Call for proposals 2026
The Media Production Analysis (MPA) Working Group invites the submission of abstracts for its 2026 conference, to be held from 28 June to 2 July 2026 in Galway, Ireland, hosted by the University of Galway.
The deadline for submission is 3 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC.
Download this call for papers as a PDF file
Central theme
IAMCR conferences cover a wide range of topics defined by our thematic Sections and Working Groups (S/WG). Each year, a central theme invites participants to engage in shared reflection across these diverse areas, fostering dialogue and collaboration.
The 2026 central theme, Peripheries and Connections: Media, Communication, and Transformation, addresses the complexities of contemporary media systems in a polarised and interconnected world. By interrogating the tensions between centrality and marginality—whether geographical, cultural, political, or conceptual—this theme aligns with IAMCR’s commitment to fostering critical and inclusive dialogues across diverse perspectives.
Consult a detailed description of the main theme
Within this framework, the Media Production Analysis Working Group (MPA-WG) invites proposals that explore how the conditions, practices, and infrastructures of media production intersect with questions of centre and periphery, connection and transformation. We are particularly interested in contributions that show how producers, technologies, and institutions negotiate material, political, and cultural inequalities — and how production itself becomes a site of transformation.
Scope of the Working Group
The MPA-WG focuses on the study of media production processes, including professional, independent, community, and platform-based forms of production. The group welcomes both empirical and theoretical approaches to how media are made, by whom, and under what conditions.
For IAMCR 2026, we particularly welcome contributions that engage with (but are not limited to) the following areas:
- Producing from the peripheries: practices in marginalised, postcolonial, or indigenous contexts.
- Transnational and inter-peripheral connections: co-productions, collaborations, and flows of creative labour.
- Platformisation and algorithmic production: how digital infrastructures shape visibility and access.
- Infrastructure, innovation, and sustainability: technological constraints and creative adaptation in resource-limited contexts.
- Power and political economy: impact of funding inequalities and regulation in global media industries.
- Gendered perspective in production cultures and labour.
- Media production as transformation: activism and social change.
- Ethical and environmental issues: sustainability, precarity, and care in production work.
- Comparative and methodological approaches to analysing production, including ethnography, network analysis, or production studies frameworks.
Guidelines for abstracts
Abstracts for papers to be presented in person at one of the Media Production Analysis (MPA) Working Group’s conference sessions should be between 800 and 1000 words, including references. They must be submitted exclusively through IAMCR’s submission system from 28 November 2025 through 3 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC. Abstracts submitted by email will not be considered.
The MPA-WG accepts both individual paper proposals and preconstituted panel proposals.
Authors of accepted proposals will be asked to upload a full paper before the conference.
It is expected that each person will submit only one abstract. However, no author’s name should appear on more than two abstracts, either individually or as part of any group of authors and authors should not submit more than one abstract to any single section or working group. The same abstract, or a version with minor variations in title or content, must not be submitted to more than one Section or Working Group. Such submissions will be deemed to be in breach of the conference guidelines and will be rejected. Authors submitting the same work to multiple Sections or Working Groups may be removed entirely from the conference programme.
Evaluation criteria
Submitted abstracts will generally be evaluated on the basis of:
- Clarity and coherence of the abstract
- Originality and/or significance of the research
- Theoretical and/or analytical contribution to media production studies
- Relevance to the MPA-WG and to the conference theme
- Awareness of relevant literature and context
- Contribution to diversity (methodological, geographical, gender, and disciplinary balance)
Languages
Abstracts may be submitted in English, French, or Spanish. On-site presentations should preferably be delivered in English to facilitate broader participation.
Statement on use of AI tools
IAMCR does not encourage or condone the use of generative AI tools to prepare abstracts submitted for consideration for our conferences. IAMCR values originality, integrity, and transparency in academic work, and believes that human-authored contributions best support rigorous and innovative scholarship in media and communication research. Should an author choose to use a generative AI tool in the preparation of an abstract, we require that they include a clear statement within their submission disclosing the tool's use. This statement must specify: (1) the name of any AI tool used; (2) how the tool was used in preparing the abstract, and; (3) the reason for using the tool. Failure to disclose the use of generative AI in accordance with these guidelines may impact the evaluation and acceptance of the submission.
Intention to attend
Each abstract submitted to IAMCR represents a real cost to the Association and contributes to the workload of volunteer reviewers and organisers. As the number of submissions each year far exceeds the available presentation slots, we ask authors to submit only if they genuinely intend to attend and present their work at the conference if accepted.
Deadlines and key dates
The deadline to submit proposals is 3 February 2026, at 23:59 UTC. Other key dates. Dates are subject to change.
About the Media Production Analysis Working Group
Learn more about the work and scope of the Media Production Analysis Working Group
Contact the Working Group
For questions about the MPA-WG or this call, please contact:
Co-Chair: Concha Edo, conchae2021@outlook.es
Co-Chair: Pedro Jerónimo, pj@ubi.pt
