1. Abstracts will not be accepted unless they are submitted online via the online abstract submission system before midnight (GMT) on the deadline date. Abstracts received after this date will NOT be accepted. Abstracts submitted by post, fax or email will NOT be considered.
2. All abstracts should be written, submitted and presented in English with a maximum word count of 300 words (not including the abstract title, authors and institutions). Abstracts received in any other language will not be accepted.
3. Encore abstracts may be submitted, provided that there is no copyright issue with the original publisher. 
4. The submitting author will be notified via email as to whether their abstract has been accepted by the Abstract Review Committee or not. The decision of the committee is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
5. Once an abstract has been accepted, the presenting author must register for the congress for final acceptance, by the deadline 3 July 2026
6. Presenting authors are asked to register using the same email address used in association with the abstract so that our abstract platform can recognise you as registered as to not receive any inaccurate registration reminders.
7. Abstracts accepted and presented at the congress will be listed on the congress website. Subject to editorial review, abstracts may be published in a supplement to Epilepsia.
8. Abstracts previously published in an Epilepsia special issue will not be included for publication in the AOEC 2026 special issue (but may still be considered for presentation at the congress).
9. Presenting authors who do not register for the congress will have their abstracts excluded from the congress programme and publication.
10. Instructions for both platform and poster presentations will be available on the congress website. Authors selected for oral presentations should use Microsoft PowerPoint only (PC format).
11. The abstract notification will be sent to the submitting author. If the presenting author differs from the submitting author, all further correspondence will be directed to the presenting author.

1. Abstract submitters should ensure that the final version is submitted by the deadline; changes will not be permitted once the deadline has passed.
2. Institution information should be provided for all authors. Please include institution, city, state/ province and country but exclude department, division, laboratory, etc.
3. A topic category for each abstract must be selected during the submission process.
4. Abstracts should be structured in 4 sections as follows:
   1. Purpose: Should indicate the objectives of the work being presented.
   2. Method: Should describe study material or subjects (e.g. number and type of patients), intervention and evaluation procedures.
   3. Results: Should summarize the main findings. Wherever possible, give numerical values, including means with SD or SEM, and statistical significance or confidence intervals.
   4. Conclusion: Should state briefly the conclusions reached in the work.
5. Figures, tables and other illustrations may not be included.
6. If the work was supported by funds provided by a commercial organisation this should be stated in a short acknowledgment at the end of the abstract. Other sources of funding may be acknowledged in the same way.
7. Submission of multiple abstracts describing different components of the same study is not appropriate. All findings generated from the same study should be included in a single abstract.
8. Abstracts containing single case reports will not usually be accepted, unless the report is of outstanding scientific or clinical interest because of the uniqueness of the findings or the sophistication of the investigations.
9. Abstracts containing data considered to be insufficiently informative will not be accepted.
10. Authors should use a concise title that indicates the content of the abstract. Abbreviations should be avoided in the title.
11. For intervention studies (for example, therapeutic trials), type of design (prospective or retrospective, controlled or uncontrolled, randomised or observational, open vs. single-blind vs. double-blind), dosages, assessment methods and duration of follow-up should be specified.
12. Non-proprietary names of drugs must be used throughout. If results are considered to be specific for a given proprietary product (for example, bio-equivalence studies), the non-proprietary name must still be used, followed by the proprietary name and the name of the manufacturers in brackets.
13. Abbreviations should be used sparingly. For words that are abbreviated, use the whole term the first time, followed by the standard abbreviation in parenthesis.
14. References should be used sparingly. They should be included within the text in brackets. For journals, mention first author “et al”, followed by the name of the journal as abbreviated in the Index Medicus, year, volume number and inclusive pages (e.g. Hardus P et al. Epilepsia 2001;42:262-267.). For book chapters, give first author “et al”, editor, title, publisher, city of publication, year and inclusive pages (e.g. Levy RH et al. In: Levy RH et al, Antiepileptic Drugs. Lippincott-Raven, 1996;13-30.).
15. Submission of an abstract automatically implies acknowledgment that the work described was conducted in accordance with current ethical standards and regulations in biomedical research. Failure to adhere to these standards will result in rejection of the abstract.

Wiley offers some guidelines on how to “Prepare your Manuscript” which you can find here: Preparing Your Manuscript | Wiley

Wiley also offers a free service to check the quality of the language in your Manuscript which you can find here.

1. Adult Epileptology
2. Autoimmune Neurological Disorders and Epilepsy
3. Basic Science
4. Climate Change
5. Clinical Neurophysiology
6. Drug Therapy
7. Epidemiology
8. Epilepsy and Comorbidities
9. Epilepsy and Reproductive Health
10. Epilepsy Infection and Inflammation
11. Epilepsy in Older People
12. Epilepsy in Resource-restricted Settings
13. Epilepsy Surgery
14. Epileptic Encephalopathies
15. Genetics
16. Neuroimaging
17. Neuropsychology
18. Neurostimulation
19. Paediatric Epileptology
20. Psychiatry
21. Social Issues/Nursing
22. Status Epilepticus
23. Systemic Diseases and Epilepsy
24. Terminology and Classification

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION 

How do I submit an abstract?

Abstracts will only be accepted for review if submitted via the congress abstract submission system. Deadline: 15 May

Can I make changes to my abstract after submission?

You may make changes to your submitted abstract until the official submission deadline. 

Once the abstract submission deadline has passed, changes are not permitted unless they relate to the results of the study. In this case only, please contact abstracts@epilepsycongress.org

Can I submit an abstract after the deadline?

Abstracts will not be accepted for review after the deadline. Please contact abstracts@epilepsycongress.org with any queries.

Can an Encore Abstract be submitted? 

Yes, an encore abstract may be submitted, provided that there is no copyright issue with the original publisher.

What is the abstract word count?

Maximum word count is 300.

ABSTRACT ACCEPTANCE 

When will I know if my abstract has been accepted?

Submitting authors will be notified via email of the outcome of the abstract review once completed.

How will I receive the information from the Secretariat?

Contact details provided at the time of submission will be used for all correspondence related to the congress. Please ensure that the correct details are entered. 

The abstract notification will be sent to the submitting author. If the presenting author differs from the submitting author, all further correspondence will be directed to the presenting author.

How will my abstract be presented at the congress?

The listed presenting author of abstracts which have been accepted for presentation will receive all presentation details by email using the contact details provided at the time of submission.  

My colleague has received confirmation of their abstract acceptance, and I did not, is there something wrong?

Please contact abstracts@epilepsycongress.org

Will my accepted abstract be published? 

Abstracts accepted for presentation at the AOEC will be considered for publication in Epilepsia. Those judged suitable by the editorial team based on novelty and scientific impact will be published electronically. Others may be accepted for presentation at the meeting but will not be published.

Abstracts previously published in an Epilepsia special issue will not be included for publication in the AOEC 2026 special issue (but may still be considered for presentation at the congress).

ABSTRACTS - GENERAL QUERIES

Which reference number should I use when I send a query to the Secretariat? 

The personal ID Reference Number that you received when you submitted your abstract should be mentioned in all correspondence.

I am not the first author; may I present the poster on behalf of my colleagues?

Presentation by a second author may be allowed. Once your registration has been completed, please contact abstracts@epilepsycongress.org.  

Please note however that each author is permitted to present only once during the congress (not including invited lectures).

I am an invited speaker in the congress programme; do I need to submit an abstract? 

Invited speakers are not required to submit abstracts to illustrate their talks.

I have been selected for a platform session, but I would have preferred a poster presentation, what can I do?

During the abstract submission process, you were asked if you would prefer poster or oral (platform) presentation, or if you do not have a preference.

The Abstract Review Committee (ARC) took this preference into account and did not select an abstract for platform presentation if the submitter indicated that s/he does not want a platform presentation. However, if you indicated that you had no preference between poster and platform presentation, then the ARC has selected your work to be presented in a platform session because they felt that it was of high quality and that a large audience would be interested in knowing more about the study. It would be a shame not to use this opportunity to present your work! 

However, if you are unable to make an oral presentation, please contact the secretariat at abstracts@epilepsycongress.org for alternative arrangements.

When will abstracts be published in Epilepsia?

After the congress, all presented abstracts will be compiled and undergo a series of proofreading. Once finalised, the abstract book is expected to be published early 2027.

Will my accepted abstract be published?
Abstracts accepted for presentation at the AOEC will be considered for publication in Epilepsia. Those judged suitable by the editorial team based on novelty and scientific impact will be published electronically. Others may be accepted for presentation at the meeting but will not be published.
Abstracts previously published in an Epilepsia special issue will not be included for publication in the AOEC 2026 special issue (but may still be considered for presentation at the congress).

When will abstracts be published in Epilepsia?
After the congress, all presented abstracts will be compiled and undergo a series of proofreading. Once finalised, the abstract book is expected to be published early 2027.

In order to encourage young researchers to participate in the congress, bursaries will be awarded to a number of applicants who have submitted an abstract to the congress that stands out for its scientific quality.

Bursary awards assist awardees with registration in order to attend the congress.

Applications for bursaries will only be accepted from those who also submit an abstract.

Please contact the ILAE Secretariat at bursary@epilepsycongress.org with any queries.

REQUIREMENTS AND CONDITIONS

• Applications for bursaries will only be accepted via the online abstract submission system for the congress.
• The applicant must submit an abstract and receive a score higher than 3.5 out of 5.
• At the time of application, the applicant must be 45 years of age or under. A copy of the applicant’s passport/ID document must be included with the application to verify date of birth.
• The applicant must submit a short statement explaining why attendance at the congress would be particularly relevant to his/her present appointment or activity in the field of epilepsy, making sure to indicate the reason he/she requires funding to attend the congress and why he/she feels the application should be considered.
• The applicant must submit a signed reference from a person supporting his/her application (e.g. local ILAE Chapter representative, Head of Department of hospital or institution, etc.).
• The applicant may not have received a bursary to participate in an ILAE/IBE congress over the past four years.
• The applicant must declare if he/she has sourced any other funding to attend the congress and disclose the nature of the funding.