NOEC 2026

The 23rd National Outdoor Education Conference will be convened by the Outdoor Educators’ Association of Queensland in September 2026 and will be based at the Trinity Anglican School in Cairns, Queensland.

Ticket sales will open in January 2026.

Call for papers, workshops, presentations.

Due date for submission: Monday, February 9, 2026

The success of the NOEC conference program will depend largely on the input and contributions from academics, practitioners, and administrators across the broad field of outdoor education. The purpose of this communiqué is to invite you to submit an expression of interest (EOI) to be involved in the program. In addition to the traditional conference presentations and workshops, a significant point of difference of the program in 2026 is that on Wednesday, 30 September, we are organizing workshops in-the-field. These workshops will use a broad range of activities to focus on a diverse range of topics.

We are inviting expressions of interest, using the electronic form below, for presentations in a range of concurrent sessions on the Tuesday and Thursday of the conference. The conference dinner is on Thursday night.

We welcome expressions of interest from all interested parties, and assistance will be available from the Conference Organising Committee as required. Please don’t hesitate to email NOEC@outdooreducationaustralia.org.au to discuss the support that would help to ensure we have presentations that represent the diversity of those working in the outdoor education field.

All submissions will be peer reviewed and judged against the following criteria. We encourage all applicants to address the criteria in their EOI outlining their proposed session (maximum of 250 words). References (if used) should not be included in this word count.
Successful EOIs will:

1. Share innovative and inspiring thinking and/or practice. Illustrate how you have adapted, extended, or reimagined existing approaches to create positive, evidence-based outcomes and inspire further innovation.
2. Be relevant to the outdoor education profession. The Outdoor Education Australia website (link) provides guidance on the scope of outdoor education practice.
3. Encourage participant engagement. Explain how you will engage participants, compel their attention, and challenge current thinking and/or practice. Explain how participants will be able to apply what they learn.
4. Be timely. Explain how you will address current issues/challenges/problems in society and/or the outdoor education profession.
5. Be evidence-based. Explain how your session will draw on academic literature and/or evidence to support the thinking and/or practice being shared.

All delegates who submit an expression of interest will be notified of the outcome within four weeks of the submission date (due 9 March 2026).
Submit your EOI here: https://forms.gle/gKbadMTHhpqxX6DL7

Draft Program

NOEC 2026 Draft Program

More information to follow as it becomes available.