List of Academic Conferences

This list is always growing. Send us info about your discipline’s conferences or leave a comment and we’ll add it to the list.

I tried to give you an idea of when these conferences typically occur (so you can word search a month to find conferences during a time of year that works for you), when proposal submissions are due, and what these conferences are like. But you should double check anything you are interested in, because I may be wrong or the info may change in the future!

Biblical Studies

Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting

When: November.
Submissions: Call for papers from Janurary to March typically.
Where: Location changes each year. SBL is held jointly with other major conferences like the American Academy of Religion and the Institute of Biblical Research.
What: This is the big show for Biblical Studies folks. Its a massive conference gathering scholars from tons of disciplines. It may seem intimidating to even think about applying but your odds of getting your paper accepted are better than you think. It’s a great experience and it looks great on your CV. Check it out here.

Society of New Testament Studies Annual Meeting

When: Late July – Early August
Submissions: April
Where: Changes each year. Held in locations all over the world.
What: “SNTS greatly values meeting as one Society for the entire duration of the conference. This includes coming together not only for the academic programme, but also for lunches, dinners, coffee breaks, and social events organised by a Local Organising Committee (LOC). A variety of academic publishers are also present at the General Meeting to display recent publications and to engage with the delegates.” (Copied from their website)

Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscript Text & Manuscript Conference

When: May
Submissions: January
Where: Plano, TX (suburb of Dallas)
What: “The CSNTM Text & Manuscript Conference is a gathering of New Testament textual scholars from around the world, assembled for the purpose of studying the text of the New Testament and its transmission through the centuries.” (Copied from their website)

Regional Meeting of Religion & Bible Society (RBS) of the Rocky Mountain Great Plains Region (RMGP)

When: March
Submissions: November – as far as I can find.
Where: Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, or Kansas
What: This is a regional conference connected to the American Academy of Religion (AAR). I posted it as an example of the sort of regional conferences that branch off of big conference organizers like AAR and SBL. Factoring in travel and even the lower cost of admission, regional meeting are usually a lot cheaper to attend as either an attendee or a presenter!

Society of Egyptian Antiquities/Société pour l’Étude de l’Égypte Ancienne

Didn’t have toooo much info about their November annual conference on their website when I checked in April. Anybody else want to enlighten me in the comments?

29th International Congress of Papyrology

This one happens every three years, but you can catch the folks of the American Society of Papyrologists (ASP) each year at SBL in a meeting held in conjunction with the Society for Classical Studies (SCS) and the Archaeological Institute of America.

International Congress of Coptic Studies

When: Every four years. Date varies.
Submissions: five months earlier-ish
Where: Changes each year. all over the world.
What: The International Congress of Coptic Studies is the leading global conference dedicated to the study of Coptic language, literature, history, and culture. Held under the auspices of the International Association for Coptic Studies, it brings together scholars from around the world to share research on topics such as Coptic manuscripts, early Christianity in Egypt, archaeology, art, and linguistics.

More on it’s way. What am I missing?

Book of Mormon

Book of Mormon Studies Association Conference (BoMSA)

When: October
Submissions: February-June
Where: Utah State University in Logan, Utah
What: Such a fun conference we really friendly and supportive people. They welcome presentations from students! Check BoMSA out here.

The Interpreter Foundation

When: Multiple conferences a year. dates vary.
Submissions: Check website. Gratefully, their website is very informative and clear about dates and deadlines!
Where: Provo, UT
What: The Interpreter Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting religious studies that align with the doctrines and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Foundation’s conferences bring together scholars and all sorts of attendees to explore key themes in scripture and Restoration history, to foster deeper understanding of Latter-day Saint beliefs, and to respond thoughtfully to questions or criticisms through careful study.

BYU Sperry Symposium (Religious Education Symposium in honor of Sidney B. Sperry)

When: Janurary
Submissions: get comfortable because this process takes a long time. If I’m reading the call for proposals correctly, proposals are due nearly two years in advance. If your proposal is accepted, you’ll need to write a paper (15-20 pages) and submit it for peer-review more than a year before the conference. In the end, you present your paper and it is published along with the others for that conference. Here is an example of a Call for Proposals to give you an idea of this extensive process.
Where: Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah
What: Since 1973 the BYU Sidney B. Sperry Symposium has grown to become a premier venue for Latter-day Saint religious studies. The symposium originated to encourage faith-based religious scholarship on Latter-day Saint topics..

More on it’s way. What am I missing?

Chaplaincy

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More on it’s way. What am I missing?

Classics

Credit: Zedspider

Society for Classical Studies Annual Meeting

When: January
Submissions: April
Where: Changes each year within the US.
What: Copied from their website: “Every winter, the Society for Classical Studies holds a joint meeting with the Archaeological Institute of America. The annual meeting includes the presentation of individual papers and panels, workshops, roundtable discussions, and seminars; special events, including the Plenary Session for the presentation of awards; an exhibit hall for browsing and purchasing the latest books from a variety of publishers; dramatic performances by the Committee on Ancient and Modern Performance; social events, meetings and receptions of affiliated groups; and much more.”

More on it’s way. What am I missing?

Education/ Religious Education

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History

Mormon History Association (MHA)

When: June
Submissions: November
Where: Changes each year.
What: “The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history. We welcome all who are interested in the Mormon past, irrespective of religious affiliation, academic training, or world location. We promote our goals through scholarly research, conferences, awards, and publications.” (copied from their website)

North American Patristics Society (NAPS)

When: May
Submissions: November
Where: Changes each year.
What: Besides winning the award for the best acronym for an academic society (though perhaps not one that inspires confidence in the presenters’ abilities to engage attendees), NAPS promotes the study of late antiquity and early Christianity through it’s journal and annual meeting!

More on it’s way. What am I missing?