Call for Proposals: 2026 Annual APPE Conference
Conference Theme: What Do We Owe Each Other?
The Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) invites individuals from every discipline and profession interested in advancing scholarship, teaching, and a general understanding of applied ethics to submit proposals based on their work to our 35th Annual APPE International Conference on March 5-8, 2026, in St. Louis. There will be an online-only portion of the conference program on April 10, 2026, to accommodate our members, presenters, and guests who are located across the globe, or who are unable to attend the in-person conference in St. Louis.
APPE is a multidisciplinary, international organization advancing scholarship, education, and practice in practical and professional ethics. We facilitate and support scholarly and professional collaborations among teachers, scientists, business practitioners, engineers, government officials, researchers, the media, and all professionals concerned with the practical application and communications of ethics and values.
This year, APPE invites proposals for its annual conference that explore the question, What Do We Owe Each Other? In today’s complex world, what are our ethical responsibilities to each other? How do these responsibilities shift in times of crisis and catastrophe, or across our professional or personal lives? How do we stand up for what’s right—when it matters most, and when it seems to matter least?
In addition to the special focus, submissions are welcome from a variety of interest areas, including, but not limited to:
- Agricultural and/or Environmental Ethics
- Behavioral Ethics
- Bioethics, Health, and Medical Ethics
- Business Ethics
- Education Ethics
- Engineering Ethics
- Law and Government Ethics
- Military Ethics
- Media and Journalism Ethics
- Moral Theory
- Research Integrity
- Science, Technology, and/or Artificial Intelligence Ethics
- Social and Societal Ethics
APPE is especially interested in proposals associated with current events and emerging topics, such as, but not limited to:
- Cancel culture
- Climate change
- Dis- and misinformation
- Ethics in the economy
- Ethics of repair, reparations
- Free speech in the academy
- LGBTQI+/queer ethics
- Military human rights initiatives
- Monuments and public honorifics
- Obligations to future generations
- Parental rights (e.g., in education, medicine)
- Political and election ethics
- Privacy and social media
- Public health and competing economic interests
- Systemic bias and social justice
- Unhoused/housing insecurity
We invite proposals in the following categories:
- Individual Presentations
- Panel Discussions
- Case Studies
- Pedagogical Demonstrations
- Poster Presentations (in-person only)
- Author Meets Critics
- Authors Reception (in-person only)
- Workshops/Professional Development
- Pre-recorded Flash Presentations
- Paper Competitions and Awards (see below for more information)
Paper Competitions and Awards
Best Formal Paper by an Early Career Scholar ($500)
Best Formal Paper by a Graduate Student ($500)
Best Formal Paper by an Undergraduate Student ($250)
Clifford G. Christians Ethics Research Award ($250)
National Ethics Project's Ethics Education Award ($500)
Please keep in mind that our attendees come from a range of backgrounds and perspectives, so your presentation should be designed to engage our diverse community.
All submissions will be completed in Ex Ordo, a conference management software platform, and will be peer reviewed.
Submissions are due Monday, October 6, 2025.