https://www.ucda.com/ucda-2026-design-education-summit-call-for-abstracts/
UCDA 2026 Design Education Summit: Call for Abstracts
UCDA 2026 Design Education Summit
Call For Abstracts
Call For Abstracts Submission Form
Abstracts: Call for Submissions OPEN
The UCDA Design Education Summit is an annual national academic summit designed for design educators and graduate students who are seeking to engage in presenting academic research, pedagogy, and creative projects through peer review, discourse, and presentation.
The summit provides an exciting and enriching experience for all attendees to gather as a national academic community. Participants have the opportunity to showcase their research and projects through peer-reviewed presentations and posters, workshops, panels, and keynote presentations. Design educators and graduate student who choose not to submit for presentation yet would like the opportunity to benefit and learn from academic work presented by their peers are encouraged to attend.
Expanding boundaries, exploring new possibilities.
The horizon represents both a limit and a possibility—a boundary that invites us to imagine what lies beyond. "Horizon" serves as a metaphor for exploring the future of design education, envisioning the possibilities that await us, and preparing for the challenges of tomorrow.
In design research and pedagogy, looking toward the horizon means embracing a forward-thinking approach. It encourages us to investigate emerging trends, speculate on the future of technology and society, and equip the next generation of designers with the tools and mindsets to navigate an ever-evolving world. Whether it’s addressing the implications of artificial intelligence, envisioning sustainable futures, or fostering global collaboration, the horizon reminds us to stay curious and proactive.
Las Vegas, with its reputation as a city of innovation and reinvention, provides a fitting backdrop for this exploration. Hosting the UCDA Design Education Summit at UNLV offers participants the chance to engage in forward-looking discussions and activities that challenge conventional ideas and expand the boundaries of design education. Through thought-provoking presentations, hands-on workshops, and inspiring dialogues, we aim to ignite conversations that shape the trajectory of our discipline.
Join us in Las Vegas as we gaze toward the horizon, discovering new perspectives and opportunities to redefine design education and research for the future.
Call For Abstracts Submission Form
Deadline: February 13, 2026
Notifications will be made via email by March 13, 2026
There are five (5) formats: Presentation, Panel, Poster, Workshop, and Graduate Student Presenation.
| TYPE | DURATION | DESCRIPTION |
| Presentation | 30-minute | 20-minute session with 10-minute Q&A |
| Panel | 60-minute | 40-minute discussion with 20-minute Q&A |
| Workshop | 60-minute | 60-minute hands-on type workshop |
| Poster | on-going | 90-minute reception, displayed during summit |
| Graduate Student Presentation |
30-minute | 20-minute session with 10-minute Q&A |
Note: All presenters will be required to register and pay the registration fee for the UCDA Design Education Summit, and attend this live and in-person event on the University of Nevada Las Vegas campus in Las Vegas Nevada, May 19-21, 2026
Call for 2026 Design Education Abstracts Submission Form
Proceedings from past UCDA Design Education Summits
CALL FOR ABSTACTS: PRESENTATIONS
Topics should address issues in design education and research and will be for 20-minute breakout session presentations to be held during the summit. Papers for the accepted presentations will also be included in the online proceedings.
Presentation Abstract Submission Procedure
- Paper/Presentation abstracts (a maximum of 500 words) must be submitted in PDF format only.
- Your name and name of the institution (if any) should NOT appear on the abstract as we wish for the judging to be blind.
- Include your status (grad student, tenure track faculty, tenured faculty, visiting faculty, practicing designer, other) on the PDF file.
- Indicate this is for a PRESENTATION.
- Title your PDF file as an abbreviation of your paper title and use the file extension .pdf (example: titlename.pdf).
- Include in your email your name, institution, institution type (2-year, 4-year, public, private, art school, etc.).
- If selected, the complete paper will be requested for inclusion in the conference proceedings.
- If selected, you will be asked to register and attend the UCDA Design Education Summit, and present onsite during the time assigned.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: POSTERS
Posters provide an excellent forum for authors to present their work in an informal and interactive setting. Posters are ideal for presenting speculative, late-breaking results or for giving an introduction to interesting, innovative work. Posters are intended to provide authors and participants with the ability to connect with each other and to engage in discussions about the work.
The posters will provide information that addresses issues in design education. Posters that present work in progress and draw important conclusions from practical experience are also welcome.
What is a poster?
A poster is an opportunity to publish a short article and discuss it with your peers. It may be an overview of research-in-progress of a technical topic, problem, question, product, or case study.
The typical poster is not just a shortened version of a conference talk (although those are acceptable); posters are less formal, more interactive, and may provoke an argument.
Why posters?
- Increase the variety of points of view aired at the conference
- Encourage two-way communication
- Allow detailed and esoteric presentations
- Provide a forum for small presentations
Poster Submission Procedure
- Poster abstracts (a maximum of 500 words) must be submitted in PDF format only.
- Your name and name of the institution (if any) should NOT appear on the abstract as we wish for the judging to be blind.
- Indicate this is for a POSTER.
- Title your PDF file as an abbreviation of your poster title and use the file extension .pdf (example: postertitlename.pdf).
- Include your status (grad student, tenure track faculty, tenured faculty, visiting faculty, practicing designer, other) on the PDF file.
- Include in your email your name, institution, institution type (2-year, 4-year, public, private, art school, etc.).
- If selected, the complete poster will be requested for inclusion in the conference proceedings.
- If selected, you will be asked to register and attend the UCDA Design Education Summit, and present onsite during the time assigned.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: WORKSHOPS
This format is designed to provide a hands-on experience for those in attendance. Workshops could include a software tutorial, project-based, or creative outlet (e.g. typography project; printmaking; etc.). Sessions will last one hour. Please include what supplies or materials would be needed.
Workshop Submission Procedure
- Workshop abstracts (a maximum of 500 words) must be submitted in PDF format only.
Please include the following on your submission:
- Workshop leader (1), required; the organizer and leader of the workshop.
- Description of the workshop, and what it will address.
- Criteria on what materials will be needed or provided, or what the participant would need to bring (e.g. laptop with particular software, drawings, markers or other supplies, apron, etc.).
- Indicate this is for a WORKSHOP.
- Title your PDF file as an abbreviation of your workshop title and use the file extension .pdf (example: titlename.pdf).
- Include in your email your name, institution, institution type (2-year, 4-year, public, private, art school, etc.).
- If selected, the complete paper will be requested for inclusion in the conference proceedings.
- If selected, you will be asked to register and attend the UCDA Design Education Summit, and present onsite during the time assigned.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: PANEL DISCUSSIONS
This format is designed to encourage the exchange of ideas, methods, and/or experiences among an intellectually diverse group of scholars around significant questions related to a central topic. The purpose is to encourage contact among individuals or groups who may benefit from shared experiences, or to air different views on a controversial topic.
The panel chair will introduce the topic and panelists will respond to questions chosen by the chair. The audience should be allowed to respond and to introduce additional questions and comments for the panel. Sessions will last one hour, with 40-minutes of panel discussion and at least 20-minutes for audience questions and comments.
Panel Discussion Submission Procedure
- Panel discussion abstracts (a maximum of 500 words) must be submitted in PDF format only.
Please include the following on your submission:
- Chair (1), required; the organizer and moderator of the panel discussion.
- Panelists (2-4). These are presenters.
- The total number of participants must not exceed five.
- Please include the names and institutional affiliations of the chair and panelists, a description of the topic, and a brief list of questions the panel will address.
- The names of the chair and panelists should appear on the abstract.
- Title your PDF file as an abbreviation of your discussion title and use the file extension .pdf (example: titlename.pdf).
- Include in your email your name, institution, institution type (2-year, 4-year, public, private, art school, etc.).
- If selected, the complete paper will be requested for inclusion in the conference proceedings.
- If selected, you will be asked to register and attend the UCDA Design Education Summit, and present onsite during the time assigned.
CALL FOR ABSTACTS: GRADUATE STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Topics should address issues in design education and research and will be for 20-minute breakout session presentations to be held during the summit. Papers for the accepted presentations will also be included in the online proceedings. This category is for graduate students currently enrolled in a gradtuate program. These abstracts will be judged against other graduate students and not faculty.
Presentation Abstract Submission Procedure
- Paper/Presentation abstracts (a maximum of 500 words) must be submitted in PDF format only.
- Your name and name of the institution (if any) should NOT appear on the abstract as we wish for the judging to be blind.
- Include your status (graduate student) on the PDF file.
- Indicate this is for a GRADUATE STUDENT PRESENTATION.
- Title your PDF file as an abbreviation of your paper title and use the file extension .pdf (example: titlename.pdf).
- Include in your email your name, institution, institution type (2-year, 4-year, public, private, art school, etc.).
- If selected, the complete paper will be requested for inclusion in the conference proceedings.
- If selected, you will be asked to register and attend the UCDA Design Education Summit, and present onsite during the time assigned.