What kind of papers are we looking for?

PRISM is specifically a conference paper program, rather than an artist-talk program.

We welcome original scholarly and research-based papers, including:

• academic or critical essays;

• research arising from creative or material practice;

• papers developed from Masters, PhD or other postgraduate research;

• adapted sections, findings or arguments from a thesis or dissertation;

• historical or archival research;

• theoretical and critical papers;

• curatorial and museum research;

• material, technical or scientific research;

• interdisciplinary research;

• pedagogical research;

• case studies situated within a broader research question or argument; and

• new research developed specifically for PRISM.

A paper may emerge from an artist’s own practice, but it should move beyond a description or presentation of that practice. PRISM papers should articulate a clear research question, proposition, argument or area of inquiry and demonstrate a contribution to a broader field of knowledge or discussion.

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Originality

Submissions to PRISM must be original to the conference.

Proposed papers must not have previously been published in substantially the same form or presented as a paper at another academic or professional conference.

Material may draw upon a larger body of existing research — including Masters or doctoral research, ongoing projects, exhibitions or previously published research — but the PRISM paper itself should represent an original presentation and contribution.

Stage One: Extended Abstract

To apply, please submit an extended abstract of up to 1,000 words.

The extended abstract should give reviewers a clear understanding of the proposed conference paper and should normally include:

• the title of the proposed paper;

• the central research question, proposition or argument;

• the context for the research;

• the methodology or approach, where relevant;

• the principal ideas, findings or material to be discussed;

• the relationship of the paper to glass or the wider field; and

• the contribution the paper seeks to make.

References may be included in addition to the 1,000-word abstract.

Please also include:

• your full name;

• institutional affiliation and department, if applicable;

• your current position or research status, if applicable;

• city and country;

• a short biography of approximately 100–150 words;

• your preferred contact email; and

• ORCID, if you have one.

Applicants without an institutional affiliation are very welcome. You may simply identify yourself as an Independent Researcher, Independent Artist/Researcher, or another appropriate description.

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How to submit

Please email your submission to:

PRISM@ausglass.org

Subject line:

PRISM 2027 Submission — [Your Name]

Please attach the extended abstract and author information as a single PDF or Word document.

Academic Review Panel

Submissions to the inaugural PRISM will be assessed by an independent Academic Review Panel drawn from glass, creative practice and university research environments.

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The inaugural panel will be announced.

The panel will bring together experience across glass practice and research, postgraduate supervision, creative and interdisciplinary scholarship, tertiary education and institutional academic culture.

Each extended abstract will be independently assessed by two members of the panel wherever possible.

Reviewers will consider:

• relevance to PRISM and the wider field of glass research;

• originality;

• scholarly and research quality;

• clarity of the research question, proposition or argument;

• appropriateness of the methodology or approach;

• contribution to the field; and

• suitability for development into a PRISM conference paper.

The review process will be anonymous where practicable, and conflicts of interest will be managed through the allocation process.

Stage Two: Full Conference Paper

Applicants whose extended abstracts are accepted will be invited to develop and submit a full conference paper of 4,000–6,000 words, excluding references.

Full papers will undergo a second review by the PRISM Academic Review Panel.

Following review, papers may be:

Accepted for presentation without revisions, or
Accepted subject to revisions.

Where revisions are requested, authors will receive reviewer feedback and will be invited to submit a final revised paper by the deadline below.

Presentation at PRISM

Successful authors will be invited to present their paper in person as part of PRISM at Ausglass 2027, held at the University of Sydney during the Ausglass Conference from 11–14 February 2027.

We anticipate accepting approximately six to eight papers for the inaugural program.

Each successful paper will be allocated a presentation session of up to 30 minutes. Final presentation format and timing will be confirmed with successful applicants.

PRISM presenters will receive complimentary registration for the Ausglass Conference.

Successful applicants seeking support from a university, research institution, funding body or employer are encouraged to apply for available conference, research, travel or professional-development funding. Ausglass will be happy to provide formal letters confirming acceptance and supporting funding applications where required.

Publication

Papers accepted through the PRISM review process and presented at the 2027 conference will be eligible for inclusion in the inaugural PRISM Conference Proceedings.

The proceedings are intended to provide a formal and enduring scholarly record of research presented through PRISM, with appropriate publication identifiers and bibliographic information to support citation and discoverability.

Further publication specifications, referencing style and author guidelines will be provided to successful applicants.

Key Dates

Stage

Date

Call for Papers opens

7 September 2026

Extended abstracts due

11 October 2026

Abstract peer-review period

12–23 October 2026

Applicants notified

26 October 2026

Full conference papers due

29 November 2026

Full-paper peer-review period

30 November–11 December 2026

Authors receive review outcome

14 December 2026

Final revised papers due

21 December 2026

PRISM at Ausglass, University of Sydney

11–14 February 2027

Who can apply?

PRISM welcomes submissions from Australia and internationally.

Applicants may include:

• academics and university researchers;

• Masters and PhD candidates;

• recent graduates and early-career researchers;

• artists undertaking substantive research;

• independent researchers and scholars;

• curators, historians and writers;

• educators;

• conservators and museum professionals;

• designers, architects, scientists and technical researchers; and

• researchers from other disciplines whose work meaningfully intersects with glass.

You do not need to be affiliated with a university or research institution to apply.

What matters is that the proposed paper is academic, scholarly or research-based in nature and makes a clear contribution to knowledge or discourse within or around the field of glass.

There is no requirement to be Australian, Australasian, or a member of Ausglass in order to submit.

About PRISM

PRISM — Practice, Research, Inquiry, Scholarship & Making has been established to strengthen connections between glass practice and academic research and to create new opportunities for scholarly exchange within the international glass community.

Its inaugural edition will be hosted as part of the 2027 Ausglass Conference at the University of Sydney.

While PRISM begins at Ausglass, it is conceived as a platform with the potential to develop through future Ausglass conferences and other academic and glass contexts.

PRISM seeks to make space for rigorous research, emerging scholarship, material knowledge and diverse ways of thinking about, through and with glass.

Enquiries and submissions

PRISM@ausglass.org

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