Information
The Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) together with the Atlantic Provinces Association of Landscape Architects (APALA) invite qualified experts to submit abstracts for presentations and sessions to be presented at the upcoming 2026 CSLA-APALA Congress.
In-person presentations are scheduled to be held at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on June 5th and 6th, 2026. We expect 200 to 250 delegates to be present.
Congress Theme
The theme of the Congress is: Blurred Edges: Celebrating Thresholds of Change
Shifting shorelines, expanding cities, landscapes on fire, and an evolving profession place landscape architects at thresholds of visible and urgent change. Coastlines transform, migration reshapes communities, and technology redefines our roles as professionals. We must respond with creativity, courage, and collaboration - expanding boundaries where inclusivity is needed, reinforcing resilience through flexible and layered systems, and cultivating edges as places of exchange, adaptation, and innovation.
Edges are spaces where diversity and intersection can thrive. Where resilience can grow not through resistance, but through adaptability. Justice and creativity emerge at these crossings, reminding us that inclusion is not about softening conflict but about designing for mutual success.
The 2026 CSLA-APALA Congress will explore boundaries as catalysts for new relationships. This theme brings us into the spaces between land and water, culture and nature, public and private, tradition and innovation and challenges us to embrace change as an opportunity.
Evaluation
Abstracts will be evaluated on how closely they align with this year’s theme, how the presentation ties in with CSLA’s mission areas, and how relevant the presentation will be to attendees.
Submission Process
Once you have read these guidelines, click the button below to access the application platform. Create an account or log in, click 'Apply' at the top of the page and select the program or award.
Contact awards@csla-aapc.ca if you have any questions.
The organizing committee will respond to selected proposals within ten weeks of the submission deadline.
Presenting at Congress
Presentations will be 30 minutes long with additional 15 minutes for Q&A. If you would like to propose a panel with three or morere than three panelists, please reach out to Michelle Legault (executive-director@csla-aapc.ca) before submitting your proposal.
Presenters shall prepare to have sufficient copies of any handout(s) to meet the numbers expected at the presentation, at his/her own cost.
All presenters at Congress will be required to register for the Congress in the same manner as all Congress delegates, and to pay applicable registration fees (a discount code will be supplied). Cut off dates for presenter registration will be provided upon notification of acceptance. Failure to register by these dates will result in the presenter being removed from the program and replaced with another speaker.
Audio-visual Information
Note that laptop, projector, and screens will be available during each session. Presenters must bring their presentations, in power point or .pdf format, on a memory stick to be loaded on the local computer before the presentation. Other visual presentation aids will be the responsibility of the presenter at his or her own cost.
Submission Deadline
December 10, 2025 at 4pm ET