SMBE 2026
Abstract & Award Information
Presentation instructions
This page includes practical information for presenters at SMBE 2026. Below you will find general guidance for both oral and poster presentations, followed by detailed instructions for each format.
- Find your presentation type.
- Check the key requirements and deadlines.
- Prepare your materials in advance.
The sections below provide detailed instructions for oral presentations and poster presentations, including format requirements, schedules, upload information, and presentation logistics.
Oral presentation instructions
Presentation format
- Format: Microsoft Power Point or PDF
- Slide size: 16:9 (NOT 4/3)
- If relevant, please include a Conflict-of-Interest declarations within the first or second slides.
- The presentation must be uploaded the day before the conference – see more information below.
Duration of talks
Please note that there are many oral presentations, so keeping to time is very important for the conference programme. The symposium organiser will chair the session and help ensure that the schedule is followed, with support from the volunteer in the room.
- Invited speaker presentation: 30 minutes (25 minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for questions), unless otherwise arranged with the symposium organiser.
- Regular presentation: 15 minutes (12 minutes for the presentation and 3 minutes for questions).
- Flash presentation: 5 minutes (3 minutes for the presentation and 2 minutes for questions).
Upload of presentation
All oral presentations must be uploaded at least 24 hours before the presentation.
Important:
- Please upload your presentation no later than 24 hours before your scheduled presentation time.
- Please upload your presentation using the link below and make sure to name the file correctly so the technicians can locate it before your presentation time slot.
- Guidelines for saving and naming your presentation slides: tbc from technicians
- If your presentation includes videos, please upload them separately to the same folder to minimize playback issues, while still following the naming guidelines above.
Upload via link (Recommended):
Upload your presentation here: link tbc
Upload onsite in Speaker ready room (or edits for already uploaded presentations)
At the conference, you will find an assisted speaker ready room on the 1st floor. It is open during the following hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9:00 to 17:30, and Thursday from 9:00 to 12:00.
Please bring your presentation on a USB flash drive to the speaker ready room.
Poster presentation instructions
A poster presentation combines a visual display of the highlights of your research with an opportunity for questions and discussion. Posters will be available for viewing during selected time slots throughout the conference, including a dedicated poster session. Please see the poster schedule below.
All participants are encouraged to visit the posters during the breaks and to contact the presenting author during the conference when feasible.
Poster schedule
Poster presenters are divided into two groups during SMBE 2026, which takes place from Sunday 28 June to Wednesday 1 July 2026. The schedule below uses weekdays only for easier reading. Each group has approximately 1.5 days of poster visibility, one lunch break with poster viewing, and one dedicated poster session.
Activity | Poster Group A | Poster Group B |
Set-up | Monday, 08:00-12:20 | Tuesday, 12:50-17:30 |
Display period | Monday 12:20 – Tuesday 12:20, including poster session Monday 18:00-20:00 | Tuesday 17:30 – Wednesday 17:00, including poster session Tuesday 18:00-20:00 |
Take-down | Tuesday, 12:20-12:50 (during lunch break) | Wednesday, 17:00-18:00 |
Measurements:
Posters should be displayed in portrait orientation. The maximum size is standard A0 portrait format: 118.9 cm (height) × 84.1 cm (width), or 46.81 inches (height) × 33.11 inches (width). Paper only! Canvas is too heavy.
Content and design:
- All posters should include the title, author names, institution, city, and country. The lettering of the title should be at least 25 mm high, and the main text should be at least 10 mm high.
- The poster should be easily readable from 2 metres.
- Any grants or other support received for the work presented should be acknowledged on the poster.
- The Conference Organiser will provide the materials needed for mounting posters on the boards.
- The Conference Organiser accepts no responsibility for posters that are left behind, lost, or damaged.
- You are responsible for bringing and mounting your poster yourself. See below for local printing and shipping options.
- Please print on paper only. Poster strips will be available for mounting. Do not print on canvas, as it may not stay in place properly.
Local printing
Important Dates
1 December 2025
Abstract submission & Award application opens
3 February 2026 (11:59 pm CET)
Abstract submission & Award application Closes
Starting 2 March 2026
Abstract and Award notifications
All notifications has been sent
Presenter registration deadlines
Oral presenters: 20 April
Poster presenters: 1 May
abstract
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION IS CLOSED
Submission guidelines
Length and words: The abstract must be submitted in English and should be less than 250 words long.
Presentation types: During the abstract submission you must choose your preferred presentation type. Please note that you abstract might be accepted as another presentation type than preferred.
- Oral presentation (12 minutes presentation + 3 minutes for questions)
- Oral flash presentation (3 minutes presentation + 2 minutes for questions)
- Poster presentation (Poster visible for 1 full conference day incl. a poster presentation session)
Keywords: 2–5 keywords should be chosen
Submission categories: Upon submission of abstracts for oral or flash presentations, please indicate whether they should be considered for any of the thematic symposia (see list here). If none, please choose ‘Open sessions’.
Review: Abstracts are reviewed principally by the organisers of the symposia that you choose to submit your abstract into.
Please note:
- Once the abstract is submitted, there is no option for editing, so carefully read it through, before finalising the submission.
- Presenting authors are limited to one presentation (oral or poster). An exception applies to the two below symposia, where one additional presentation is allowed.
- IDEA Symposium: Advancing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility in Molecular Biology and Evolution
- L5 The role and responsibilities of the SMBE community in facing the polycrisis
- Although the conference will be live streamed and recorded for view on demand, presentations are expected to be given in person from Copenhagen.
Please read the submission conditions below, before finalizing the abstract submission.
Submission conditions
A. General terms
- Abstracts are required for all oral presentations and posters.
- Abstracts must be submitted in English.
- Abstracts must be submitted by February 3rd, 2026, 23:59 CET.
- As indicated above, no more than 1 abstract can be submitted for any presenting author.
- Accepted abstracts may be published on the conference website and in the conference app. By submitting an abstract, you consent to giving SMBE permission to share you abstract in the before mention locations.
- Withdrawal of abstracts can only be accepted if notified in writing and subsequently confirmed by the SMBE 2026 Secretariat.
B. Presenting Author and Registration
- The presenting author must register as a participant for the full conference by the deadline informed in the acceptance e-mail
- Failure to register will be regarded as an automatic withdrawal of your abstract. Otherwise withdrawal of an abstract can only be made by writing to the SMBE 2026 Secretariat – see item A.6 above.
- SMBE reserves the right to exclude any abstract from the scientific programme that is not followed by a participant registration.
- Presenting authors are limited to one presentation (oral or poster).
- An exception applies to the two below symposia, where one additional presentation is allowed.
- IDEA Symposium: Advancing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility in Molecular Biology and Evolution
- L5 The role and responsibilities of the SMBE community in facing the polycrisis
- NB! The presenting author does not have to be the 1st author.
- The conference is live streamed and recorded for view on demand) – it is not possible to present online.
C. Contents of your Abstract
- The abstract word limit is max. 250 words per abstract excl. title, authors and affiliations.
- The title should be as brief as possible but long enough to clearly indicate the nature of the study.
- You will be asked to enter the name(s) of author(s) and their institution(s), when you submit your abstract.
- Abbreviations should only be used for common terms. For uncommon terms, the abbreviation should be given in brackets after the first full use.
D. Reviewing
- All abstracts are reviewed by the SMBE 2026 Symposia organisers.
- The abstract will be reviewed through an open review process.
- Acceptance or rejection of the abstract will be sent to the submitter ca. March 2nd, 2026.
- It is the responsibility of all submitters that all studies are performed with respect to national legislation, international legislation and ethical guidelines both with regards to humans and animals. The Scientific Committee reserves the right to reject any submitted abstract that is believed to violate these principles.
- Please verify that your email address (submitter and presenting author) is correct as it will be used for contacting you after the review process.
- The Scientific Committee reserves the right not to give detailed information as to why an abstract is rejected.
Questions regarding abstract submission
For all enquiries regarding abstracts and speakers, please contact the Mille Skovbjerg at ms@cap-partner.eu (SMBE 2026 Secretariat, CAP Partner, Conference Manager)
Awards
AWARD APPLICATION IS CLOSED
Award Application during Abstract Submission
SMBE Awards require SMBE membership at application (3 years costs only $30 for students, $50 for others). Apply for membership here.
If you choose to apply for any of these awards, please ensure that you visit the SMBE website to review the detailed application criteria here. During the abstract submission, there is option to indicate whether you would like to apply for one or more of the following awards from SMBE.
Graduate Student Excellence Award
The SMBE Graduate Student Excellence Award honors the best presentation at the Graduate Student Excellence symposium, which provides a forum for young investigators to showcase their exemplary research at the annual meeting.
Application is closed
Applicants for the Graduate Student Excellence Award are automatically considered for the Young Investigator Travel Award.
Award notifications have already been sent out. If you have not received a notification, it unfortunately means that you were not selected for this award.
Young Investigator Travel Award
The Young Investigator Travel Award provides support for young researchers (postdoctoral researchers and graduate students) to attend SMBE2025.
Application is closed
Applicants for the Graduate Student Excellence Award are automatically considered for the Young Investigator Travel Award.
Award notifications have already been sent out. If you have not received a notification, it unfortunately means that you were not selected for this award.
Undergraduate Travel and Mentoring Award
The Undergraduate Mentorship Award provides support, advice and networking opportunities for undergraduate students (including Masters students under a 3+2 system) as they navigate their first international conference.
Award notifications have already been sent out. If you have not received a notification, it unfortunately means that you were not selected for this award.
Caregiver Award
Open to members with expenses for the care of children or dependent adults (including adult children with a disability or elderly relatives) during their attendance at SMBE2026.
Best Graduate Student Paper Awards for MBE and GBE
This award is decided by nomination and a panel of judges during the conference, respectively.
Graduate Student Excellence Award
The SMBE Graduate Student Excellence Award honors the best presentation at the Graduate Student Excellence symposium, which provides a forum for young investigators to showcase their exemplary research at the annual meeting.
Application
- Indicate that you wish to apply during the abstract submission
- Requires abstract and CV (CV upload below)
- Applicants for the Graduate Student Excellence Award are automatically considered for the Young Investigator Travel Award.
Young Investigator Travel Award
The Young Investigator Travel Award provides support for young researchers (postdoctoral researchers and graduate students) to attend SMBE2025.
Application
- Indicate that you wish to apply during the abstract submission
- Requires abstract and CV (CV upload below)
- Applicants for the Graduate Student Excellence Award are automatically considered for the Young Investigator Travel Award.
Undergraduate Travel and Mentoring Award
The Undergraduate Mentorship Award provides support, advice and networking opportunities for undergraduate students (including Masters students under a 3+2 system) as they navigate their first international conference.
Application
- Indicate that you wish to apply during the abstract submission
- Requires abstract, short, motivated text (250 words) and a short letter of support (250 words). Send both to secretary.smbe@gmail.com
Caregiver Award
Open to members with expenses for the care of children or dependent adults (including adult children with a disability or elderly relatives) during their attendance at SMBE2026.
Application
- Caregiver awards can be applied via SMBE on the below link.
Best Graduate Student Paper Awards for MBE and GBE
This award is decided by nomination and a panel of judges during the conference, respectively.