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The 2026 International Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Summit comes at a crucial moment for our field.
As the funding landscape dramatically changes and crises intensify around the world on an unprecedented scale – from climate change and intensifying extreme weather events to mass displacement and humanitarian disasters to rising inequality and violence in many parts of the world to dramatic declines in mental health and so much more – we are being called to respond as well as reimagine how we do our work.
Our evidence-based approaches have long delivered impact in health, education, gender equity, and more, and proven their value time and time again toward improving the lives of people and communities around the world. Despite these efforts, the systems around us and within which we operate are changing, and the way that we do this work will never be the same.
This moment demands that we explore this evolving landscape of SBCC – one that is community-driven, equity-centered, locally sustained, and emboldened to challenge entrenched power dynamics.
The organizers of the 2026 SBCC Summit invite practitioners, researchers, advocates, and storytellers to submit abstracts for innovative presentations and sessions that address this Summit’s theme:
Inspired by the Panama Canal’s history as a connector of worlds and Panama’s role as a hub for cultural diversity and commerce, the 2026 Summit theme focuses on exploring the evolving landscape of SBCC. It asks participants to critically question and challenge the power structures and relationships that underlie one’s ability to change and prioritizes the voices and leadership of those most directly impacted. By drawing on the principles of innovation, equity, and transformation, the theme emphasizes critical reflection on past practices and collaborative pathways for sustainable and inclusive change.
We invite you to reflect on and share experiences from your work which resonate with this Summit’s forward looking and bold theme.
This Call for Abstracts is your opportunity to collectively contribute to the field of SBCC – one that spans traditional public health and reaches into broader areas such as climate action, humanitarian response, economic equity, civic engagement, and education. We are especially eager to hear from diverse voices representing the global majority, including young people (aged 18 to 35), people with disabilities, local leaders, and communities historically left out of decision-making, whose lived experiences are crucial to any successful conference.
Each abstract should address one of Summit sub-themes, described below. Submitters will be asked to identify the relevant sub-theme on the online submission form.
Reclaiming power, dismantling hierarchies, and sparking systemic change from the ground up.
This sub-theme challenges conventional notions of evidence by promoting participatory, equitable, and community-centered approaches to knowledge generation and application. It highlights the ethics of collection and use of data, power dynamics of “expertise,” and the potential of innovative participatory research and practice.
Key Topics:
How alternative knowledge systems are challenging Western-dominated paradigms of truth, rigor, and value.
Rethinking program design by elevating sustainable innovations in the face of disruption.
This sub-theme reframes communication as a right essential to justice and participation. It emphasizes control over one’s information, representation in narratives, equity in access, and policies that protect freedom of expression and media rights.
Key Topics:
Leveraging storytelling, technology and AI to amplify equity and inclusion instead of reinforcing systemic bias.
Individual presentations highlighting programmatic best practices, lessons learned, and/or research findings that advance SBCC. Strong consideration will be given to abstracts with robust evidence, demonstrated experiential knowledge from the field, clear program and research methodology, and well-documented results.
Oral Presentations: The Program Subcommittee will develop a panel of 3-4 accepted abstracts according to theme, unifying focus, similar approaches, and/or other interesting linkages. Each presenter will have 10 minutes to present, followed by a moderated discussion with the audience.
Poster Presentations: Posters will be displayed digitally in an exhibition space during designated days and times during the Summit
Submitters may indicate their preference for an Oral Presentation or a Poster Presentation. Depending on the volume of submissions and conference space, the Program Subcommittee may not be able to honor all preferences. Some abstracts not accepted for Oral Presentation may be considered for Poster Presentation, with the agreement of the submitter.
Three to four related abstracts submitted together by one lead submitter/organizer on behalf of the group. These panels should reflect a shared issue/topic, challenge or question, offering insights that go beyond individual contributions. The abstracts may or may not all relate to a single program or research initiative, but the submitter must make a strong case for why the abstracts should be considered together as a preformed session. Given the limited number of Preformed Panel slots, strong consideration will be given to abstracts that provide exceptional value in terms of how each abstract complements one another and produces collective insights. (Note: Abstracts for a preformed session that is primarily focused on skills building should be submitted under the Skills-Building Workshop format. Please see below.)
Submitters are encouraged to be creative in how the preformed session is structured to maximize audience engagement and learning. Examples include a debate format, “speed dating” presentation rotations, or interactive discussions that lead to idea exchange and learning.
Panels may address conceptual, political, practical, or research issues that push boundaries or offer breakthrough thinking in SBCC that could lead to new directions for program practice, policy, theorizing, or research. Panels may also address novel concepts or perspectives that present an issue in a new light or draw attention to something that has a game-changing potential for some aspect of SBCC.
Online Submission Form Structure:
This structure has two parts: Panel Overview and Individual Presentations. The lead submitter should collect descriptions of the individual presentations from the respective panelists, compile them, and submit them together with the Panel Overview.
(Part A) Panel Overview
Title
List of Authors and Affiliations (highlight the lead author for correspondence)
Panel Objectives: Main issue/theme addressed across multiple abstracts (up to 250 words)
Panel Structure and Approach: How will synthesis, exchange, learning, and engagement be achieved? (up to 250 words)
Panel Implications/Importance for the Field: How will the panel, overall, advance the field? (up to 250 words)
(Part B) Individual Panel Contributions
Title
Author(s) and Affiliation(s)
Background/Objectives (related to panel theme) (up to 200 words)
Approaches/Methods (up to 150 words)
Results/Lessons Learned (up to 150 words)
Conclusion/Contributions to Panel Theme (up to 200 words)
Panel sessions, based on topic/content areas, feature listening, viewing and/or interacting with multimedia products or materials used in SBCC programs, including entertainment education, such as film, television, social media videos, mobile platforms, music, radio, animation, comics, transmedia, podcasts, virtual reality, interactive websites, or other formats. Live performances or theater will also be considered. Each presenter will have 15 minutes to introduce, screen (up to seven minutes), and briefly contextualize the product in a short presentation. Works longer than seven minutes should be edited for the session.
Abstracts should exemplify the diversity, power, and impact of SBCC and must include a digital link to the featured media product. All submissions should be dubbed or subtitled if the audio is in a language other than English. (Note: Abstracts for a multimedia initiative that do not focus on a multimedia product itself [e.g., its design, content, or use in a program] should be submitted under the Oral or Poster Presentation format. Please see above.)
Online Submission Form Structure:
Name of Multimedia Product
Title of the presentation (if different from the multimedia product)
Presenter(s) and Affiliation(s) (highlight the lead submitter for correspondence)
Summary (up to 250 words)
Background/Objectives (up to 200 words)
Description of Multimedia and its Content, including link to an online version of the product (up to 150 words)
Results/Lessons Learned (up to 150 words)
Discussion/Implications for the Field (up to 200 words)
Two-hour interactive sessions designed to develop or strengthen specific SBCC skills in areas including, but not limited to, research, monitoring and evaluation, learning, communication channels, advocacy, program planning and design, program implementation, theories and approaches. Strong consideration will be given to workshop formats that are structured for high audience engagement and learning. Submitters should consider innovative learning approaches, such as experiential learning, group work, among others.
Online Submission Form Structure:
Title
Facilitators and Affiliation(s) (highlight the lead person for correspondence)
Summary (up to 250 words)
Learning Objectives (up to 200 words)
Skills Building Activity Approach and Methods (up to 250 words)
Discussion/Implications for the Field (up to 200 words)
Modeled on oral storytelling traditions, these concise 10-minute, narrative-style presentations invite speakers to share a surprising but well-formed idea, powerful experience or insight, or bold new perspective. Talks should challenge conventional wisdom, provoke fresh thinking, or spark new directions in SBCC.
Abstracts should clearly demonstrate originality, clarity of narrative, and relevance to the Summit theme and subthemes. Submissions will be prioritized to surface underrepresented voices, highlight innovative practices, or bring new perspectives that advance equity and community-driven approaches.
Selected speakers will be required to complete at least one rehearsal session (virtually or in-person) with a Program Subcommittee representative prior to the event. Presentations will be grouped by conference theme. Selected presentations will be recorded and posted on the SBCC Summit website and other platforms for online sharing.
Online Submission Form Structure:
Title
Speaker and Affiliation
Summary (up to 250 words)
Problem Statement (up to 100 words)
Description/Context of the Big Idea/Experience/Innovation (up to 250 words)
Implications for the Field (up to 200 words)
Failure often provides some of the greatest insights into how we can improve SBCC programs and research, yet these lessons are rarely shared. These 10-minute presentations will create space focused on what did NOT work, why it mattered, and how those experiences led to growth and learning.
By normalizing discussion of failure, these sessions aim to help the field avoid repeating mistakes, encourage honest reflection, and support innovation through collective learning.
Abstracts should clearly highlight the relevance of the failure to SBCC practice or research, the depth of reflection, and the clarity of lessons learned. Submissions that move beyond description to offer constructive insights and actionable recommendations for others in the field will be prioritized.
Online Submission Form Structure:
Title
Speaker and Affiliation
Summary (up to 250 words)
Context/Challenge (up to 100 words)
Description of Failure (What Did Not Work, Why it Was Meaningful) (up to 250 words)
What Was Learned and What Could Have Been Done Differently (up to 150 words)
Recommendations for Others Based on the Failure (up to 200 words)
Abstracts will be submitted online and may be written in the four main conference languages of English, French, Portuguese, or Spanish. Webinars will be available in the four main conference languages to help submitters prepare their abstracts. Look for further notice about these webinars soon on the Summit website.
In selecting abstracts for the Summit program, the Program Subcommittee will take the following general criteria into consideration:
Submitters are encouraged to think creatively about how their abstracts can best engage Summit participants to think critically, share knowledge and experience, and shape the future of SBCC.
Multiple abstract submissions are welcome. However, to achieve the broadest possible representation and participation in the Summit, no more than two submissions from the same lead author or session organizer will be selected.
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