CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Our 2026 theme, Advocacy in Action: Shaping Cancer Care Together, reflects the collective impact of the oncology community in driving meaningful change. We invite abstract submissions that showcase the latest research, innovations and practical insights emerging from across Aotearoa.

We welcome contributions from clinicians, scientists, nurses and allied health professionals, including radiation therapists, for consideration as oral presentations or posters within the programme. Submissions are also encouraged for the Pharmac Awards, recognising excellence and impact in oncology practice and research.

Groundbreaking, life-changing work is happening here in New Zealand. NZSO 2026 provides a platform to share these advancements, foster collaboration, and contribute to shaping the future of cancer care together.

Make an abstract submission »

Key dates

Presentation categories

Oral presentations
If your abstract is accepted as an oral presentation you will be allocated a place in the programme. You will be advised of your allocated presentation time at the time of abstract acceptance notification. Note that there are a limited number of oral presentation opportunities and your abstract submission may be selected for a poster presentation.

Pharmac Emerging Researcher Awards
There are two awards of $3,000 each, open to NZSO members. One for clinical and one for bio-medical. If you would like to be considered for one of these awards please select this presentation type during the submission process. Note these are oral presentations and will take place throughout the programme. More information, including eligibility can be found here.

Poster presentations
If your abstract is accepted as a poster, you will be required to produce a poster to be displayed within the exhibition. There will be a dedicated poster session allocated in the programme on Friday evening. We encourage you to use the #betterposter format and all poster presenters will be asked to create a one minute video that conveys the importance of your research and its findings, that can be shared publicly.

Abstract format

During the submission process you will be asked to load your abstract as plain text in a box rather than upload a word document. The word count for this is 300 words. During the process you will be asked to advise the names and affiliations of authors. This process allows for all abstracts to be formatted the same way.

Other information

Abstract requirements

Maximum of 300 words
Do not insert any tables or figures as your abstract will be as plain text, rather than an uploaded document
Check spelling and grammar. Submitted material will be published in conference materials - the abstract should, therefore, contain no errors
Standard scientific abbreviations may be used - non-standard abbreviations should be included in parenthesis after the first use of the full word
Do not indent paragraphs
Present sufficient data to support conclusions - it is unsatisfactory to use statements such as "data will be presented" or "results will be discussed".

Assessment of submissions
All abstracts submitted for poster and oral presentations are reviewed and assessed by nominated NZSO members with biomedical or clinical expertise. A standardised scoring tool is used for each assessor to rank submitted abstracts. Subsequently all assessors come together to decide final allocations of oral presentation, poster or declined. The number of accepted oral presentations are at the discretion of the review and conference committees.

Publication of abstracts
Accepted abstracts will be published in the conference app. By submitting your abstract you agree to this condition.

Registration
All presenters are required to register and pay to attend the conference. Presenters must be registered by 31 August.

Contact

For further information contact:

Victoria Drinnan | Conference Innovators
T: +64 27 367 0658 | E: victoria@conference.nz