted electronically through the Proposal Submission Form and we strongly recommend you review the information on this page before preparing your proposal.

Important Dates

  • Call for Proposals submission deadline: 22 July 2026
  • Acceptance notifications: 5 August 2026
  • Deadline to accept/decline invitations to present: 19 August 2026
  • Conference dates: 28 – 30 October 2026

Conference Streams

Strategy, Risk and Leadership Operations, Systems and Delivery People, Learning and Culture 20 Years of Action: Creativity, Reflection and Looking Ahead
How sustainability is shaping institutional strategy, governance, risk and decision-making. How institutions are implementing sustainability across operations and systems. How we build capability, embed sustainability in learning and drive behaviour change. Exploring the stories, lessons and creative expressions shaping the future of sustainability.
This stream explores how education institutions are responding to increasing expectations around climate, nature and social impact at a strategic level. Sessions may include governance models, leadership approaches, risk and compliance, reporting, and embedding sustainability into core institutional priorities. This stream focuses on the practical delivery of sustainability outcomes across estates, energy, waste, procurement, laboratories, AI and digital systems and reporting. Sessions should demonstrate measurable impact, innovation in implementation, and approaches to overcoming operational challenges. This stream explores the role of education, engagement and organisational culture in delivering sustainability outcomes. Topics may include curriculum integration, student engagement, staff capability, behaviour change initiatives, and approaches to building a culture of sustainability across institutions. This stream reflects on the sector’s journey while looking ahead to the next phase of change. Sessions may explore lessons learned, pivotal moments and emerging directions, alongside creative approaches to communicating sustainability through art, storytelling, design and cultural expression. This stream invites contributions that challenge traditional narratives, engage new audiences, and reimagine how sustainability is understood and experienced.
Intended audience: Senior leaders and sustainability practitioners, executives and directors, governance and board members, strategy and planning teams, finance and risk professionals, policy and compliance teams and external advisors working with the sector. Intended audience: Sustainability practitioners, facilities and operations teams, procurement professionals, lab managers and technicians, IT and digital teams, project managers and industry partners supporting operational delivery. Intended Audience: Sustainability practitioners, academic staff, educators and curriculum designers, student engagement teams, HR and organisational development professionals, communication teams, program coordinators, and partners supporting education and engagement initiatives. Intended audience: Sustainability practitioners, artists and creative practitioners, designers, academics working in creative disciplines, engagement and cultural program teams, students, and external partners interested in using creative approaches to inspire and communicate sustainability.

Session Types

Conversation (40-50 mins)

A discussion-led session exploring ideas, challenges or emerging issues from multiple perspectives. Conversations are designed to encourage audience engagement, reflection and open dialogue rather than formal presentations.

Roundtable (40-50mins)

A collaborative and interactive discussion focused on peer learning, knowledge sharing and collective problem-solving. Roundtables typically involve smaller group discussion and active participation from attendees.

Workshop (60mins)

A practical, hands-on session designed to build skills, explore tools or work through challenges in depth. Workshops should actively involve participants through activities, discussion or collaborative exercises.

Case Study (25mins)

A presentation showcasing a specific project, initiative, program or approach, including lessons learned, challenges, outcomes and practical insights that may benefit others working in similar contexts.

Industry and Partner Proposals

Proposals from business, industry and other non-education organisations are generally accepted through sponsored sessions. Please contact the ACTS team to discuss sponsorship opportunities and session availability.

Proposals from ACTS member organisations outside the tertiary education sector may also be considered where they demonstrate strong relevance to the conference audience. These proposals should focus on practical, outcome-driven case studies relevant to sustainability practitioners, researchers and educators, and must be co-presented with a representative from a tertiary education institution to ensure sector relevance and alignment.

Session Levels

Those submitting proposals are asked to objectively self-identify their sessions as introductory, intermediate or advanced based on the following definitions:

Introductory

Foundational in nature and sessions are designed for attendees who have no prior background or are just starting in the domain of practice presented in the session.

Intermediate

Designed for participants who have a working knowledge of the topic and a few years of experience in the domain of practice.

Advanced

Designed for participants who have a detailed knowledge of the topic and specific experience applying or using this knowledge in a professional capacity over a long period of time.

Presenter acknowledgement

By submitting a proposal and participating in the ACTS Conference, you agree to the following conditions:

  • All proposals must be submitted via the official Call for Content form on The Future of Sustainability website.
  • Submission and presentation deadlines are final. No extensions or exceptions will be granted.
  • All co-presenters must be confirmed and registered by the presenter deadline. ACTS reserves the right to limit the number of presenters per session.
  • Up to three presenters per session will receive a 10% discount on the individual conference registration fee. All remaining costs are the responsibility of the presenter(s).
  • By presenting at the conference, you grant ACTS an irrevocable, royalty-free, and exclusive license to use the recording of your session. You also agree not to share or republish the recording on other platforms or at other events without prior written permission from ACTS.
  • Presenters are expected to design their sessions with accessibility in mind, including providing clear visuals, using inclusive language, and being responsive to reasonable accessibility requests from attendees.
  • Presenters agree to assist in promoting their session through their professional networks and, where possible, share official ACTS promotional materials on social media and other relevant platforms.
  • Presenters must be willing to incorporate feedback and suggested revisions from the ACTS Conference Working Group (ACWG) to ensure high-quality, relevant content.
  • The ACWG reserves the right to accept or decline any proposal and to reassign sessions to a different format than initially proposed. If changes are required, the ACWG will liaise with the presenter(s) involved.
  • Presenters must adhere to all deadlines and key dates. Failure to do so may result in the removal of the session from the final conference program.

Prepare your Proposal

All proposals must be submitted electronically through the Proposal Submission Form below. We recommend you review the submission fields and prepare your text in advance by downloading our Proposal Template. Remember to use a character count to make sure you don’t exceed the character limits!