Call for papers: Media Cymru Conference and Showcase 2026 (Innovation in the Media and Creative Industries)

Organised by Cardiff University’s Centre for the Creative Economy, the Media Cymru Conference and Showcase will spotlight research and innovation in the media and creative industries, with a focus on making them greener, fairer, globally connected, and economically sustainable.   

We invite all researchers and professionals to submit their academic work that explores approaches to and analysis of media and creative industries innovation in ways that can inform future practice and policy. We welcome a broad range of topics. 

Overview: Conference Themes and Topics 

Submissions should align with (at least one of) four themes: Green, Fair, Global, and Growth – these themes reflect Media Cymru’s four strategic pillars: 

• Green – Environmental Sustainability (research on the media’s role in tackling the climate crisis)
• Fair – Inclusive and Equitable Creative Industries (research promoting a fair, equitable and diverse media sector)
• Global – International Collaboration and Reach (research on expanding the global impact and connections of small creative industries companies or regional ecosystems)
• Growth – Creative Economy Development (research driving economic growth and productivity through media Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I)). 

These topics are not exhaustive. We welcome proposals that explore media workforce development and submissions with a focus on R&D methodologies and practice-based research closely aligned with industry needs and engagement.  

We also invite postgraduate and early career researchers to submit papers for a special session on the future of Creative Industries research. 

For full details on each theme and topic, visit the Frontiers of Communication Submission Portal. 

Submission  

Authors are invited to submit abstracts of up to 500 words (excluding references) by 16 January 2026. 

Submit via the Frontiers in Communication submission portal. 

Location 

Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK (in-person)  

More details