Tuesday, March 24 – Thursday, March 2026
UTSA Main Campus, HEB SU Ballroom
Get ready for the 2026 COLFA Research Conference and Showcase! This annual event offers students at all levels (graduate and undergraduate) opportunities to showcase their original academic and creative work for a community of scholars, friends, and the community.
Deadline for Applications: Friday, February 27, 2026!
Why Participate?
Share your small bit of genius, gain experience, build your resume, post to social media, boast to family and friends, and take steps to move forward in your career!!
You already wrote the paper, created the artwork, learned the language. And you earned the “A.” You know it’s good. Why not share it with the world!
Who’s eligible?
Any student pursuing a major or graduate degree in a COLFA program (Anthropology, Art, Art History, Humanities, Communication, English, Film and Media, History, Medical Humanities, Modern Languages and Literatures, Philosophy and Classics, Political Science and Geography, Linguistics, Translation and Intepreting Studies, and more)
How to do it?
Just fill out the conference application. We’ll contact you and let you know everything you need to do to prep your project for primetime! There is no limit to your number of submissions.
Which category is best for me?
We’ve got categories for extroverts, introverts; scholars, creatives, and performers; English speakers and Spanish speakers. If you’ve got something to share, we’ve got a way for you to share it. We want to know what you’re thinking. See the categories below to find which best fits your project and personality!
Key Dates
Application opens: December 1, 2025
Deadline for Applications: February 27, 2026
Conference Dates: March 24 - March 26, 2026
Presentation Categories
· Oral Presentations
· Poster Presentations
· 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) – graduate students only
· Digital Projects and Digital Storytelling
· Music Lecture-Performance
· Creative Writing
· Film & Video
· Art (the 42nd Annual Juried Student Exhibition will be held in conjunction with the COLFA Research Conference and Showcase.)
For any questions, please contact colfa.conference@utsa.edu
View our 2025 COLFA Research Conference and Showcase Winners
View our 2025 COLFA Research Conference and Showcase Photo Gallery
GENERAL CONFERENCE GUIDELINES
The purpose of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts Spring Research Conference is to showcase the research, scholarly, and creative works of Undergraduate and Graduate students in COLFA. All students are encouraged to submit an application to participate.
Cash prizes will be awarded to undergraduate and graduate winners in each category.
- Submissions can be made in English or español.
- No limit to submissions per student as the primary author per category.
- You may submit in more than one category.
- Deadline for applications: February 27, 2026
- Students who apply by the deadline will receive an email with conference details at a later date.
- The conference will take place on Wednesday, March 24, 2026 and Thursday, March 26, 2026 on UTSA’s Main Campus at the HEB Student Union Ballrooms. Times and location information will be sent at a later date.
ABSTRACTS
- When applying for the conference, you will be asked to submit an abstract.
- Abstracts should be 50-100 words, detailing your submission and what attendees can expect from your presentation, performance, or art work.
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If you would like guidance on how to write a strong abstract, visit this resource from the Council of Undergraduate Research: http://curartsandhumanities.org/resources/how-to-write-an-abstract/
“The experience and opportunities as a whole were quite rewarding. As an undergraduate planning to go to grad school the chance to do and practice presenting research with critique is priceless.”
“The opportunity to present something I worked so hard on.”
“Very friendly and professional; you feel surrounded by like-minded, academic-oriented people who are passionate about their research and are supportive of yours.”
“I got to share my voice and hearing others share theirs as well.”
“It gave me an opportunity to talk with faculty about graduate school, and graduate students about their own work at UTSA’s graduate school.”
