CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
Call for Contributions
iPRES 2025 will take place in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), Aotearoa (New Zealand), from 3-7 November 2025, and will offer a combination of in-person and virtual participation opportunities. We warmly invite contributions from researchers, practitioners, and organisations across the globe who are involved in the field of digital preservation.
The themes for iPRES 2025 are: Haerenga (Journey), Tūtaki (Encounter), and Tūhono (Connect). These themes encourage reflections on the evolving practices, innovations and partnerships shaping the future of digital preservation. Each theme reinforces the others, creating a holistic view of how digital preservation research and practice can adapt, innovate and thrive. Read more about the conference themes, and examples of topics that relate to the themes here.
iPRES 2025 will hold two separate Calls for Contributions: first for peer-reviewed Papers, Panels, Posters, Workshops and Tutorials, followed by a second call for less formal ad hoc submissions.
Ad Hoc Submissions
Ad hoc sessions at iPRES are informal submission categories that are great for experimental and networking activities or ideas that you want to share. They have a lightweight submission process using a simple online form. Ad hoc abstracts are not published in the proceedings.
If you are unable to access the online form, you can also download a Word version of the form and submit it via email.
The Ad Hoc Call for Contributions is open until 18 July 2025, End of Day, Anywhere on Earth.
Types of Ad Hoc Contributions
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Lightning Talks: Very short presentations (no more than 5 minutes) on any topic, recent developments, or specific themes related to digital preservation. These can be presented in-person or pre-recorded. We will determine the length of lightning talks based on the number of accepted submissions.
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Birds of a Feather (BoF) discussion sessions: Informal gatherings of like-minded individuals who wish to meet up as a community at iPRES (such as Indigenous attendees, students, or non-English language communities), or create space to discuss a certain topic without a pre-planned agenda (for example, social media archiving, or digital preservation and mental health). Because BoF sessions are not recorded, they are great for topics that people might feel uncomfortable sharing outside the room.
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Games: Any form of board, video, or other game format broadly defined that addresses, illustrates, amplifies, or explores any aspect of digital preservation. Games may still be in development at the time of submission, but must be ready to play in time for iPRES 2025.
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Other informal submission ideas: Have an idea for a format that’s not listed here? We'd love to hear it.
Digital Preservation Tools Demo (Digital Preservation "Bake Off")
The iPRES Tools Demo (Digital Preservation Bake Off) offers a platform for developers and practitioners to showcase their digital preservation solutions in a live, interactive setting (and decorated with delicious baking puns!) Participants demonstrate how their tools address real-world challenges in digital preservation, such as metadata extraction, scalability, and integration with existing systems. No actual baking takes place at this event.
First introduced as a showcase in 2014 and formally baked into the program as the Digital Preservation Bake Off in 2019 in Amsterdam, this distinctive event has quickly become a conference highlight. It offers both seasoned and emerging tool developers the opportunity to serve up and demonstrate the value and effectiveness of their digital preservation tools in a short, timed presentation.
This year, the Bake Off features two tracks: the Amuse Bouche challenge for practitioners and the Tasting Spoon challenge for service providers.
Submit your Bake Off proposal via the online form until 31 July 2025, End of Day, Anywhere on Earth.
If you are unable to access the online form, you can also download a Word version of the form and submit it via email.
Evaluation Criteria
Ad hoc session proposals are assessed internally by the Programme Committee Chairs; Bake Off submissions are assessed by the Bake Off Jury. They are not peer-reviewed.
Important Dates
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Ad Hoc Submissions open: 19 June 2025
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Ad Hoc Submission deadline: 18 July 2025, End of Day, Anywhere on Earth (No planned extension of date)
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Notification of acceptance: 25 July 2025
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Bake Off Submissions open: 23 June 2025
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Bake Off Submission deadline: 31 July 2025, End of Day Anywhere on Earth
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Notification of acceptance: 8 August 2025
Peer-Reviewed Submissions
The Call for peer-reviewed contributions for iPRES 2025, the premier international conference on digital preservation, is now closed.
Types of Contributions
This is a call for the submission types that will be peer-reviewed:
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Full Papers: In-depth research papers, technical papers, or case studies (max 8 pages).
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Short Papers: Concise reports on work-in-progress or emerging topics (max 4 pages).
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Workshops: Interactive, hands-on sessions focusing on tools, methods, or best practices.
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Tutorials: Educational sessions or demonstrations aimed at teaching participants new skills or technologies relevant to digital preservation. Tutorials should be structured to provide a clear learning outcome and can range from beginner to advanced levels.
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Panels: Discussions addressing key issues or trends in digital preservation.
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Posters: Visual presentations of projects or ideas, encouraging one-on-one engagement.
You can find the submission instructions, including the link to the online submission portal here.
Evaluation Criteria
Submissions will be peer-reviewed based on the following criteria:
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Relevance to the conference themes
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Originality, innovation, and contribution to the field of digital preservation
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Clarity and organisation of ideas
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Significance for the digital preservation field and impact on the community
Important Dates
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Submissions open: 14 November 2024
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Submissions deadline: 14 April 2025, End of Day, Anywhere on Earth (No planned extension of date)
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Notification of acceptance: 3 June 2025
You can find a more detailed version of important dates here.
Diversity and Accessibility
iPRES 2025 values manaakitanga - kindness, respect, and hospitality towards others. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. We strongly encourage contributions from Indigenous and underrepresented voices in the digital preservation community.
Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, the conference venue for iPRES 2025, has been designed and built to be accessible for everyone. You can find more information about Accessibility at iPRES 2025 both for in-person and remote participants here.
AI Usage
In recognition of the potential benefits and increasing use of AI tools, iPRES 2025 permits their usage, under the conditions outlined in these guidelines. These guidelines are designed to help maintain the integrity and quality of iPRES publications while allowing the beneficial use of AI tools. They are informed by guidelines from international organisations and publishers regarding the use of AI.
Conference Proceedings and Publication
After the conference, all iPRES 2025 submissions will be made openly available online in one or more forms: