Presentations, Trainings & Film Submissions
Presentations
Priority & Emerging Issues
The Alaska Forum is seeking presenters, subject-matter experts and session proposals addressing important environmental priorities and some of the most consequential emerging issues facing Alaska and Alaskans.
Environmental technical training and professional development remain the foundation of the Alaska Forum. We will continue to provide substantive content for environmental professionals, Tribal environmental programs and Village IGAP staff, regulatory agencies, communities, consultants and industry. For 2027, we also want to build on that foundation by addressing a focused set of broader Alaska issues where environment, health, energy, natural resources, infrastructure, subsistence, emergency preparedness and community sustainability intersect.
Our intent is to broaden the value and reach of the Forum without diminishing its environmental focus. We are particularly interested in people who can bring current information, direct experience, credible expertise and differing perspectives to these conversations.
You do not need to organize an entire session to participate. Individuals may offer themselves as presenters or panelists, propose a complete session, or suggest an important speaker or perspective that should be included.
Energy and Alaska’s Energy Future (featured pathway) — Energy security; Cook Inlet gas; Alaska LNG and the gas pipeline; Railbelt generation, transmission and reliability; rural energy; renewable energy and storage; microreactors and advanced nuclear; energy affordability; new energy demand from AI and data centers.
Infrastructure and Sustainable Communities (featured pathway) — Broad capital systems and community infrastructure: housing, transportation and ports, utilities, solid waste and landfills, water and wastewater infrastructure, construction and maintenance, infrastructure finance, resilience, erosion, flooding, permafrost, adaptation and relocation.
Emergency Preparedness, Response and Community Resilience (featured pathway) — Earthquakes, wildfire, severe weather, flooding, hazardous materials, oil spills, emergency communications, evacuation and sheltering, CERT, healthcare preparedness, response coordination, disaster recovery and lessons learned.
Fish, Wildlife, Subsistence and Food Security (featured pathway) — Western Alaska salmon, fisheries, trawling and bycatch, subsistence resources and access, changing fish and wildlife populations, food security and supply chain, Indigenous Knowledge, science and monitoring, Bering Sea conditions, and resource management.
Resource Development, Permitting and Environmental Protection (featured pathway) — Mines, oil and gas, critical minerals, major projects, permitting, Tribal consultation, community participation, reclamation, habitat and water protection, transboundary issues, and environmental impacts. Favor informative, technically grounded sessions and multiple perspectives over advocacy-only programming.
Health of Alaskans — Practical, high-impact health interventions; statewide and rural health challenges; prevention; behavioral health; occupational health and safety; environmental health and exposure; healthcare preparedness. Keep emphasis on issues with community-level applicability rather than general healthcare programming.
Water, Wastewater and Environmental Health — Drinking water, wastewater, sanitation, operators and workforce, system sustainability, source-water protection, infrastructure and finance, PFAS and emerging contaminants, environmental exposure, contamination and cleanup, and risk communication.
Arctic and Coastal Change — Arctic and Bering Sea conditions, coastal erosion and flooding, shipping and ports, adaptation and relocation, research and monitoring, marine debris, and environmental change affecting Arctic and coastal communities.
Workforce, Training and Community Capacity — Environmental workforce, water and wastewater operators, skilled trades, emergency-response workforce, certifications, recruitment and retention, training, and Tribal and community administrative and technical capacity.
Core Environmental Technical Programming — Air quality, contaminated sites, solid and hazardous waste, recycling, pollution prevention, spill prevention and response, environmental compliance, monitoring, environmental justice, climate and environmental change, IGAP and Tribal environmental programs, grants and program administration, and other established Forum subjects.
Ways to Participate
Offer Your Expertise: Identify a priority issue on which you could serve as a presenter, panelist or technical expert. You do not need to develop a complete session.
Propose a Session: Submit a presentation, panel, workshop, training, case study or moderated discussion.
Suggest a Speaker or Perspective: Recommend an individual, organization or viewpoint that should be represented in one of the Forum’s priority conversations.
Submit Another Important Topic: Strong proposals outside the identified priorities may still be considered when they provide significant value to Alaska’s environmental and professional community.
What We Are Looking For
The strongest proposals will bring one or more of the following:
- Current Alaska-specific information or experience
- Technical, scientific or professional expertise
- Practical solutions or lessons learned
- Perspectives from rural and Tribal Alaska
- Significant business, community or environmental implications
- New or emerging information
- Constructive examination of an issue on which knowledgeable people may disagree
For complex or controversial subjects, Alaska Forum staff may combine individual submissions and recruit additional speakers to create sessions representing multiple informed perspectives in a constructive, nonpartisan setting.
Presentations primarily intended to market a product, service or organization will generally not be selected as educational sessions.
Bring Your Expertise to the Alaska Forum
The Alaska Forum remains grounded in environmental education, professional development and community capacity building. For 2027, we are building outward from that foundation—not away from it—so that environmental professionals, Tribal and community leaders, businesses, Alaska Native corporations, industry, government, researchers and other Alaskans can engage with both core environmental needs and the broader issues shaping Alaska’s future.
We invite you to help us build those conversations.
Posters & Films
The Alaska Forum provides a unique venue to share poster projects and films addressing environmental, scientific, technical, community, and other important issues affecting Alaska.
We invite individuals, organizations, agencies, Tribal organizations, communities, businesses, students, researchers, filmmakers, and other partners to submit posters for the AF2027 Poster Sessions and films for the Alaska Forum Film Festival, held as part of Alaska Forum 2027, February 1–5, 2027, at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage.
Environmental topics remain an important focus of the Alaska Forum. AF2027 is also expanding opportunities to explore issues that intersect with Alaska’s environment and communities, including energy, resource development, public health, emergency preparedness, infrastructure, fish and wildlife, subsistence, rural communities, workforce, and other emerging Alaska issues.
Submission Guidelines
The Alaska Forum seeks posters and films that provide useful, informative, educational, scientific, technical, community, or Alaska-specific perspectives relevant to Forum participants.
Topics addressing controversial or complex issues should be presented in an informative and constructive manner. Submissions primarily intended to promote a product, service, organization, or single advocacy position may not be accepted without modification.
Poster Selection Process
The selection process seeks any combination of inventive, incisive, innovative work that complements the event and adds information value for our participants. Submissions should be high-quality projects worthy of placement for public display and eligibility. Each work is judged solely on its own merits for originality, quality, content, and adherence to conference themes with a focus on educational or information content.
Notification
Poster & Film submitters will be notified no later than January 8, 2027 if their poster or film has been selected to showcase at the Alaska Forum.
Selected Poster Details
- Posters should be no larger than 4' high x 8' wide.
- Posters can be put on display on Monday, Feb. 1 beginning at 11:00am
- All posters can be displayed through noon on Friday, Feb. 5, 2025 and must be removed by the submitted
- Posters authors can attend the day of the conference on Wednesday, Feb. 3 and the Wednesday Night Networking Event at no cost to talk about their posters. Posters will be displayed on the third floor.
Submissions close January 1, 2027
Posters selected will be notified no later than January 8, 2027
Poster projects should be current, applicable and may utilizes photographs, literature and summary (no props please) on a poster board.
Films
Film Selection Process
Submissions close January 1, 2027