ANZSOC 2026 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
The call for abstracts for the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology (ANZSOC) 2026 Conference, hosted by Flinders University in Adelaide, Kaurna Land, on 1-3 December 2026, is now open. This will be the 37th annual Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology (ANZSOC) conference and only the third time this conference has been held in South Australia.
Under the theme of Justice Reimagined: Bold Ideas, Real Impact the 2026 ANZSOC conference invites scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and community voices to rethink what justice can achieve and places strong emphasis on industry and community engagement as an important vehicle to shaping local and national crime and justice agendas.
Justice Reimagined: Bold Ideas, Real Impact.
In a world where social harms evolve faster than our systems can respond, criminology stands at a crossroads. Justice Reimagined: Bold Ideas, Real Impact invites scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and community voices to rethink what justice can be — and to do so with courage. This theme challenges the field to move beyond critique and towards transformation. It asks participants to imagine justice systems that are not only reactive but visionary; not only evidence-based but human-centred; not only innovative but grounded in lived realities across Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and our wider region.
Call for Abstracts
Abstracts are welcomed for oral presentations, posters, thematic panels and interactive workshops (further details below). For ANZSOC 2026 we particularly encourage contributions that address the following themes:
Justice Reimagined: What is the future of justice and justice responses?
From systems that punish to systems that help communities thrive
Grounding justice in local and lived realities
Bold ideas: Real impact – From small-scale pilots to sustainable policy transformation
Bridging worlds: Industry, community engagement, academy and cross-sector partnerships
Innovations from across the globe: Australasia, Pacific, Asia, Europe, Americas
THE CALL FOR ABSTRACTS IS NOW LIVE AND WILL CLOSE:
12 JUNE 2026
We also welcome contributions that attend to the following issues through a global, national or local lens:
Children, Young People and the CJS
Corporate Crime
Crimmigration and Border Control
Critical Genocide, Decarceral and Anticolonial Criminologies
Cybercrime and Digital Criminology
Development and Lifecourse
Drugs, Drug Policy and Alternative Policy Responses
Gender and Sexualities
Global Criminology
Green Criminology
Historical Criminology
Indigenous Knowledges and Justice
Illicit Networks
Justice Health
Lived Experience
Pacific Criminology
Policing
Spatiality and Justice
Sexual Violence and Abuse
Teaching in Criminology
Other areas of criminological inquiry are also invited.
Instructions for Submission
The ANZSOC annual conference brings together researchers, academics, students, professionals, practitioners, policymakers and people with lived experience. We therefore expect and welcome a variety of different abstracts to be submitted, including presentations by practitioners, policy makers and NGOs, as well as researchers.
Regardless of perspective or format, all submissions should be well-structured, rigorous, demonstrate a novel contribution to knowledge, and clearly articulate key implications for practice, policy and/or community.
For ANZSOC 2026 we invite a variety of different submissions:
Oral:
- Individual paper (whether by one author or a group) on original research findings, case studies, completed projects and theoretical analyses. Oral presentations will be 15 minutes + 3 minutes for questions.
Panel:
- Group of 3-5 papers on a similar theme. Panels will include a 90-minute session consisting of 3-5 papers on a common theme and discussion. One individual will be responsible for pulling the set of papers together and submitting this on behalf of the panellists. See further instructions here.
Workshop:
- Interactive discussion (90 minutes in length) that are designed to 1) explore an issue e.g. youth justice from multiple perspectives or 2) build capacity e.g. in learning and teaching. May include several geographic areas and/or a variety of voices e.g. academia, First Nations, lived and living experience, industry/practitioner.
Poster:
- Visual presentation that will be permanently displayed during the conference. For ANZSOC 2026 there will also be a dedicated poster session offering an interactive platform for authors to explain their poster to delegates.
Policy and Practice:
- Papers from industry, NGOs or culturally informed responses analysing crime and justice issues and innovative solutions to problems in industry, policy, practice. This option encourages papers that are not (necessarily) research-driven but are critical reflections on crime and justice policy and practice and cutting-edge responses. Oral presentations will be 15 minutes + 3 minutes for questions. Additional information to support submissions in this stream can be found here.
Lightning Talks:
- Ideal for research in progress (or policy and practice evaluations). Each lightning talk will be a 5 minute oral presentation.
Abstract word limits
Oral:
- 150-250 words
Panel or Workshop:
- 300 words about the overall proposal, with shorter abstracts of up to 150 words for each included paper.
Poster & Lightning Talk:
- 150 words
To maximise opportunities for conference participation, only one oral first author paper, panel or workshop can be presented.
Abstract review criteria include
Overall quality of the abstract or research
Innovation and significance
Relevance to conference themes
We look forward to receiving your submissions! Link to abstract submission portal.
For any questions, please email contact@anzsoc2026.com