31st Society For Animation Studies Conference CFP: Animation is A Place
Under the theme ANIMATION IS A PLACE, the 31st Society for Animation Studies Conference (hosted by Universidade Lusófona de Lisboa) aims to celebrate animation as one of the most vital contemporary forms of visual expression.
Society for Animation Studies invites practitioners and scholars to address animation as a privileged space within the realm of the moving image, a unique position that allows animators to not only create imaginary worlds but also, importantly, to look at and challenge the world we live in.
Using Lisbon's Atlantic position and its historical place between Europe, the Americas, North Africa and the routes to the East, as an opportunity to further enhance the cultural reach of the SAS, we want to discuss animationi n a contemporary context. In an age of contrasting globalization and the rise of separatist ideologies, SAS encourages potential delegates to celebrate animation's transdisciplinary nature by focusing on its cultural diversities and issues of local distinctiveness, with geography and location as an underpinning general theme.
Although SAS welcomes submissions on any topic within the field of Animation Studies, this year we particularly welcome a focus on animation practice and theory as a reflection of its time and place, as a tool of cultural expression, and invite proposals to respond to a wide range of topics:
- The impact of geography and/or cultural identity on animation production - Independent animation: case studies
- Globalisation and the rise of international co-productions: a platform to sustain small industries or a homogenizing agent of aesthetics and content?
- Teaching and learning: An Education in Animation and Animation in Education
- Spatial constructions: Animation, Architecture, and Place
- Expanded Animation, Beyond the Screen: Public space, installation, exhibition...
- Practice-based Animation Research
- Documentary Animation
- Animation as Therapy
- Animation and Gender, Gendered Geographies
- Sonic Landscapes – sound and composition in animation
- Cross-disciplinary and Interdisciplinary approaches to animation,
including sociological and anthropological perspectives
Submission Requirements
All interested individuals should send applications to
File 1 (Word or PDF)- Name
- Title
- Email address (to be displayed in catalogue)
- Affiliation (if any)
- Bio (no more than 1000 characters)
- Clarify if you will be presenting a 20 min. Paper or a 5 min Micro-talk.
File 2 (Word or PDF)
- Abstract (no more than 1500 characters)
- Keywords
- Please do submit the abstract as a separate document without any personal information to enable blind review.
File 3(JPG, PNG or TIFF
- A high resolution head shot photo of yourself (suitable for print publication – portrait orientation)
*20 Minute Paper*
This form of presentation will allow for 20 minutes of presentation. The papers are usually grouped together in a session of 3-4 papers with approximately 10-15 minutes reserved for Q&A at the end of every session. We strongly encourage PowerPoint or Keynote-presentations that engage the audience through an appealing combination of text and images, but this format is not mandatory.
*5 Minutes Micro Talks*
Each micro talks is 5 minutes in length. The micro-talk sessions will be 30 minutes in length. It is a timed presentation (e.g. PowerPoint of 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each) that can include images, clips, and text. There will be no Q&A period for the micro-talks. Financial aid for travel will be available on a limited basis; details will be forthcoming.
Specific Submission Requirements for Panel Presentations
Panels are 90 minutes and include three 20 minute paper presentations and time for discussion. Panel presentations provide panellists the opportunity to share perspectives, exchange experiences, and engage in discussion with each other and audience members.
Pre-constituted Panel proposals are accepted and encouraged. They should be limited to 3-4 speakers (all of whom must be members of the SAS by the date of the conference). The chair of the proposed panel is expected to submit abstracts and contact information for all the panellists and co-ordinate communication between the panellists and the conference organizers.
Submissions should include the include the following information:
- Panel title/theme.
- Name and contact information for the panel chair.
- Titles and abstracts for each paper as noted above (1500 characters max each).
- Biography (1000 characters) contact information for each presenter.
- A high resolution head shot photo of yourself (suitable for print publication – portrait orientation).
- International panels representing two or more countries are especially sought.
Deadline for Submissions: 21 December 2018
Acceptance Process
Proposals will be blind reviewed by a panel of SAS members, and acceptance will be announced by the end of January, 2019. Please be aware that spaces
for presentations are limited. Late proposals will not be considered until all other proposals have been read. Late proposals and non-members of SAS at the time of submission will be given lower consideration.
You will need to be a fully paid member of the SAS to present at the conference, but you can submit a proposal for consideration even if you are not currently a member. Membership/renewal in the Society for Animation Studies for 2016 is mandatory for all conference presenters. Non-members wishing to join the SAS, and/or returning members wishing to renew membership please follow this link:
- Visit The official SAS Conference Website:
The 31st SAS Conference takes place in Lisbon (17-21 June 2019), and is hosted by the Universidade Lusófona de Lisboa.