Be a part of NACIS 2026

Hyatt Regency | 333 W Kilbourn Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53203

The 2026 NACIS Annual Meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 21-24. We invite you to submit abstract proposals for presentations in the Main Conference or Practical Cartography Day or to organize specialty themed sessions, discussion panels, workshops, and field trips. We encourage you to propose ideas, topics, themes, and concepts covering anything and everything related to cartography.

Here’s what to expect at a NACIS Meeting.

Submissions are now open!

Deadline to submit: May 31, 2026

Submit a Proposal

Not sure where to contribute? The annual meeting has lots of opportunities for you to share your knowledge and work.

Main Conference

Present your cartographic accomplishments, research, or ideas to the NACIS community during our main sessions on Thursday and Friday. Questions about presenting? Email veep@nacis.org.

Types of talks you can submit for the Main Conference:

Standard talk 15-20 minutes
In-depth discussion of a cartography or GIS-related topic. Presenter(s) may use their entire allotted time to present their project or paper or may choose to present a shorter paper followed by a brief discussion with the audience. Here’s an example of a standard talk.

Lightning talk 5-10 minutes
Quick description or discussion of a process, collection of quick tips and tricks, behind-the-scenes peek at a project, or highlights of an academic paper. Here’s an example of a lightning talk.

Birds of a feather
An informal, conversational, hands-on, or interactive session planned in advance and scheduled parallel to the Main Conference sessions. Conference organizers reserve the right to accept or decline proposals based on what is logistically possible in terms of space and scheduling. We encourage you to consider a Saturday workshop for more in-depth sessions. This will be listed in the program.

NACIS Commons
Organic gatherings spearheaded by our members. You are invited to host one of your own — for affinity groups, topic-related chats, group mapping projects… the possibilities are endless! You do not need to submit a proposal for NACIS Commons! There will be a sign-up sheet at the venue during the conference and a dedicated space set aside for people to gather. These gatherings will appear on the program as NACIS Commons; specific gatherings will not be listed in the program.

Panels
These sessions get their own room and time slots. Please include a panel title, brief abstract, and a list of the panelists when submitting your proposal. The number of panels may be limited due to space or other logistical considerations.

Other ideas
If your idea does not fall within these categories, you can still submit it for consideration. In your proposal, please include a detailed description of your session or activity and any logistical requirements such as room size, equipment, and time allotment. The organizers reserve the right to accept or decline proposals based on what is logistically possible in terms of space and scheduling.

Practical Cartography Day*

Help put the ‘practical’ in Practical Cartography Day! Share your mapping tips and tricks, new design ideas, and innovative methods, or take the NACIS community on a journey back to basics with a refresher on some of those key best practices. This all-day event on Wednesday preceding the main sessions is focused on process and practical mapmaking across all formats and mediums. You can submit Standard or Lightning Talks for PCD. Questions about PCD? Contact pcd@nacis.org.

Map Gallery

Show off your latest projects, best cartographic designs, research, or experimental and avant garde techniques in Milwaukee! Questions about submitting to the Map Gallery? Contact posters@nacis.org.

Deadline to submit: August 31, 2026

Map Gallery Registration

Student Print and Dynamic Map Competitions

Students entering their maps in the print or dynamic mapping competitions are eligible to win cash prizes. Questions about submitting to the competitions? Contact posters@nacis.org.

Deadline to submit: August 31, 2026

Student Map and Poster Competition Submissions

Student Dynamic Map Competition Submissions

Workshops and field trips*

Interested in organizing a post-conference workshop or field trip around Milwaukee? Contact veep@nacis.org with your ideas!

*Practical Cartography Day, workshops, and field trips require registration separate from the Main Conference.

Video sponsorship

Practical Cartography Day and the Main Conference sessions will be recorded and posted to our YouTube channel so that the knowledge we share at NACIS 2026 can have an impact around the globe. But we need your support to make this happen. Please consider sponsoring all or part of a presentation so that even those who can’t make it in person can benefit from the annual meeting. Maintaining a video archive of our conference is a valuable resource for everyone now and in the future.

Become a sponsor

Volunteer

Interested in volunteering to help out at the annual meeting? Contact volunteer@nacis.org for more information and opportunities.

Hotel reservations

Book your hotel room early as our room block often sells out quickly! The annual meeting will convene at the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Take advantage of the NACIS conference rate by clicking this button:

Reserve your room

Travel grants

Travel grants are available to support the attendance of students and professionals alike. Learn more about travel grants here. Grant applications will open for NACIS 2026 this summer. Check back later for more details.

More about travel grants

Keep an eye out for more conference updates as we get closer to October.

See you in Milwaukee!

Questions about the meeting?
Contact veep@nacis.org.
Questions about Practical Cartography Day?
Contact pcd@nacis.org.

Code of Conduct

All attendees are encouraged to review the NACIS Code of Conduct.