CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

Abstract submission deadline: February 15 , 2026

Submission portal:

https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/SMPC2026/Submission/Manage

The Society for Music Perception and Cognition is pleased to announce SMPC 2026, which is planned to be in Evanston, Illinois, on the campus of Northwestern University on July 22nd–24th, 2026.

Abstract submission for SMPC 2026 is open as of November 18th, 2025. Submissions will close on Feb. 15, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Abstract notifications are planned for late March, 2026.

Proposals will once again be handled using the Microsoft Conference Management Toolkit (CMT). Submission link: https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/SMPC2026/

(Before submitting a proposal you must create an account and log in.)

Format for individual submissions

Abstracts for presentations should be no longer than 300 words and should describe the motivation, method, results, and implications to the degree that this information is available at the time of submission. Empirical contributions should refer to the stimuli/corpus, method, and data collected. Abstracts that include analyzed data and results, as opposed to promissory speculations about data not yet analyzed, will be preferred in the review process. Theoretical contributions are also welcome, provided that the connection to music perception and cognition is made clear through discussion of aims, methods, and/or results.

NOTE: As we are using a blind review process, do not include author names in the abstract.

Format for symposium proposals

We welcome proposals for symposia or panel discussions. Symposia or panels are proposed as a whole, rather than as a set of individual submissions. Two general formats are available, as described below. In both cases we will use a double-blind review, so please make sure that no author names are included in this document.

For all symposium or panel discussion proposals, please provide a brief description (no more than 300 words) of the theme, goals, and merits of the session as a whole. Copy and paste this description into the plain text box on the submission website, with the lead organizer as author. The two distinct formats are as follows:

●      Integrated special session. This comprises a set of 3-4 presentations that are closely related in content and thoughtfully integrated and framed by a session rationale. Each presentation occupies a regular presentation time slot. The Program Committee reserves the right to consider each presentation separately and to program a presentation with or without the others from that proposed session. Each component of an integrated special session proposal should include a 300-word abstract, and these abstracts should be combined into a single pdf and submitted as a supplemental document via the submission website, clearly identifying the title of the special session to which the abstracts belong.

●      Alternative-format special session. This comprises a set of presentations organized in a non-standard way, e.g., a panel discussion, workshop, “flipped” session, “lightning talk” session, etc. Because individual contributions typically do not fall within standard presentation time slots, such sessions are accepted or rejected in toto. A supplemental pdf should be uploaded, either with brief descriptions of the symposium’s individual components or with more detail on the symposium than the 300-word abstract will allow.

Review Process

Each submitted abstract will be peer-reviewed by 2 to 3 reviewers. Please make sure to select subject areas accurately to facilitate matching reviewers with submissions. The review process will be double-blind, so keep in mind that reviewers will only see the title and abstract.

You may choose to have your abstract be considered for the Student Research Award. This award recognizes outstanding contributions of students (undergraduate, graduate, or postbaccalaureate researchers) at SMPC meetings. Award recipients will receive free registration to the SMPC conference and will be recognized during the SMPC award ceremony.

All undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate students who are first authors are eligible to apply by checking the relevant box during abstract submission. Finalists for the award will be asked to submit a 3-5 minute long video presentation of their work after abstract acceptance, and will have the option to share their videos afterward through SMPC social media channels. Award decisions will be made by the program committee and the SMPC Committee for Mentorship based on the abstracts and videos.

Conference Organizers

Daniel Shanahan, Northwestern University

Steve Morrison, Northwestern University

Program Chair

Haley Kragness, Bucknell University

The Microsoft CMT service was used for managing the peer-reviewing process for this conference. This service was provided for free by Microsoft and they bore all expenses, including costs for Azure cloud services as well as for software development and support.