Astrobiology Science Conference 2026 press registration open

Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center
One John Nolen Drive
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
17 - 22 May 2026

Press contact: Liza Lester, +1 (202) 777-7494, [email protected]

WASHINGTON - Press registration is open for the 2026 Astrobiology Science Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, sponsored by the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The biennial conference brings together a diverse, international astrobiology community to share new research investigating life's potential, from Earth's extreme environments and deep past to our Solar System's icy moons and distant exoplanets.

Press registration

Staff, freelance and student journalists are eligible to apply for complimentary press registration through the end of the conference. Press officers and institutional writers covering the meeting are also eligible. Learn about AGU's press eligibility requirements.

Reporters and press officers interested in press registration should email [email protected]. Please include a link to a byline, masthead or a staff page listing your name and position. Freelancers should provide a link to a portfolio or links to at least three bylined science news stories published in the last 12 months. Let us know whether you plan to attend AbSciCon26 online or to come to Madison in person.

Media access to the meeting is issued at the discretion of AGU Media Relations. All press registrants must provide credentials regardless of whether they have attended in the past. Please email us at [email protected] if you have a question about eligibility.

Program and online access

AbSciCon26 will host about 900 scientific posters, talks, town halls and plenary lectures. Browse the conference program for a preview of the scientific sessions. Registered attendees can log in to build a personal schedule in the conference desktop planner and mobile app.

AbSciCon26 is primarily an in-person meeting. Remote attendees can join a small set of online-only discussion sessions on Zoom via the conference app. Recordings of the audio and slide presentations from in-person town halls, plenaries and oral sessions will be available on demand on the conference app about 72 hours after each session is finished. AGU media relations will be on site to help reporters connect with attending scientists.

Media registrants receive, at no charge, access to all scientific sessions and an on-site press room. Some events and activities, including but not limited to invitation-only events and communications workshops, are not open to press registrants.

Location

AbSciCon26 will be held at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, One John Nolen Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53703.

Save the date for more 2026 science

• JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 24 - 29 May in Makuhari, Chiba City, Japan
• AGU26 Annual Meeting, 7 - 11 December in San Francisco, California, USA

AGU (www.agu.org) is a global community supporting more than half a million professionals and advocates in Earth and space sciences. Through broad and inclusive partnerships, AGU aims to advance discovery and solution science that accelerate knowledge and create solutions that are ethical, unbiased and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our net zero energy renovated building in Washington, D.C. and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geoscience community to ensure responsible conduct.