Call for Papers: 10th Annual Graduate Conference in Religion and Ecology

Yale Divinity School’s 10th Annual Graduate Conference in Religion and Ecology has opened its Call for Submissions. We invite you to submit papers or creative/artistic works for the conference.

We encourage submissions from graduate students globally and welcome content related to any spirituality, traditional knowledge system, or lack-thereof. All submissions are due by December 1, 2025 at 11:59pm EST. The conference will be held in person on February 20, 2026, at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT. An optional Gallery Walk is scheduled for Thursday, February 19, 2026 (7–9 pm) to showcase creative contributions.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Return to the Roots: How We Move Forward,” intended to inspire rather than prescribe. This theme invites us to explore how our roots—ancestral wisdom, spiritual traditions, and place-based relationships—can ground us amid crises and guide us toward the future. We will wrestle with several critical questions this year, such as:

• How do roots inspire us in the midst of crises, whether they be environmental, within our communities, or in our own personal, spiritual lives?
• How can our ancestral and unfolding place-based relations tether us to hope?
• How do emerging roots allow us to move forward through intercommunions of persons, communities, religions, spiritualities, and scientific practices?
• And ultimately, we ask, what if everything we need is right below our feet?

We welcome a diverse range of scholarly and creative submissions that engage with these questions or the broader theme. Through this conference and its discussions, we aim to foster an interdisciplinary conversation on how using roots as teachers might help us move forward in the face of environmental and societal challenges. We look forward to exploring these ideas together at the Yale Graduate Conference in Religion and Ecology in February 2026.

Papers & Artistic Submission

We encourage you to submit creative works relating to this year’s theme, including written word (e.g., poetry, traditional papers, fiction, creative nonfiction), musical compositions, two-dimensional visual art (e.g., photography, painting, drawing, collages), performance proposals, participatory workshops, videos, etc. Accepted submissions will be presented or performed at the conference or displayed at our Thursday evening Gallery Walk. All accepted presenters and performers will be invited to attend the conference in person or online, with a preference for the former. Those who submit artistic works and are selected for the gallery are strongly encouraged to attend the conference in person or accompany the shipment of their work.

Types of Submissions

20–minute Presentations:

• For Papers: Abstract (150–300 words)
• For Artistic Works: Description (150–300 words) and a sample of work
• For Both: Presenter biography for the conference program (50–100 words, third person)

1–hour Workshops/Performances:

• Extended description (~1 page) – A brief outline of the workshop or performance components that includes the relevance to the conference theme and how the audience will be invited to engage.
• Space and material needs
• Biography for the conference program (50–100 words each, third person)

Gallery Submissions

• Written submissions may be up to 3 pages
• Video or recording submissions up to 5 minutes, but we are open to accepting exemplary longer works
• For visual and material arts submissions, provide photos and a written description (150–300 words)
• Submissions should be .PDF, .PNG, .JPG, .DOC, .DOCX, .MP4, .MOV, or .MP3 files.
• Artist biography for the conference program (50–100 words each, third person)

If you are making multiple submissions, please repeat the form. Those submitting work will receive an email in mid-December.

Please contact gcre@yale.edu with questions or concerns.