Submit your proposal for Congress 2025

We are now looking for proposals for sessions and fringe events for Congress 2025.

We are currently accepting submissions for both the main Congress programme and for the Congress Cultural Fringe for the 2025 International Congress. 

The RCPsych International Congress 2025 will be taking place in Newport, Wales between 23 – 26 June. Over the four days of the congress, we hope to entice delegates with a programme full of sessions, debates and masterclasses covering a wide-range of subjects including cutting-edge science, latest advances in clinical psychiatry, patient experience, policy and so much more, and we need your help to put it together! 

Sessions in the main programme will be 75 minutes in length. Typically a session will include three speakers and a chair and provide a balanced overview, with a diverse faculty and speakers from different organisations.

Sessions in the Congress Cultural Fringe can range from 30 minutes in length to 75 minutes. The structure doesn't have to follow a typical session but please bear in mind that we can be limited by room layouts at the venue. 

Following success in Edinburgh we are delighted to be bringing the Congress Fringe Stage back to Wales for 2025. We will have a small stage, PA system and an electronic piano. Last year we featured, dance performances and workshops, poetry, curated playlists and music of many genres. We can accommodate 30min sets during the refreshment breaks or morning registration and up to an hour slots after the main sessions have finished. If you would like to be a part of the fringe stage please submit your ideas through our short from no later than Friday 10 January.

Before submitting please read our full guidance on what makes a successful submission. 

We would like to thank you for your continued support of this event, as we aim to make the RCPsych International Congress the most prestigious mental health event in the world. 

If you would like to help us shape the programme, please submit your proposal by Friday 25 October 2024. 

  • Please read our speaker diversity policy before submitting your proposal. Your proposal should take into account the diversity of our workforce, including women, ethnic minority groups, people with other protected characteristics, SAS doctors and trainees, along with patients and carers 
  • Your proposal should include speakers from different organisations/centres and will not be accepted if all speakers are from the same institution. Please also consider international perspectives
  • Ensure you select appropriate subject matter and focus on scientific discovery, open communication and new learning that is clinically relevant
  • Make sure your proposal is as focused as possible, avoid making it too wide or diffuse. Detailed, intriguing and topical pitches often score highly
  • Consider cross collaboration with other specialties, faculties and special interest groups to gather different perspectives
  • The 2025 International Congress will be an in-person event and we would therefore expect all speakers to present in person. If there are extenuating circumstances, or international speakers are involved in your session please make a clear case in your submission as to why a virtual presentation would be necessary
  • The College is committed to providing high quality sessions focused on educational content that is free from commercial influence or bias. You are therefore expected to provide any declarations of interest for all speakers
  • Each session will be 75 minutes long. We expect three speakers and one chair per session
  • Please ensure you have contacted all speakers to obtain their permission, prior to submitting your proposal

  • Please ensure you complete all sections of the form

You will be asked to submit the following information

  • Select whether your submission is for the main programme or Congress fringe
  • Your personal details, including name, affiliation and email address
  • The title of your session (25 word limit)
  • Brief summary of the session. This should include what delegates will gain from attending your session and will be used for marketing purposes. Please ensure this is written in clear English with accurate grammar and spelling
  • The learning objectives of your session. This should include a maximum of four objectives
  • Information on the speakers and chair of the session, including their presentation title, declaration of interest and the reason they are being suggested
  • The stream your submission belongs to and any relevant categories

  • Submissions for the Congress fringe can fall into a number of categories, including, music, wellbeing, art, film and comedy
  • Congress fringe sessions will take place either in the morning, at lunchtime or at the end of the day
  • These sessions can range from 30 minutes in length to 75 minutes
  • The structure doesn’t have to follow a typical session but please bear in mind that we are limited by room layouts at the venue
  • As with 2024 we will be hosting a Congress Fringe Stage, where we invite performances from a variety of musicians to perform during the breaks. Please complete the form if you would like to be involved 
  • We will allocate you a date and time on acceptance of your proposal

Following success in Edinburgh we are delighted to be bringing the Congress Fringe Stage back to Wales for 2025. 

What is the Fringe Stage? 

The Fringe Stage is a small performance stage located in a central area in the congress venue. The stage offers attendees something interesting to watch or participate in outside of the main scientific sessions but also showcases the many talents and interests of our members outside psychiatry. 

What are we looking for? 

Anything really! Send us your ideas. We will have a small stage, PA system and an electronic piano. Last year we featured, dance performances and workshops, poetry, curated playlists, music of many genres. We want to feature as many different performances as possible.  

How long are the performances? 

We can accommodate the following 

30min set during the refreshment break or morning registration 

Up to an hour slots after the main sessions have finished – these are more suited to participatory sessions like dance classes 

5mins (or less) slots as part of an open mic session 

What do you get in return? 

Aside from the joy of sharing with your peers, we offer anyone filling a 30min slot or longer free registration to Congress on the day they are performing or a discount on the whole event. We also offer the recordings for the entirety of Congress. Unfortunately, we can’t offer payment or cover expenses or accommodation. 

Any questions? 

Please email us at congress@rcpsych.ac.uk. 

Please submit your interest by Friday 10 January by completing our short form.

Expenses

  • Only non-members of the College are eligible to apply for expenses. We will cover one night's accommodation and advanced travel only. In line with our policy certain limits may apply. Expenses will be confirmed on acceptance of your submission
  • In certain circumstances we may be able to provide an increased offer on expenses for international speakers
  • Please ensure you indicate on your submission form if a speaker wishes to claim expenses. We will not be able to accept any additional expense requests at a later date
  • All speakers will receive complimentary registration for the day/s they are presenting
  • Please note that facilitators and presenters taking part in any of the fringe sessions will not be able to claim expenses. They will, however, receive complimentary registration for the day they are taking part in a session

Bursaries

We have 13 bursaries available for presenters from low and middle income countries. If any of the speakers in your session would like to apply for a bursary please indicate this within your submission. All bursary applications will be reviewed during the review stage and allocated on acceptance of your submission. 

Included in the bursary 

  • Registration to the 2025 International Congress 
  • £1500 towards travel and accommodation 

You will be required to include information in support of the bursary application outlining why each speaker should be awarded the bursary. 

All applicants must live and work in a Band C or D country according to World Bank Classifications. You can see a list of included countries on our membership pages. Speakers do not need to be a member of the College to be eligible.  

  • Please do not submit poster abstracts. A separate call for poster submissions will be available later on in the year
  • To submit your proposal please login to our submission portal where you will be able to 'sign up' and create a username and password. Once you have set up your account 
  • The form allows you to save your submission as a draft before submitting. No changes will be possible after the deadline. If not submitted, any drafts after the deadline will be deleted
  • Please complete all sections of the submission form
  • Submissions must be submitted via the online portal. We will not be able to accept submissions by any other method
  • Submissions must be received by the deadline, any submissions received after the deadline will not be considered

  • Following the submission deadline all completed submissions will be reviewed by the Congress Advisory Board and Executive Committee
  • The committee will be marking your submission based on how well you have covered the key points laid out in the guidance above

  • Once all submissions have been reviewed we will inform you of the outcome of your proposal. This should be by January 2025
  • If your submission is accepted you will be allocated a date and time for your session on acceptance
  • If your submission is accepted you will be asked to confirm the details of your submission for the Congress programme 
  • You may be asked to make some changes to your submission before it is formally accepted for the main programme, this could include, a change of session title or alternative speakers
  • Don’t be disheartened if you are unsuccessful. We will provide feedback where possible and consider resubmitting
Submit your proposal

Contact Us

If you have any problems with your submission please get in touch
email: congress@rcpsych.ac.uk
telephone: 020 8618 4120