In celebration of our 15th year anniversary, we are delighted to open our Call for Papers for the 2026 Háskóli Íslands Student Conference on the Medieval North. The conference shall be held on April 16th to 18th 2026, in the Edda auditorium at Háskóli Íslands and online. The conference is an interdisciplinary forum for postgraduate students (master’s and doctoral level) and early career researchers working in the field of medieval northern studies. Students who have not given papers at an academic conference before are especially encouraged to submit. 

We are currently accepting abstract submissions for the fifteenth annual 

Háskóli Íslands Student Conference on the Medieval North. 

This conference theme for our 15th Conference: 

Stirring Up Trouble: Antagonists, Outlaws, Troublemakers, and Rebels 

We welcome abstract submissions on a wide range of topics connected to this theme, including but not limited to: 

Art History 

Archaeology 

Digital Humanities 

Folklore 

Gender & Queer Studies 

Literary Studies 

Manuscripts & Paleography 

Philology 

Reception of the Medieval Period 

Religious Studies 

Please mind that submissions provided should adhere to the theme.

Interested student scholars should email their abstract of 250-300 words, along with a brief biography containing name, preferred pronouns, institution, program of study, and accessibility requirements (if any), to histudentconference@gmail.com by December 8th, 2025. Additionally, please indicate whether you intend to attend the conference online or in person. The Committee reserves the right to make selections based on the quality of written abstracts, adherence to submission guidelines, and timely submission. 

The languages of the conference are given in Icelandic and English. Individual paper presentations will be 20 minutes in length, followed by 10 minutes for discussion. Additionally, there is a Poster Session for students to present their material in poster form. Students may apply for either a paper or a poster. The conference committee may offer a poster presentation to some paper applicants. Please direct any further inquiries to the Conference Committee via email. 

After the conclusion of the conference, presenters will have the opportunity to submit their papers for the conference proceedings volume, which will be published as an e-book in autumn of 2026. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: From 2023 onward, no speaker may present more than twice at the Háskóli Íslands Student Conference on the Medieval North. Applying for a third year, even with an excellent proposal, will result in a rejection. This is to fairly give an opportunity to graduate students who have never presented at a conference.