Annual Conference FAQs

We aim to meet the needs of our attendees with compassion and as much flexibility as possible. We can provide registration refunds for our Annual Conference in full when registrants request a refund more than 45 days before the event. Registrants receive partial refunds, up to 50%, if requested after this time period. If notified within 15 days of the event, we are unable to process refunds.

If our event or program is canceled or postponed due to circumstances beyond our control, we will work with registrants to provide full refunds should we be unable to reschedule the initiative.

The 2025 Annual Conference will convene at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan, Borikén; all sessions and conference events will be hosted on-site.

Puerto Rico Convention Center
100 Convention Center Blvd
San Juan, Puerto Rico

The General Conference will begin on Thursday 11/13 and will end on Sunday 11/16. We are able to formalize our conference program following our review and acceptance of 2025 Conference Proposals.

In order for your work to be considered for the NWSA Annual Conference, you must submit to our conference proposals portal, which opens in January 2025. 

Interested presenters may submit their work that align with an array of presentation formats. Please explore the details below and visit our Annual Conference page for more information!

• Individual Papers

• Posters Presentations

• Authors Meets Critics

• Constituency Group Sponsored Session

• Panel Presentations

• Pre-Conference: Program & Administration Development Committee

• Pre-Conference: Women's Centers Committee

• Roundtable Session

• Interactive Session
• Workshop Session

Explore our Annual Conference page

All presenters, including pre-conference presenters, poster session participants, and moderators must have an active NWSA individual membership AND be registered for the general conference by appropriate deadlines. 

Membership and conference registration require separate fees. We recommend updating your individual membership first before registering for the conference in order to receive the reduced rate. 

Each presenting member of a panel, workshop, or multi-author presentation, including the moderator, must meet these requirements. If you have organized a panel with community partners and activists, each presenter is required to be a current NWSA member and registered for the conference by the set 2025 deadline.

The National Office is grateful to our members who were affirming and honest in their 2024 conference feedback! We are returning to the practice of offering a mobile app, at no cost, for our 45th Annual Conference.

Our official conference submission portal, X-CD, can be accessed via computers and mobile phones in your browser. We received feedback noting that a more accessible means of viewing conference details is/was sorely needed. Engaging in our 2025 Conference app will allow you to:

• view relevant maps and directional information
• access the full conference program
• select sessions and build your own conference schedule
• explore our Exhibitor Directory of local businesses in Puerto Rico, academic press, and small QTBIPOC and/or women-owed businesses
• connect/chat with other attendees
• receive accurate real-time updates o the conference program!

Full conference information can also be found at the 2025 Annual Conference page on our website. 

All conference submitters will receive “Accept/Decline” notifications via XCD no later than the week of July 1st. 

Volunteer moderators are needed for some conference sessions. All accepted moderators and presenters must fulfill the requirements of individual membership and conference registration. NWSA staff will contact you in fall 2025 to match you with a panel.

We understand that accepted presenters may face unexpected challenges that lead to withdrawing from the conference, changing their session logistics, or requesting schedule changes as we get closer to the Annual Conference. These changes impact our timeline for allowing moderators to sign up for sessions and we appreciate your continued patience and support!

Our Volunteer Moderator Interest form will be available in Spring 2025

Traditional meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) are not provided during the conference. The Association may host a reception and other catered events that may require advanced registration. 

Lastly, some institutions, caucuses, and other sponsored groups may choose to host receptions/meetings that may have food and beverage available but this is not guaranteed. Please explore the conference program to review such events!

Early Bird conference registration typically begins in the Spring and closes with 8 weeks. When possible, we are extend our timeline for Early Bird discount rates to allow our members to access to affordable fees given the competing financial commitments and pressures that we are navigating.

There are two core NWSA Pre-Conferences which require registration: the Program Administration and Development  Committee (PAD) pre-conference and the Women’s Centers Committee (WCC) Pre-Conference. 

In order to attend either pre-conference, attendees will pay an additional $125 USD to register. This rate is inclusive of the breakfast and lunch that will be provided. The last day to register for either of these pre-conferences is September 1st, 2025. 

The NWSA offers a limited number of registration scholarships and travel grants to accepted presenters.  NWSA especially encourages student research and involvement at its Annual Conferences via a limited number of registration scholarships and travel grants to accepted presenters. Students, scholars, contingent educators, and activists with a demonstrated need for financial assistance are encouraged to apply. Particular consideration will be given to assisting those with need who have not previously received NWSA travel grants.

The registration scholarships and travel grants are also intended to encourage the participation of individuals from under-represented and/or precarious constituencies in the NWSA. The Ann K. Schonberger Travel and Registration Grant opens in the Spring season.

At this time, NWSA does not offer official group rates for Annual Conference registration. However, we are willing to work with departments and organizations sending large amounts of students to our conference. Please email our Operations and Infrastructure Manager, Courtney Carroll, at NationalOffice@nwsa.org with the details of your group, budget information and any other details you would like us to know in order to review your request. We work with our Treasurer and Finance Committee to review all requests.

Guest registration fees are applicable to all partners and/or individuals who will not attend concurrent sessions but may be interested in attending Annual Conference events such as receptions, plenaries, etc. If you are interested in purchasing a Day Pass for guests and non-members of the Association, please email the National Office (NationalOffice@nwsa.org) with the Subject Line: "Day Pass Request" and your name and we will coordinate next steps in alignment with our Finance Committee's oversight.

Participants can be in no more than two sessions, including presenter and Chair of Record roles. Please note that volunteering to moderate a session is different that serving as Chair of Record for a session submitted through the formal Call for Proposals (CFP) process.

NWSA often receives far more requests for AV resources than we can provide.  In our commitments to expanding our alignment with accessibility, we are working with our conference site to maximize the audio/visual capacities of our meeting spaces. Therefore, during the CFP submission process, we ask that your program submissions include an audiovisual rationale to assist in the logistics planning of developing the conference program. 

PLEASE NOTE: You cannot bring your own projector or speakers due to union regulations. With the exception of HDMI adapters, all audiovisual equipment must be handled by the audiovisual provider. We HIGHLY recommend you bring an HDMI adapter in addition to your personal computer/laptop as we will not have such equipment available for use. 

NWSA receives far more requests for AV resources than we can provide at the conference. While we work to meet as many requests as we can, we cannot  currently provide AV to all who request it. The Proposal Review Committee and our Access and Inclusion Committee reviews all requests for accepted proposals, including the AV rationale and makes those decisions as a part of developing the conference program.

We encourage all presenters to also use alternative formats such as handouts to convey visual information. Our submission site, X-CD, also functions as our virtual conference program. We encourage all presenters - regardless of A/V assignments - to provide access copies and relevant materials through the proper session channels!

Each General Conference session is 75 minutes, so please plan your individual presentation accordingly. Remember that “giving a paper” is not the same thing as “reading a paper.” Your argument should be clear and brief. Please be mindful that other presenters in your session require equal time to present.

With the help of your Chair of Record of a Volunteer Moderator (when available), be sure to allow time for Q&A at the end of your session, ensuring that you stay within the allotted 75 minutes. The Chair of Record or Volunteer Moderator for the session should also serve as the timekeeper.

Yes! Your presentation of any type can be fully in Spanish. All we ask is that you indicate this in the abstract section of your submission so that we are able to make a note when the schedule is released! 

Any accommodation requests related to scheduling and room location (i.e. scheduling your session near an elevator/escalator, requesting an ASL interpreter, etc.) can be made in your submission through our submission portal, X-CD. 

You may also submit an accommodations request here.

The National Women's Studies Association will make every effort to provide reasonable accommodations to presenters and attendees in ways that integrate, more seamlessly, our commitments to accessibility and inclusion. 

We must receive requests for accommodations by September 15, 2025 in order to best work with our site coordinators, vendors, and partners in the planning process. Please note that some services may be available for limited portions of the conference. 

• NWSA is committed to making the Annual Conference accessible to all attendees. If a need arises on-site, we encourage you to stop by registration for assistance and ask for a NWSA staff person.
• Presenters should plan to bring five physical copies of their papers, even in draft form, for the use of attendees who wish to follow the written text. Presenters who use handouts should prepare some copies in a large-print format (Sans-serif font, 16-point type size). Presenters should indicate whether they want their papers and handouts returned.
• When speaking, position your face at an angle that allows participants to read your lips. Avoid speaking while facing away from the audience, or while looking down at papers or screens.
• Please describe any PowerPoints or visuals.
• If you are planning on showing video during your presentation, please plan to caption/subtitle your video or have transcripts available.
• If engaging in experiential activities, make sure you have planned for the inclusion of all, regardless of physical and mobility abilities.
• Consider making it possible for attendees to obtain an electronic version that allows for type size adjustments or use of text readers (creating audio from written text).