How to apply

If you're an early career researcher (i.e. a student at any stage of study, or within approximately ten years of completing a PhD or similar), we would love for you to apply to present in the Spotlight session at London Calling 2026. To apply, simply fill out the abstract submission form on this page, making sure that you select the session type 'Spotlight talk'.

That's all you need to do for the chance to be involved, but read on to find out more about how the session is conducted at the event.

How the spotlight session works

From the applications submitted, three speakers will be invited to present onsite in the Spotlight session at London Calling 2026.

The pitch

At the conference, on the first day (Wednesday 20th May), we will welcome each of you onto the main stage to give a two-minute pitch, which is essentially a sneak peek of your full talk.

In your pitch, you have the chance to tell delegates exactly why they should vote to see your full talk on the plenary stage. Your pitch acts a bit like a trailer for the exciting work you’ll be presenting.

Previous pitches have featured everything from a theft in Hobbiton to a poem about Bordetella pertussis. However you choose to do it, it’s important to keep your pitch (and your full talk) broad and accessible, to ensure that everyone attending can follow the science you’re presenting.

To get the ideas flowing, check out the pitches from London Calling 2025:

• Mapping coliphage diversity for next-generation drinking water security through the nanopore lens (Rachel Samson P.)

• Advancing pediatric germ cell tumor classification through nanopore-based transcriptome anallysis (Ana Flavia Peres)

• Bridging genotype and phenotype through long-read, single-molecule multiomics (Ruben Cools)

Voting

After all three speakers have presented their pitches, we will invite delegates to vote for their favourite pitch via the conference app or on the virtual platform.

We will inform the three applicants of the outcome of the vote before the Spotlight winner session the following day (Thursday 21st May).

Full talks

At the start of the Spotlight winner session on Thursday, the winning applicant who received the most votes for their pitch is revealed to the audience. They will then take to the main plenary stage to present their full talk.

The two runner-up speakers will also get their chance to shine again, as they will present their full talks in a session later in the day.

All the full talks are ten minutes long, plus five minutes to take questions from the audience.

What happens after the talks?

All the Spotlight session talks will be recorded and made available to view after the conference, both via the online conference platform and then on the Oxford Nanopore website.

And it’s not just about the winning. In fact, one of our Spotlight runner-ups, Nicola Hall, went on to deliver a plenary talk at a future London Calling.

Apply now

Now that you're more familiar with what the early career Spotlight session involves, why not take the next step and fill out the abstract submission form, remembering to select the 'Spotlight talk' session type box. You can also use the same abstract and form to apply for other session types if you wish (such as a poster or Lightning talk), by selecting additional session type boxes.

We hope to see you there!

The deadline for submission is Friday 16th January 2026 at 23.59 (UK time).

Decisions will be communicated by end of March 2026.