2026 Presentation Proposals
The 2026 Institute is being planned as a in-person and hybrid event at our regular location at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
2026 Call for Presentations
Proposals are due Saturday, February 1, 2026
Decision announcements (accept, revise, decline): February 20, 2026
NOTE: ALL in-person sessions may be live-streamed for real time remote participation. All sessions will be recorded for later on-demand viewing. Recordings will be available a minimum of 3 months following the close of the in-person activities.
Track Session Information
Tracks are longer sessions intended to provide depth into a topic as a concentrated training and/or instructional workshop. Track sessions are a total of four hours of instruction broken into four, 1-hour blocks. All four hours of a track are taught within the same day and will be scheduled on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. There are no tracks on Sunday or Thursday. Attendees will attend a different track session each day and typically attend all parts of a given track topic. There will be a maximum of seven concurrent Track sessions.
The schedule for all track sessions will be the same whether scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday:
- Part 1 of 4: 10:15 am - 11:15 am
- Part 2 of 4: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
- Part 3 of 4: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
- Part 4 of 4: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Compensation: $400 total ($100 per instructional hour) or complimentary registration for the full conference.
Special Topic Session Information
Special Topics are shorter sessions intended highlight a breadth of topics with less depth than the track sessions. Special Topic sessions are a total of 1 hour and will be scheduled on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. There are no Special Topics on Sunday. Attendees will attend a different session each day. There will be a maximum of seven concurrent Special Topic sessions.
The schedule for all Special Topic sessions is as follows:
- Monday: 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm
- Tuesday: 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm
- Wednesday: 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm
- Thursday: 8:30 am - 9:30 am
Compensation: $100 or complimentary daily registration.
Track Proposal
Track presenters will be required to provide the following:
- Resume or CV for each presenter
- Track title
- 3-5 sentences explaining relevance to rural audiences
- Track description (up to 300 words)
- Up to three track goals
- Title and description of parts 1-4, each up to 150 words
- Objectives for parts 1-4 of the track
1. Recognition as an in-kind sponsor, with logo recognition on the website, in the printed program and in the conference brochure/application
2. Full complimentary registration for ONE presenter
3. $400. You must submit a W9 to the University of Wisconsin-Stout no later than May 8, 2026. Failure to provide a W9 may lead to forfeiting payment in lieu of another honorarium option.
Special Topic Proposal
Special Topic presenters will be required to present the following:
Special Topic Presenter Requirements
1. A one-day complimentary registration instead of financial compensation
2. $100. By selecting this option you must provide a W9 to the University of Wisconsin-Stout no later than May 7, 2026. Failure to provide a W9 may lead to forfeiting payment in lieu of another honorarium option.
Presenters for Special Topic sessions will be required to provide the following:
- Resume or CV for each presenter
- Special Topic title
- Session description (up to 300 words)
- Up to three session goals
1. A one-day complimentary registration instead of financial compensation
2. $100. By selecting this option you must provide a W9 to the University of Wisconsin-Stout no later than May 7, 2026. Failure to provide a W9 may lead to forfeiting payment in lieu of another honorarium option.