Annual Preservation Conference – Student Paper Competition

General Details

The California Preservation Foundation is pleased to announce the Call for Student Papers to be presented at the 2026 California Preservation Conference, to be held in Riverside, California, May 6–9, 2026.

Selected students and tradespeople studying preservation methods, theory, and techniques will present their work during the session “Learning from the Future of Preservation: Students Share Their Work.” This special session will highlight emerging research, innovative practices, and new voices shaping the future of historic preservation.

Session Details

  • The student paper session is scheduled for the morning of May 8, 2026

  • Up to three students will be selected to present their papers at the conference

  • Each selected student will receive a travel grant of $300–$500, thanks to the generous support of Liz’s Antique Hardware and donors to CPF’s student scholarship fund

  • Selected presenters must prepare a 15-minute presentation on their topic

Abstract Submission

The California Preservation Foundation is accepting abstracts through Wednesday, February 25, 2026.

Conference organizers are particularly interested in papers that:

  • Explore applied research methods and innovative preservation practices

  • Advance engagement with diverse communities (including race, class, gender, and age)

  • Address grassroots advocacy, place-based interpretation, and community storytelling

  • Examine environmental sustainability and climate resilience

  • Consider preservation broadly, including public history, digital humanities, materials-based conservation, documentation, planning, and policy

Proposals should clearly state the paper’s central argument and demonstrate original research and creative analysis. Submissions will be evaluated based on relevance to contemporary preservation issues, methodological rigor, and the strength and clarity of the argument.

Eligibility
Current full-time trade school, undergraduate, or graduate students enrolled in programs in California, Oregon, or Washington universities and colleges are eligible to enter the Paper Competition, including those students who will complete their program in the Spring prior to the conference date. Abstracts may be developed specifically for this competition or may be ones completed for any preservation, public history, construction trades study, or related course or training program. Abstracts must be the work of a single individual; team or group papers may be permitted, though they will need to confine their presentation to the same length as individual prize winner (15 minutes). Only one abstract per student/team is permitted. Selected teams will need to divide any travel grant received equally among all team members.
Submission Guidelines
  • Abstracts must be under 300 words
  • The title should not exceed 65 characters, including spaces and punctuation
  • Abstracts must follow the Chicago Manual of Style
Abstracts should define the subject and summarize the argument to be presented in the proposed paper. For undergraduate and graduate students, the content of that paper should be the product of well-documented original research that is primarily analytical and interpretive rather than descriptive in nature. For trade school applicants, the abstract should describe the methodology of a completed project and the key takeaways and conclusions you’ve drawn from your project’s completion. All abstracts will be held in confidence during the review and selection process, and only the session chair and general chair will have access to them.
Key Dates
  • April 4, 2025 – Submission of Abstract to California Preservation Foundation
  • April 15, 2025 – Session Chairs notify all persons submitting abstracts of their acceptance or rejection
  • May 9, 2025 – Selected students present their topics at the conference center
Scholarships

Up to three selected students will each receive…

  • Complimentary registration to the full CPF conference and a complimentary membership to CPF, courtesy of the California Preservation Foundation.
  • A travel grant of between $300 and $500, to be used at the students discretion and to help defray costs of traveling to the Annual Conference, thanks to the generous support of Liz’s Antique Hardware and the donors to our Student Fund.
  • The opportunity to be matched up with a mentor in the preservation field, who is selected from a pool of interested mentors within our professional member database, committees, or Board of Directors.

   

Questions

Please address all questions to CPF Field Services Director, Jonathan Haeber ( jon@californiapreservation.org / 415-495-0349 )

Submit your Abstract Here

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