Abstract submission

The Minnesota Water Resources Conference invites submissions for oral presentations, posters, and special sessions.

Presentation formats

Oral presentations

Oral sessions are intended for presentations that significantly advance knowledge, are based on completed studies or projects, and have broad relevance to the water resources community. Accepted oral presentations will be allotted 15 minutes of presentation time and 5 minutes for Q&A and transition. Presentations will be included in a session of four presentations that center around a common topic or theme.

Posters

Ideally suited for person-to-person interaction and gaining valuable feedback on your work, posters are appropriate for all Minnesota Water Resources Conference-relevant topics. Poster presenters receive a 4’x4’ poster space available through the entire conference with a dedicated interactive poster session during the conference agenda.

Special sessions

Special sessions offer an alternative to organized oral sessions, providing an opportunity to present content through lightning talks, panels, or interactive activities. Special sessions may address emergent water resource issues, showcase educational or outreach materials, support training or professional development, or encourage attendees to engage in discussion around water-related topics. All special sessions are 90 minutes in duration and hosted in rooms with flexible layouts including the ability to organize participants into discussion groups or interactive formats.

Submission requirements

Oral presentations and posters

Deadline to submit: Friday, May 29, 2026

Abstract submissions for oral presentations and posters should not exceed 2000 characters (including spaces, about 250 words) and must include the following:

  1. Clear articulation of a water resources problem and target audience for presentation or poster, 
  2. Brief description of methods or approach, 
  3. Results or anticipated insights or outcomes, and
  4. Policy or practice recommendations resulting from the presented work.

In addition to the abstract text, proposers will be asked to include a brief title for the presentation or poster and contact information including name, title, affiliation, and email address.

Keywords

Submitters will select one or more keywords from the following categories that best describe their submission:

System Keywords (optional, select up to two)

Groundwater, Lakes, Rivers, Streams, Wetlands, Wastewater, Drinking Water, Stormwater, Drainage, Floodplains, Reuse, Agriculture, Watersheds

Stresser Keywords (optional, select up to two)

Nutrients, Sediment, Chloride, CECs, Mercury, Geogenic Contaminants, Arsenic, Lead, Floods, Droughts, Withdrawals, Climate, Aquatic Invasive Species, Mining

Methods Keywords (optional, select up to two)

Monitoring, Modeling, GIS, LIDAR, Engineering, Technology, AI, Risk Assessment, Economics, Community Engagement, Governance, Education, Art, Program Evaluation, Policy Analysis, Environmental Justice, Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Submission process

Abstracts for oral presentations and posters are due by Friday, May 29th, 2026, and must be submitted electronically.

Abstracts received by May 29th will be reviewed and the submitter will be notified in July if the abstract is accepted. All student poster submissions will be invited to participate in a student poster competition.

Abstracts will be reviewed by a cross-sector evaluation committee and scored based on fit and the likelihood of presented work to advance water resource science, management, or policy. Evaluation criteria include: 

  1. How effectively the submission articulates and addresses a water resources problem,
  2. appropriateness of methods or approaches, and
  3. relevance to conference attendees.

Notification timeline

Submitters will be notified in late July about the decision regarding their abstracts.

Special sessions

Deadline to submit: Monday, May 4, 2026

Special session submissions should not exceed 2000 characters (including spaces, about 250 words) and must include the following:

  1. Statement of relevance or need specific to a defined water resource problem and audience, 
  2. A description of how the proposed session will address that need and audience, 
  3. A brief agenda or run-of-show to summarize how you will use the allotted time, and
  4. Speaker names and contact details, if you know them or explanation of the type of speakers that will be recruited.

In addition to the special session text, proposers will be asked to include a brief title for the session and organizer contact information including name, title, affiliation, and email address.

Abstracts for special sessions will be evaluated based on relevance of the proposed session to water resources science, management or policy and the likelihood that the session will generate significant interest and engagement of conference attendees.

Notification timeline: Submitters will be notified in late May about the decision regarding their abstracts.