Preparing Your Proposal
You do not need to be a member of AWP to propose or participate in an event proposal. However, you must have an active AWP user account. If you have not yet created a free AWP account, please create an account on the AWP website before beginning your event proposal. If you already have an AWP user account but you have forgotten your password, visit our sign-in page and click the “Forgot password?” button.
Give yourself ample time to read the event proposal guidelines and acquaint yourself with the event proposal submission form.
Think about creating a proposal that allows a broad range of perspectives, both in terms of participants and subject matter. Proposals that seek to complicate or expand on a topic are often the most engaging and interesting for the audience.
The conference subcommittee favors proposals inclusive of panelists who represent varied backgrounds, affiliations, experiences, races, ethnicities, gender expressions or identities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic statuses, religious beliefs, ages, and disabilities.
- If your proposal is focused on a specific community, consider other ways that a variety of perspective may be included. For example, panelists who work at different types of organizations, panelists from different regions, and panelists at different stages of their careers can all expand on the overall perspective the proposal offers.
- Proposals that focus on a specific small press, institution, program, or center are also wonderful, but focusing on a single case study may not be as highly ranked. Think about ways to broaden the discussion—is there another group doing similar things but in a different place? with different restrictions? A conversation across organizations and regions will offer more opportunity for unique and interesting discussion.
- AWP encourages all writers to submit, even if you haven’t been published! We love to see student participation in particular.
Reach out to people you may not know! If you admire a writer who you think would be a great participant, try reaching out on social media or via email. Don’t feel limited to people in your circle.
The subcommittee looks for proposals that are relevant to our current moment in time; however, consider broadening topics so that they will still feel relevant during the conference months from now.
Consider revising and resending a previously rejected panel. Each year, AWP is unable to accept a number of high-quality panels because of space and resource limitations. As the composition of the conference subcommittee changes from year to year, we encourage you to resubmit if the panel topic remains relevant.
Ask for help! The AWP staff is here to answer any questions or offer advice. Email [email protected]. If you know someone who has participated before, they may also be a great resource.
Submitting Your Proposal
For a step-by-step guide on how to use the proposal, you can watch a short video tutorial (coming soon). This tutorial is especially helpful if you are having any trouble finding your way to the proposal submission page or filling out the proposal form.
Be sure to review all event categories to make sure you are submitting in the correct one for your event. The subcommittee will assign a lower score to your proposal if it does not fit with the category. Once proposals are submitted, the category cannot be changed. If you are unsure which category your proposal fits best, email [email protected] for assistance.
If you propose yourself as the moderator of an event, don't list yourself as a participant. All moderators are event participants.
Instead of a short biography for each participant, the event organizer will be asked to submit a longer description of each participant’s professional or artistic experience and expertise, particularly as the participant’s experience relates to the proposal topic. This field is intended to allow event organizers to more fully describe how the inclusion of each participant will contribute to the proposal specifically. The experience and expertise section for each participant will be viewed only by the conference subcommittee and will not be posted publicly.
Submit on time! AWP staff are happy to provide assistance with your proposal submission and can be more helpful the more time we have to answer your questions. Don’t wait to ask for help an hour before the deadline.
After You Submit
Once you submit your proposed event, participants will receive an email confirming their willingness to participate. Unlike in years past, proposal participants will not need to link their AWP account or add their own short biography to the submitted proposal.
If you haven’t done so already, we recommend that all proposal participants check that their AWP account communication preferences are up to date, and opt in to receive mailings with conference information. If you are unsubscribed from our Mailchimp audience, you will not receive important updates regarding your event proposal. If you have any questions about your communication preferences, please email [email protected] for assistance.
If your event is accepted for #AWP27, your participants will be prompted to enter their own short biographies in the Presenter Service Center, which will be available for attendees to view on the conference schedule page.