The Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery invites anyone with an interest in Poverty Food to submit a paper for consideration by the Editorial Committee. No formal credentials, academic affiliation, or advance qualifications is required
The Editorial Committee attempts to select approaches to the year’s topic that represent diverse geographies, cultures, and time periods. Papers are accepted without regard to the proposer’s ability to pay for a place, although all presenters must purchase a ticket to either the in-person or online version of the Symposium. We encourage authors to present their papers in-person. Where that is impossible, then exclusively online participation is welcome.
For further information and to learn about the possibilities for financial support, see our FAQs below.
Proposals are accepted through our online portal until 31 December, 2025. Only one proposal per potential symposiast may be submitted.
Your proposal should
- be no longer than 1,000 words, including a working title;
- identify your central theme and key points;
- describe the scope of your research, and
- explain why your paper will make an original and compelling contribution.
The Editorial Committee’s decision will be sent to the email you registered as part of your proposal submission no later than 14 February, 2026.
By submitting a proposal, you agree that the Symposium has the right, but not the obligation, to publish the finished paper in the Proceedings. Papers to be published elsewhere cannot be submitted to the Symposium.
IF YOUR PROPOSAL IS SELECTED
Drafts are due no later than 15 May, 2026. You will be sent a link via your registered email for submitting your draft.
Papers are strictly limited to 5,000 words, including endnotes (not footnotes) and bibliographies. There is no minimum length: quality, substance, and originality are the criteria for inclusion in the Proceedings. Papers must include a brief abstract, which does not count against the 5000-word limit.
All papers must be submitted in English and conform to the Style Guide of the Modern Humanities Research Association available here.
We welcome authors who may not be fluent in English, but we encourage them to review proposals and drafts with fluent speakers prior to submission. In very rare cases, it may be possible to provide translation assistance for papers drafted in a language other than English. Authors must request such assistance at least three weeks prior to submission deadlines
Drafts may include illustrations, and additional illustrations can be included in your Symposium presentation.
PRESENTING AT THE SYMPOSIUM (11-13 July, 2026)
Live presentations (15–20 minutes, followed by Q&A) will take place during parallel panel sessions at St Catherine’s College, Oxford. These sessions may be video recorded and made available to online symposiasts. Slides, images, and other aids are welcome and will be due for uploading by 2 July. Detailed instructions will be provided in the spring.
Other support, including tastings, and cooking demos, might be possible, but is not guaranteed. Discuss your ideas with the Programmer no later than 15 June.
We encourage presenters to include materials beyond the draft and avoid reading their papers, if possible.
ONLINE PARTICIPATION
We are currently reviewing the online presentation format.
You will receive guidance for online presentations once your proposal is accepted. Online symposiasts must adhere to the same paper submission and revision schedule as in-person symposiasts.
PREPARING YOUR PAPER FOR PUBLICATION AFTER THE SYMPOSIUM
You may revise your paper after the Symposium; revisions will be due by 1 October, 2026.
You are responsible for securing reproduction rights to include illustrations in the published Proceedings, and you will be required to sign a Representation and Indemnification form prior to publication. All images and diagrams will appear in black-and-white or greyscale (300 dpi or better) and should be submitted electronically with the paper. If it becomes necessary to limit the total number of illustrations that can be published, the Editor will contact you.
The Symposium has the right, but not the obligation, to publish the finished paper in the Proceedings. If the Symposium declines to publish your paper, you may submit it elsewhere.
We gratefully acknowledge the RINRI Institute of Ethics in Japan for their support in funding the publication of the Proceedings.
FAQs
How do I know if my proposal is suitable?
If you have any doubt about the suitability of a proposed paper topic, please contact the editor for clarification before the deadline by emailing Mark McWilliams: editor@oxfordsymposium.org.uk.
Is there a discounted student rate?
If you are a student, there are a limited number of student places available subsidised by the American Friends and The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts. They are not restricted to paper presenters, but priority is given to presenters and then to students who book early.
A ‘student’ is anyone who has been, or will be, enrolled in a degree-granting program during the calendar year 2026. Thus, a student graduating before the date of the Symposium or matriculating after the Symposium is eligible to apply for a student place.
I’m not a student: can I get financial assistance to attend?
A very limited number of assisted places may be available. Please let the registrar know here and we’ll do our best to help, though this cannot be guaranteed from our limited resources.
