Conference

CA 2026

The CA Conference is the largest annual Classics Conference in the UK and brings together everyone with an interest in the ancient world, from across the globe. In 2026, we’re delighted to be heading to Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester – registration will open for delegates in the New Year!

The largest annual Classics Conference in the UK!

Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester will host the Classical Association Conference on 10-12 April 2026, with both in person and online attendance. Academic events will take place at the Business School of Manchester Metropolitan University, with other events taking place across the venues of the two Universities. Delegates will be supported to make their own arrangements for off-campus accommodation in the local area. More detailed information about practical issues will be distributed when the programme is finalised.

The programme will feature keynote addresses, one of which will be delivered by the CA’s Honorary President, the historian and broadcaster Michael Wood, Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester. You can also look forward to a variety of classically-themed entertainment, receptions, publisher stalls, the awarding of the CA Prize and CA Teaching Awards, opportunities to visit the city museums, and much more!

Submissions for the Conference have closed and all contributors have now been contacted. Registration will open in the New Year and we look forward to welcoming you to Manchester!

Conference Themes

At CA 2026, we aim to foster a friendly and inclusive environment, in the hope that panels will juxtapose speakers from different backgrounds, so that postgraduates, academics, and teachers can all share ideas, challenges, and enthusiasms. The following themes will form the key programme:

The Near East and the Classical World;

Africa (including, but not restricted to, Egypt) and the Classical World;

Ancient Political Philosophy;

Classical Heritage and Global Conflict;

Classics in North West England;

Commemorating the Dead;

Environment, Resources and the Ancient World;

Inscriptions and their Audiences;

Papyrology;

Pedagogy (particularly justice- and access-centred pedagogies);

Queer Classics;

The Near East and the Classical World

We are pleased to continue to subsidise prices to the Conference and to offer discounted access to the unwaged and to CA members and local branch members. If you would like to join the CA then click here. Online options will be available for the Conference. Presenters and non-presenters must pay the day fee alike and we are afraid that travel bursaries are not available.

Day fees include access to all panels, performances, plenaries, lunch, refreshments throughout the day, the welcome drinks reception on Friday and the entertainment on Saturday evening.

Panels are two-hour sessions which can be structured in different ways. For example, 4 papers may be presented, which focus on a common topic or theme, with each paper lasting for 20 minutes + 10 minutes discussion. Or you may structure your panel so as to include lightning talks (15 minutes in total – see above) alongside papers. Preference will be given to panels that engage with the conference themes, listed above. Please aim for diversity in the composition of your panel’s speakers.

Workshops are two-hour sessions which may include a combination of lightning talks and/or other activities. Workshops are aimed to be more interactive than regular panels; discussion is encouraged but will still require chairing. Proposals may wish to target workshops at the Conference’s specific themes. Please make it clear in your proposal if you already have collaborators in mind or if your session would be open to all or a specific number of delegate participants.

An individual paper is a 20-minute paper, which if accepted will then be allocated to a panel of other similar papers by the organising committee.

A lightning talk differs from a traditional paper in prioritising discussion over presentation. Each presenter is allocated five minutes for a presentation and ten minutes for discussion. The discussion-centred format offers presenters the opportunity to explore new ideas and new approaches with the help of feedback from the audience. These may be embedded in panels or in workshops.

Printed posters will offer the opportunity to display your work throughout the conference in the main conference venue, where you can informally discuss your ideas with delegates during refreshment breaks. Posters may be used as a way of presenting ideas that are more effectively formulated in a graphic than oral format. Specific advice on formatting your poster will be offered once you have submitted your concept proposal. A poster may also be more narrow in scope than a presentation. Posters on both pedagogical and research themes are welcome.

A Digital Story is a 3-5 minute video that allows the opportunity to present your work in audio/visual format, creatively using digital media tools. You will have opportunity to run your digital story throughout the conference in the main venue, where you can informally discuss your ideas with delegates during refreshment breaks. Digital stories are particularly well suited to presentation of images, photographs, clips, performance, and sound. Specific advice on digital tools will be offered once you have submitted your concept proposal. Digital stories on research, pedagogical themes, and performance are welcome.