Poster presentations

Abstracts can only be submitted via the NWO NAC website before the deadline of 4 December 2027 (for oral presentations) and 3 February 2027 (for posters and demonstrations). Abstracts sent via e-mail will not be accepted.  

In the abstract submission system you need to provide the following information: 

• Preferred type of presentation: Oral, poster presentation or demonstration. It is not possible to give both an oral presentation and present a poster. You can, however, indicate whether you would be open to a poster presentation if we are unable to accommodate your oral presentation. It is possible to apply for a demonstration alongside either an oral presentation or a poster. Should you wish to do that, please send us an email to nac@nwo.nl. 

Poster presentations: 

• Title of the abstract: The full title will be displayed in the book of abstracts in the app.
• Short title of the abstract: A short title will be displayed on the displays in the hallway of the conference venue. Please use no more than 5 words.
• Abstract text: The abstract body should be no longer than 250 words. The text should be clear, concise, and written in English with correct spelling and a good sentence structure. 
  Mathematical symbols and equations can be included. There is no option to include images, graphs or pictures.
• Abstract keywords: You have the possibility to add a maximum of 5 keywords to your abstract. Doing so can help the programme committee and conference visitors to easily identify the focus of your research.
• Topics: Based on the topics chosen, your abstract will be assigned to reviewers and into a scientific parallel session. The topics aid the Programme Committee in placing your abstract into the scientific programme. The topics are based on the foundations, synergies and three routes enabling framework and conditions described in the White Paper Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) (p. 11-18). For more information on the topics, please check out the White Paper.
• Topic 1 (mandatory): These topics are based on the EES Synergies.
• Topic 2 (mandatory): These topics are based on the EES Foundations.
• Topic 3 (optional): These topics are based on the EES Framework & Conditions.
• Poster pitch: We will provide a pitch podium for poster presenters.
• How many years you have been in your current position: In case of equal fit of a presentation for an oral parallel session, preference will be given to early career researchers.
• Have you previously presented at NWO NAC and, if yes, what kind of presentation (oral or poster) you did and when: This information is asked so that as many different attendants as possible can get a chance to present their work.
• We need the following information from all co-authors:
• First name, family name, prefix, affiliation  

Make sure that all co-authors agree with you submitting this abstract. 

Abstracts should be carefully compiled and thoroughly checked, in particular with regard to the list of authors, before submission in order to avoid last-minute changes. 

Authors are allowed as first author to submit only a single abstract. Authors can be included as co-author on multiple abstracts. The submission of an abstract carries with it the obligation that it is actually presented at the meeting by the first author. If this is not possible, please withdraw your abstract as early as possible.  

There is no abstract submission or processing fee required.  

Submission of the same abstract by more than one author is not allowed. Duplicates identified by the Programme Committee will be rejected. 

The content of abstracts is the responsibility of their authors. The Programme Committee of NWO NAC reserves the right to reject abstracts that are not written in English, are not related to the fields of Earth and Environmental Sciences or do not meet basic standards of scientific quality. 

Many presentations at NWO NAC will be in the format of a poster presentation, which is comparable to other international conferences in Earth and Environmental Sciences.

There are a few ‘best practices’ when it comes to designing a poster that can increase its effectiveness for communicating your research. Remember that it often takes a few seconds for a person to decide whether they will stop to continue reading your poster. Proper design, therefore, helps to draw people into your story and explain your research.

Our Top-5 tips for designing a poster:

1. Readability

The poster should be readable from a distance. When multiple people are admiring your work at the same time, not everyone may be able to read the content if its text and figures are too small. Adjust your design accordingly. For example, your title needs to leave an impact, so think of using an appreciably bigger font size. In contrast, use smaller font sizes than the regular body text of the poster for all the ‘administrative sections’, such as the affiliations, acknowledgements and references. Also, think of contrast; dark-coloured letters on a light background are often easier to read than light-coloured letters on a dark background (same goes for photos used as a background). TEXT IN CAPITALS IS LESS EASY TO READ than a regular font. Here is our life hack to check the readability of your poster: print your A0-sized poster on an A4-sized sheet of paper. At this scale, all your body text and caption should be readable; if it’s not, your font size is too small.

2. Text and word count

A poster is a presentation form but think of it more in terms of an illustrated abstract. It is by no means meant to be the equivalent of a peer-reviewed paper printed on an A0 sheet. The optimum word count for an A0-sized poster lies around 500-600 words (or less). Therefore, the challenge is to design a poster that has enough information for a reader to understand and enjoy your work without needing you there (e.g. when you are away on a coffee break) while you can also use the poster to illustrate and discuss your work when interacting with someone directly during the poster session (i.e. actually presenting with your poster).

3. Structure and layout

Help your audience in reading your poster. Use a recognisable structure and flow of the story. Provide context for the work that you present and include a clear conclusion/take-home message. So, use a design that helps to tell the story. For example, (1.) apply numbering to your sections, or (2.) be creative in using colours or other means that show the connectivity of text, figures or different sections on the poster. Condense your information into powerful phrases; use bulleted lists as opposed to lengthy sentences or full paragraphs. In a block of text sentences broken off at approx. ten words, contribute to its readability.  Also, pay attention to aligning text blocks and figures and leave some space around your text and figures. Make sure the poster does not look cluttered.

4. Figures

When including figures on a poster, note that a figure needs to be a bit more ‘robust’ and readable than the ones you design for a scientific peer-reviewed paper (e.g. thicker lines, lower complexity). It’s a philosophy comparable to the readability of the poster concerning font sizes. If you can not read a figure at the scale of an A4 print, it will not draw attention to a poster or properly convey its information. Also, figures need to be self-explanatory. If you are not standing near your poster, a reader should still be able to make out what the figure conveys.

5. Creativity and interactivity

Go wild; be creative! Make your poster stand out among the many other posters at our conference. However, try to be methodical about this and do not let it be at the expense of the scientific content of your poster. Avoid too many base colours in your poster; three tops. Find ways to make your poster interactive. Use anaglyph images and a pair of 3D glasses to share a fieldwork site with your audience. Include QR tags for directing readers with their smartphone to online content such as a video of your work, a website or your email address to contact you. Are you presenting a study related to a landscape feature, planetary body or a specific study object? Perhaps you can add a relevant 3D print related to your study (e.g. velcroed to the poster) or use other creative means. Gadgets really can help!