The UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Association is pleased to announce the call for proposals for the 2026 Annual Event, to be held at the University of Southampton from 15-16 June with selected sessions streamed online. The theme for this year’s event is Sustainability.

Key Information:

• Information sessions: 16 December 2025, 4-5pm and 14 January 2026, 2:30-3:30pm
• Abstract submission deadline: 30 January 2026
• Expressions of interest for peer review deadline: 2 February 2026
• Notification of acceptance for proposals: 16 March 2026
• Conference dates: 15-16 June 2026
• Location: Avenue Campus, Highfield Road, University of Southampton, England, UK

The programme will be announced and registration for both in-person and online attendees will open in the coming months.

We are currently working on the programme for the Annual Event, but will update this page when the programme is finalised.

If you are presenting, please ensure you keep to time as we have a busy schedule across the 2 days. The timings for each format are below.

• • Talks: 20 mins
  • Panels and/or roundtables: 75 mins
  • Workshops: 90 mins
  • Demos: 15 mins
  • Posters: 5-min introduction

The Association plans to award a number of bursaries to support in-person attendance at the Annual Event. The bursaries are to make the event more accessible to those who would otherwise be unable to attend, with preference given to those who will be presenting at the event. Affordable accommodation will also be available to attendees.

Bursaries are now open. For more information please see our announcement, which includes criteria and further details. The deadline to apply is the 13 April 2026. **Deadline now extended until the 24 April 2026**

The 2026 Annual Event will be held at the University of Southampton from 15-16 June with selected sessions streamed online.

The Annual Event will primarily be an in-person event. However, we recognise the importance of remote participation to support inclusive access and so we plan to livestream the main elements of the programme for attendees to view online. We will do our best to ensure that both in-person and virtual participants will have a rewarding and valuable experience. We may not be able to livestream breakout sessions, working meetings, or other portions of the event, such as the posters/demos session. If you have specific questions about accessibility and inclusion, please contact the Programme Committee at uk-ie.digitalhumanities@sas.ac.uk.

If your proposal is accepted for inclusion in the conference, but you are not able to travel to Southampton, we are happy to discuss arrangements for making a virtual presentation on a case-by-case basis. There will be a place in the submission portal to indicate whether you can attend in person. If you have any questions, please contact the Programme Committee at uk-ie.digitalhumanities@sas.ac.uk.

More information on how to get to Southampton’s Avenue Campus can be found here.

By Plane

You can fly into Southampton Airport, which has flights to many European destinations including Dublin. The airport is a 10-minute train ride from Southampton city centre.

By Train

You can catch a train to Southampton Central Train Station, with direct connections to London and several other cities.

By Bus

Unilink buses stop directly outside the campus.

• Southampton Central Station is 2 miles away. It’s a 20-minute bus ride or a 45-minute walk from campus.
• Southampton Airport is 3.5 miles away. It’s a 30-minute bus ride or a 65-minute walk from campus.

The conference will be held at Avenue Campus, Highfield Road, Southampton.

We recommend booking your stay early. Nearby hotels include:

• Premier Inn Southampton (Cumberland Place)
• Premier Inn Southampton City Centre
• Leonardo Hotel Southampton
• Ibis Southampton
• The Star Hotel
• Novotel Southampton
• The Elizabeth House Hotel

If you have any questions, please email uk-ie.digitalhumanities@sas.ac.uk