7th VCWAP
What Is The VCWAP
The Virtual Conference for Women Archaeologists and Paleontologists (VCWAP) is back for its seventh edition!
During these three days, we will be shining a spotlight on early-career women researchers and artists, by presenting their work related to Archaeology and Paleontology. We want to emphasize that everyone, regardless of employment status, gender identity or expression, is warmly welcome to attend and participate in the discussions.
We warmly invite you to register, submit your abstract, encourage your female colleagues to do so, and become part of this growing international community.
The 7th VCWAP will take place on March 8-10, 2027. It will be held online (via Zoom, Discord, and Gather Town) and free of charge. If you wish to help us finance the 7th VCWAP, you can join the AWAP, for 2-10€.
Conference format
During the VCWAP, early-career women researchers and women artists can present their work in three formats:
10 min Talk (Zoom);
Poster (Gather Town)
Scientific Artwork (Gather Town).
Gather Town provides a virtual space that facilitates dynamic and real-time discussions, enhancing the interaction between presenters and attendees. In addition to our scientific sessions, we will continue our tradition of hosting a Round Table Discussion, focusing on gender-related issues and ways to address them in both Archaeology and Paleontology. Once again, everyone, regardless of career stage, gender identity or expression, is invited to participate in our inclusive event, where we aim to foster mentorship, diversity, and community support for women in science.
This year we are honored to feature the work of artist Ainhoa Lekuona to represent the 7th VCWAP. Ainhoa Lekuona won the award for best paleoartistic reconstruction from the 6th VCWAP Paleoart Gallery →
Details of the instructions are available on the Call for Abstracts and our Tutorials. Proposals for talks, posters and scientific art should be submitted using our templates, via our Registration & Submission Form.
Important dates
Submission of Abstract (talk, poster): December 1, 2026.
Submission of Scientific Art: December 31, 2026.
Abstracts for Talks and Posters
The VCWAP welcomes contributions from early-career women (cis and trans) researchers in Archaeology and Paleontology, without permanent positions (from master students to postdoctoral stages included). It covers several aspects of ancient life (plants, fungi, invertebrates, vertebrates including humans), their interactions, as well as the study of materials, environments, and climates, and must involve methodologies used in Archaeology and/or Paleontology.
Your contribution must fit into at least one of these six scientific sessions:
Heritage preservation and outreach (7th VCWAP special session) (patrimony, cultural & societal impact, dissemination, pedagogy, protection & preservation of archeological & paleontological sites and fossils, transmit, outreach, accessibility, museum, feminism, …)
Characterization and spatiotemporal dynamics of components of past ecosystems
(paleoecology, and habitat-use, niche-modelling, anthropisation, morphometrics, comparative anatomy, evolving ecosystems, biogeography, phylogeny, taxonomy, diversity, turnover, extinction, isotopes, dental wear analyses, paleoenvironment, paleoclimate, technologies, …)Actualistic and experimental frameworks (reference populations with well-known ecology, ethnoarcheology, neo-ecology, actualistic approaches, experimentation under controlled conditions, modern reference databases, tool calibration, modelisation, …)
Functional and behavioral responses to environmental constraints (adaptation, exaptation, selection, past climate changes, ecological plasticity, fall-back foods, diet, chaîne opératoire, positional behaviors, morphological changes, form-function relationships, biomechanics, …)
Exploitation of natural resources and raw materials (subsistence strategies, technology, industry, ecological plasticity, hunting pattern, diet, foraging, …)
Gender archaeology (studies that explore gender and gender-related perspectives in the archaeological record)
You can submit your abstract with the Registration and Submission Form, by December 1, 2025. Please upload the abstract by completing and respecting this Template. We encourage you to follow our Tutorial for tips on how to write a good abstract. We understand that certain circumstances (e.g., internet connectivity issues or special conditions) may make it challenging for you to give a live presentation. In such cases, you have the option to send us a pre-recorded presentation in advance.
Contributions to the Virtual Scientific Art Gallery
The Virtual Scientific Art Gallery (VSAG, previously known as Virtual Paleoart Gallery) welcomes contributions from all women illustrators, 3D modellers, sculptors and visual communicators (cis and trans), regardless of their background (academic or non-academic) and their professional status (professional or non-professional).
We invite your creative works, whether they are naturalistic reconstructions (e.g. paleoart) or technical depictions aimed at spreading knowledge about past humans and any other organisms. We welcome artwork in various forms such as (but not limited to) illustrations (digital and traditional), sculptures, and 3D models.
You can submit up to three artworks for consideration in the VSAG. You can submit your artwork(s) to the VSAG with the Registration and Submission Form, by December 31, 2026. Each submission must be accompanied by a short commentary in English. You will find more details in the Call for Abstracts, our Tutorial and Template to build the perfect contribution for the VSAG. You must complete and submit one Submission Form per artwork.
Awards
Best Regular Talk Award: €400 voucher to use on any Transmitting Science course, consulting service, or coaching session.
Best Poster Award: €100
Best Scientifc Art Award: €100
The three laureates will be honored with an article on this website!
In the event of a tie between candidates, preference will be given to the candidate who is an AWAP member. If you want to become an AWAP member, you can do so here.
If you would like to attend this event as a public, please complete this Registration Form.
If you submit a contribution proposal, your registration will be taken into account at the same time. Registration deadline: February 28, 2027. Connection links will be sent to you in the days before the start of the conference.
The program for the 7th VCWAP will be revealed in February. Stay tuned!
Organizing Committee
Ana Abrunhosa (Ph.D) – Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behavior (ICArEHB), University of Algarve, Algarve, Portugal
Renata Araujo (Ph.D) – Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Evangelia Alifieri (M.Sc.) – Greece
Emilie Berlioz (Ph.D) – Laboratoire Paléontologie Evolution Paléoécosystèmes Paléoprimatologie PALEVOPRIM UMR 7262, CNRS–Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
María Borao Álvarez (Ph.D) – Associated researcher, TRACES UMR 5608 CNRS–University Toulouse 2 Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France; University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
Abril Castagnola (M.Sc.) – Department of Bioanthropology and Evolution, Faculty of Humanities and Arts, National University of Rosario, Rosario, Argentina; Grupo de Investigaciones Arqueológicas del Nordeste, Rosario, Argentina.
Rosana Cerezo-Fernández (Ph.D. Fellow) – University of Salamanca, Department of Prehistory, Ancient History and Archaeology, Salamanca, Spain; TRACES UMR 5608 CNRS–University Toulouse 2 Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France
Pénélope Claisse (Ph.D) – France
Maria Ana Correia (Ph.D) – Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behavior (ICArEHB), University of Algarve, Algarve, Portugal
Darja Dankina (Ph.D) – Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania
Jade Duché (M.Sc.) – Toulouse, France
Ana Belén Galán López (Ph.D) – Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, UMR 7194, Paris, France; Associated researcher, TRACES UMR 5608 CNRS–University Toulouse 2 Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France
Axelle Gardin (Ph.D) – Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISEM), Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
Ceyda Koca (M.Sc.) –Istanbul, Turkey
Marina Lezcano (Scientific Illustrator) – Independent, Spain
Victoria Lockwood (Ph.D) – Associated member, Laboratoire Paléontologie Evolution Paléoécosystèmes Paléoprimatologie PALEVOPRIM UMR 7262, CNRS–Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
Margot Louail (Ph.D) – Department of Human Evolutionary Biology & American School of Prehistoric Research, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
Margot Michaud (Ph.D) – Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle, IDEALISS ULR 7519, Université d’Artois, Mont-Saint-Aignan, France; Evolution and Diversity Dynamics Lab, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
Laurie Pélissier (Ph.D. Fellow) – Laboratoire Paléontologie Evolution Paléoécosystèmes Paléoprimatologie PALEVOPRIM UMR 7262, CNRS–Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
Claudia Speciale (Ph.D) – IPHES-CERCA, Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution, Tarragona, Spain; Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of History and Art History, Tarragona, Spain; Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Georgia Svorligkou (M.Sc.) – Department of Historical Geology and Palaeontology, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Marie-Pauline Vignes (Ph.D) – France
Axelle Walker (Ph.D) – Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain
Consent & Ethical Guidelines Document
Ethical Guidelines for the Virtual Paleoart Gallery of the VCWAP →
Video consent and release agreement for a filmed communication during the 7th VCWAP →
The Association for early-career Women Archaeologists and Paleontologists (AWAP) strives to ensure everyone a welcoming, respectful, safe and collaborative conference experience, regardless of their gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, neurodiversity, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity, nationality, race, age, or religion. To ensure that all participants at the annual Virtual Conference for Women Archaeologists and Paleontologists (VCWAP) understand what behaviour is expected, and what behaviour will not be tolerated, the AWAP has established this Code of Conduct.
Expected Behaviour
The AWAP expects that participants at the VCWAP will:
Be considerate and respectful to all conference participants. Avoid demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behaviour, materials, and speech.
Be willing to speak up if you observe anything that is inconsistent with this Code of Conduct at the VCWAP. Please contact a member of the VCWAP conference team as soon as possible if you feel harassed or uncomfortable, notice someone else being harassed, or have any other concerns.
Unacceptable Behaviour
The AWAP will not tolerate unacceptable behaviour from any participant. Unacceptable behaviour includes, but is not limited to:
Intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory, or demeaning speech, materials, or conduct by any participants of the conference.
Violence, threats of violence, or violent language directed against another person.
Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
Personal insults, particularly those related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or disability.
Inappropriate photography or recording (especially for use on social media, without the prior permission of the individuals or owners of the content therein).
Consequences of Unacceptable Behaviour
Unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated. It is expected that anyone asked to stop unacceptable behaviour will comply immediately. Participants who violate the AWAP’s code of conduct may be expelled from the conference if they engage in unacceptable behaviour.
Unacceptable Behaviour: What To Do
Please notify a member of the VCWAP conference team if you observe / are subject to unacceptable behaviour, or have any other concerns, by sending us an email (vcwap@awap-science.org) or by sending us a private message directly through the Zoom chat. The VCWAP Team will be available to assist anyone those experiencing unacceptable behaviour to feel safe during the conference. Reports will remain completely confidential.
Frequently Asked Questions about VCWAP
Can male researchers participate in the conference?
Male researchers can follow the event as attendees, co-authors, or participants in the discussions. First authors must be early-career women (cis or trans) researchers, in order to promote their careers, increase the visibility of their work, and contribute to a more inclusive and equitable scientific community.
What do we consider an early-career researcher?
Early-career researchers are researchers without a permanent position, from Undergraduate to Postdoctoral levels, regardless of age.
Do I need to be a member of the AWAP to participate in?
It is not necessary to be a member of the AWAP to take part in the conference, but we encourage you to join and become part of our growing community. You can do so here.
I would like to give a presentation at the conference, but I’m not confident in my English. Is there a translation service available?
Media-supported presentations and posters must be in English. However, we have a multilingual organising team and can provide translation during the discussion and Q&A. At the moment, the languages available are French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, and Turkish. Please contact us in advance if you want us to help you!
Can I submit an abstract even though I don’t currently have an affiliation?
Yes! You can submit as an independent scholar.
How is the Poster Session organized? Will I have a specific timeslot to present my poster?
Our Poster Session is held in Gather Town, a virtual platform designed to recreate the atmosphere of an in-person conference. In Gather Town, participants can walk through a virtual room, view your poster, and engage in conversation with you if you are online. Likewise, you are free to explore other posters and discuss them with their authors. To maintain the dynamic and informal flow of an in-person poster session, you will not be assigned a specific presentation timeslot. Instead, attendees can approach you at any time during the Poster Session.
There will be scheduled poster sessions listed in the programme, during which everyone is invited to join Gather Town and interact. However, the platform will remain accessible 24 hours a day throughout the conference, giving all participants the opportunity to visit the virtual room and read the posters at their convenience.
To which session should I submit to?
You can find the available sessions in the ‘Call for Abstracts’ tab of this page. You may submit your abstract to whichever session you feel is the best fit. However, if the abstract is accepted and the scientific committee considers it necessary, you may be invited to move it to a different session.
Do you accept submission of preliminary results?
As a rule, abstracts should include some form of analysis and results. Whilst we understand that full data analysis might not be completed by the abstract submission deadline, preliminary analyses are still analyses and initial results. For these cases, we recommend submitting your study as a poster.
The VCWAP is the flagship event organized by the Association for early-career Women Archaeologists and Paleontologists
and is sponsored by
