Academic Program

The 2026 Swancon 50 will have an academic programming stream, focusing on scholarly discussion of science fictional, fantasy and horror by Western Australian writers, game designers, artists, and other creators. The Academic Program in Swancon 50 will have the following streams:

HASS stream – led by Dr Gillian Polack

STEMM stream – led by Dr Bec Handcock

Swancon50 Academic Stream Program

The Swancon Academic Stream program can be viewed at guide.sf.org.au by using the search function to search for the “Academic” tag. A PDF download version of the program paper abstracts can be downloaded via this link.

Call for Papers for the Academic Program of Swancon 50 – Submissions Closed

Call for Papers for the Academic Program of Swancon 50 – Submissions Closed.

Overview

Swancon is Perth’s premier science fiction and fantasy convention and in 2026 will celebrate the 50th Swancon, with the theme of “Celebrating Past – Imagining Futures”. The 2026 Swancon will have an academic programming stream, focusing on scholarly discussion of science fictional, fantasy and horror by Western Australian writers, game designers, artists, and other creators.

Location

The Pagoda Hotel, South Perth, Western Australia.

Key Dates

• Swancon 50 convention dates: 29 May to 1 June 2026
• Dates that the Academic programming will run: 30 May to 1 June 2026
• Submission deadline for Proposals: 25 February 2026, 11:59PM Perth time (UTC+8)
• Notification of acceptance: 11 March 2026
• Full papers for special issue due (optional): 5 July 2026

Special issue of Science Fiction: A Review of Speculative Literature

A message from the Editor:

“Van Ikin has pledged to publish any paper delivered at this Swancon in his academic literary journal Science Fiction: A Review of Speculative Literature, which has been published since 1977, initially from Sydney University and from the University of Western Australia since 1980. (Anyone who does not know the journal, or was unaware it still endures, should contact Van at van.ikin@uwa.edu.au [cc to van@ikin.net] and he will send sample copies for free.) The only stipulations would be that submitted articles should use in-text references rather than footnotes and must be submitted by a deadline.”

Proposals – required information to be included in the proposal submission

1. Title: This will appear in the Swancon 50 programme.
2. Presentation type: Scholarly Paper – short form, Scholarly Presentation – short form, Scholarly Paper – long form, Scholarly Presentation – long form, Themed panel. See the FAQ for details of each type.
3. Author(s) and Affiliations: Please provide full names of all author(s) and affiliations. These will appear in the Swancon 50 programme.
   e.g. Elizabeth Bennet, Perth, WA, Australia.
   e.g. Dr Jane Austen, University of Pemberley, Perth, WA, Australia.
4. Author(s) and contract details: Please provide contact details for each author(s) in the form of an email address (required) and an optional phone number (not required). These will NOT appear in the programme.
5. Short description (max 50 words): This may appear in the Swancon 50 programme.
6. Abstract (max 250 words): The abstract for your paper. This may appear in the Swancon 50 programme.
7. Professional bio: A brief 100-150-word professional bio for each author(s). This may appear in the Swancon 50 programme.
8. Do you wish your proposal/abstract to be considered for the special issue of the academic literary journal Science Fiction: A Review of Speculative Literature? If yes, then full papers will be due on 5 July 2026.
9. What day(s) of the convention will you be available? e.g. Saturday 30 May, Sunday 31 May, Monday 1 June. Note, every effort will be made to accommodate these times, but cannot not be guaranteed due to scheduling logistics:
10. Other details: Anything else that you would like the Swancon 50 committee to know about your proposal. These details are only for internal use.
    

Subject Fields include (but are not restricted to)

Proposals should be related to the topics of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror with a focus on the work of Western Australian writers, artists, game designers, and other creators. Within this theme the subject areas include Science Fiction and Fantasy Studies, Cultural History / Studies, Digital Humanities, Science Fiction and Fantasy (SFF) History, Literature, Popular Culture Studies, SFnal (science fictional), Medical and pandemic studies, Physical Sciences (e.g., Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, and Earth Science), and Social Sciences (e.g. Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Education, Geography, History, Law, Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology) topics as they relate to imagined futures and SFF.

Topics might include but certainly are not limited to:

• The works of specific WA writers, artists and other creators
• WA SFF publishers
• Western Australian SFF fannish history
• SFF scholarship in WA
• SFF collections and collectors in WA
• Interactions between SFnal Western Australia and the rest of the country
• From shipwrecks to emu wars: Western Australian history in SFF, what has been incorporated into fiction
  and what has not
• Teaching the West
• Australian Gothic in the West
• Politics in Western Australian SFF
• Lost lands and hidden worlds in Western Australian SFF
• The relationship between western cosmology and Indigenous Australian cosmology in Western Australian
  SFF
• White Australia and SFF in the West
• Climate Fiction, climate futures, and a changing planet
• Biosecurity and Epidemiology informing pandemic and biotech storylines
• Energy and sustainability impacts on infrastructure
• Marine Science and bio-inspired technology for extraterrestrial habitats
• Planetary Geology – how tectonics, volcanism, and surface processes shape credible alien landscapes
• Extreme environments and human adaptation – analogues for off-Earth habitats
• Town planning in space – predicting settlement patterns in our Solar System
• How speculative fiction imagines mapping alien worlds or multiverses
• Terraforming and weather control
• Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Automation – technology and ethics
• Planetary science informing credible alien worlds and off-Earth settings
• Plausible interplanetary geopolitics

FAQs

How do I submit a proposal?
You can submit your proposal by emailing it to ( academic@swancon.com.au ) by the submission deadline. You can submit your proposal as a plain text email, attached Word document etc.

What are the possible presentation types?

• Scholarly Paper – short form: 10-20 min. Will have one speaker who may read from a prepared script. In HASS disciplines this is often called a “Paper Presentation”.
• Scholarly Presentation – short form: 10-20 min. Will have one speaker who may be presenting on behalf of a team. This is typically a slide-driven presentation. In STEMM disciplines this is often called “Contributed Talk”.
• Scholarly Paper – long form: 40-60 min. Longer version of a Scholarly Paper – short form.
• Scholarly Presentation – long form: 40-60 min. Longer version of a Scholarly Presentation – short form.
• Themed panel: 40-60 min. Will have 3-4 speakers and a chair/moderator. Multiple perspectives on a single research question or theme. In HASS disciplines this is often called a “Panel” or “Colloquium”, and STEMM disciplines this is often called a “Thematic Session Talk”.

What format should my presentation be in?
This is your choice depending on your discipline area. Some disciplines typically make presentations in a visual/slide format, while other discipline areas typically read written papers. Papers will be grouped thematically within the session.

Will submitting a paper guarantee its acceptance in the program?
Submissions will be assessed by the Swancon committee for its suitability for inclusion in the Academic Stream.

Will submitted proposal/abstracts be peer reviewed?
No.

If I submit a proposal/abstract, do I need to provide the full paper or presentation in advance of the convention?
No.

What day and time will my presentation be?
The Academic Program items will be spread across the convention on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The day and time for sessions of the Academic Stream will be determined based on submissions and other program scheduling, and participants will be informed as soon as possible.

If I am presenting in the academic program, do I need to buy a Swancon membership? Yes, in-person presenters within the Academic Stream will need to buy either a day or full Swancon membership. If you are only presenting virtually in the academic stream, then you do not need to purchase a Swancon membership to attend your session.

What sessions will be virtual or hybrid?
Accepted authors will present predominantly in person at the convention, with at least one session having a hybrid/virtual option. The number and timing of a hybrid/virtual will be determined based on submissions and other program scheduling, and participants will be informed as soon as possible.

What audio-visual options will be available?
It will be possible (but not required) for you to make an audio-visual presentation. It is not necessary to submit your slides or paper prior to your session, but to bring these on the day. For a digital presentation, you may use your own laptop or bring it on a digital drive. More details of the technical requirements will be provided closer to the convention.

Contact Email

academic@swancon.com.au