The APA Pacific Division Program Committee and Executive Committee are working diligently to make the 2026 Pacific Division Meeting (held online only April 8–12, 2026) to be more than just the in-person conference on Zoom. We conceive it as a reimagined space for doing philosophy in new ways that includes a broader range of participants. This online format opens doors to innovative discussions, global collaboration, and fresh perspectives.
The 2026 Pacific Division Meeting is the second year of the 2+1 experiment, aimed at increasing accessibility and sustainability (last year the APA Central was online). It will include the usual highlights such as the Teaching Hub, the presidential address and prize lectures, along with the peer-reviewed colloquium and symposium sessions and APA committee sessions. Following its success in the 2025 Central online meeting, the Philosophers for Sustainability will again organize a Climate Hub. In addition, the Committee on Pre-College Philosophy and the Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO) are co-organizing a mini workshop on Philosophy for Children.
For the past few years, the APA Pacific has held popular bilingual (español/English) sessions. We are collaborating with Latin American colleagues to expand these sessions for the 2026 virtual meeting.
There are many ways to participate in the online conference, including some new, more dynamic formats which are new to the Pacific Division.
Submit a colloquium or symposium paper
We are continuing the tradition of prestigious peer-reviewed colloquium and symposium submissions on the main program.
Submit a workshop paper
Workshops are new to the APA Pacific (the Eastern Division recently created this option). Workshops will be designed for philosophers working in similar areas of philosophy to develop work-in-progress in a structured discussion. While we encourage all philosophers to submit workshop papers, we are particularly eager to receive proposals from advanced graduate students, early career scholars, and scholars from institutions that offer less research support for faculty.
APA members can submit a workshop paper in addition to a regular colloquium or symposium paper.
Submit a lightning session
Instead of our usual poster sessions, we are inaugurating lightning sessions. These sessions are an opportunity to present an intriguing claim or idea to a broader philosophical audience. During the sessions, participants will have a maximum of three minutes to present. This lets participants take chances and test out new ideas and presentation styles that may not fit into more traditional philosophical presentations.
Host a watch party in your department
The APA Central Division virtual meeting pioneered watch parties, where department students and faculty get together in person to participate in sessions. We intend to schedule at least one watch party session each day of the conference. Departments shared that the watch parties had enormous value, reporting that “It was really moving to see so many watch parties and classes with students asking questions in nearly every session.” Another department wrote, “The events were excellent at providing a sense of departmental cohesion and participation in the international philosophical community. They were especially useful for early-stage graduate students, many of whom had their first experience of a professional academic conference.”
Watch parties are free to departments participating in the Departmental Services Program and available for $100 (early bird rate).
Share public sessions with your networks
Along with watch parties, we intend to schedule at least one public session on each day of the virtual meeting, aimed at the broader community, including people outside of academia. We encourage you to attend these sessions and share some of the exciting voices in philosophy today with your networks.
Sign up to chair or comment
Finally, please consider signing up to chair sessions or comment on papers. This is a great opportunity to participate in the conference and to support your colleagues. Effective chairs are even more important in an online conference.
The deadline to submit a paper is Tuesday, September 2, at 5 p.m. Pacific Time.
Alex Sager
Alex Sager is Professor of Philosophy and University Studies at Portland State University. He is the author of Against Borders: Why the World Needs Free Movement of People (Rowman and Littlefield International, 2020) and Toward a Cosmopolitan Ethics of Mobility: The Migrant’s-Eye View of the World (Palgrave Pivot, 2018). He also regularly teaches Philosophy for Children and is the founder of the Oregon High School Ethics Bowl.
