The 2026 Social Norms Conference | Call for Abstracts

The Social Norms Conference is BACK!

The 2026 Social Norms Conference, convened by the Anglophone West Africa Social Norms and Agency Learning Collaborative (AWALC), will bring together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, development partners, private sector leaders, community actors, and young changemakers to explore the theme: "Norms in Shifting Landscapes: Powering Progress for People and Place".

As West Africa's development ecosystem navigates an evolving funding landscape, the evidence we generate and share matters more than ever. If your research or program has produced insights others can learn from, this is your moment to put your findings in front of the people who can act on them.

We welcome abstracts under five sub-themes:

• Sub-theme 1: Power, Resources & Possibility - governance, financing, and institutions shaping inclusion and development outcomes
• Sub-theme 2: Youth Voices, Ventures & Votes - how young people are shaping norms through leadership, innovation, and civic participation
• Sub-theme 3: Stories, Screens, Systems & AI - how media, digital technologies, and AI are reshaping narratives and social change
• Sub-theme 4: Land, Food & Human Security - climate change and food systems reshaping resilience, livelihoods, and human security
• Sub-theme 5: Lives, Learning & Wellbeing - how social norms shape health, education, protection, and wellbeing across the life course

Why Submit?

• Put your evidence in front of the people who can use it - policymakers, funders, and practitioners working across West Africa
• Build the partnerships that outlast the conference - connect with researchers and implementers working on the same problems across the region
• Leave a citable footprint - publication in the 2026 Book of Abstracts and on the Learning Collaborative website

Researchers, practitioners, and implementers at all career stages are encouraged to submit — including early-career voices.

📅 Deadline: August 6, 2026

🔗 Submit HERE