Abstract submission
Abstract submission – Joint Congress of Pediatric Surgery by ESPES, EUPSA & IPEG 2026
• Submission opens: November 3, 2025
• Deadline for submission: January 18, 2026
• Notification of acceptance/rejection: February 11, 2026
• Submission link: To be published soon
LINK to submit your paper for EUPSA: https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/80291/submitter
LINK for ESPES & IPEG submissions: https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/80290/submitter
Submit your abstract either for the ESPES & IPEG or the EUPSA submission. Each abstract can be submitted only once, under one of these categories.
For questions concerning abstract or manuscript submission, or the scientific content of the congress, please contact the Joint Congress Program Committee:
• Annika Mutanen, Chair (EUPSA) – annika.mutanen@hus.fi
• Hanna Alemayehu (IPEG) – hanna.alemayehu@emory.edu
• Maria Escolino (ESPES) – maria.escolino@unina.it
Guidelines for abstract submission
• Abstracts must be submitted online in English through the submission system.
• Each abstract will receive a unique submission number; please use this in all correspondence.
• Abstracts can be edited until the submission deadline but should not be resubmitted.
• Only one submission per abstract is allowed. Abstracts submitted to multiple categories will be automatically rejected without review.
• Abstracts accepted for presentation require the presenting author to attend the congress.
Eligibility
• Abstracts must contain original material and must not have been previously accepted to publication, previously published, or presented at the following meetings: AAP, APSA, BAPS, BABU, CAPS, ESPES, ESPU, EUPSA, IPEG, PAPS.
• Abstracts may not be submitted to another congress with a parallel review process.
• Failure to declare previous publication or presentation will result in disqualification of the senior author from submitting abstracts to EUPSA, ESPES, and IPEG for two subsequent years.
• Authorship and content cannot be altered after acceptance. Abstract titles, authors, and affiliations will be published as submitted.
• A senior author or co-author is expected to attend if the presenting author is a trainee. Should unforeseen circumstances preclude this from occurring, another co-author of the abstract from the trainee’s institution should replace. The senior author is obliged if required to participate in the discussion following the trainee’s presentation.
Ethics
• Evidence of ethical approval must be included for studies involving humans or animals (exceptions may apply for retrospective studies, following institutional rules).
Abstract formats
Abstract
• File type: MS Word (.doc/.docx)
• Font: Calibri, 10 pt
• Spacing: single (0 pt before/after)
• Title: ALL CAPITALS
• Length: maximum 250 words (including figures/tables, fitting on one A4 page)
• Structure:
o Original abstracts: Aim, Methods, Results, Conclusions
o Case reports: Aim, Case description, Conclusions
• One figure or table may be included.
Abstracts exceeding the word or page limits will not be accepted.
Video abstract (for IPEG/ESPES abstract categories only)
• All video submissions must also include an accompanying abstract.
• File type: .mov, .mp4 (only).
• File size: max 300 MB.
• Video length:
o 5 min for the categories My worst nightmare and Cool Tips and Tricks
o 2 minutes for Case reports in any IPEG/ESPES category
o Videos longer than allowed for the category will be automatically rejected.
• All videos must be recorded in English. Music is not permitted.
• The opening frames of the video must display the exact title and list all authors’ names.
• Submissions that are exceedingly commercial are discouraged and are less likely to be accepted for presentation.
• Submissions funded by commercial companies must include a disclaimer at the start of the presentation identifying the source of funding.
Data Presentation
• Abstracts must include clear description of results with data; reporting only p-values is insufficient.
Submission and review process
• First-time users must create a log-in profile to the submission system; the same email/password can be used for multiple submissions.
• Each abstract must be submitted in one category only. Case reports may be submitted only in the case report category.
• All double submissions (e.g., altering the title or resubmitting to multiple categories) will be automatically rejected.
• Reviews are blinded: author names and institutions must not appear in the abstract text or title.
• Number of presentations is limited to 2 presentations per presenting author. Unlimited number of abstract co-authorships is allowed.
• If you want to withdraw an abstract, please contact the Joint Congress Program Committee.
• Authors will be notified of abstract acceptance/rejection by email. The submitting author is responsible for updating any changes in email address.
Abstract categories
EUPSA: Basic Science, Case Reports, Child Abuse Prevention, Hepatobiliary, History, Innovations, Lower GI, Oncology, Plastic Surgery, Thoracic, Trauma, Upper GI, Urology
ESPES & IPEG: Chest Wall, Colorectal, Cool Tips and Tricks, Education, Esophageal Atresia–TEF, Gastrointestinal, Hepatobiliary, Inguinal Hernia, Innovations, Miscellaneous, My Worst Nightmare, Robotics/ICG, Thoracic, Urology
Abstract scoring criteria
• Scale 1 to 5 or reject; 1 = extremely poor to 5 = extremely good). Total score range: 4–20.
• Originality
• Methodology
• Results (quality and presentation)
• Relevance
Rejection criteria (details above)
• Previously published, accepted, or presented abstracts (as above)
• Submission to another congress with parallel review process
• Lack of ethical approval (when applicable)
• Exceeding abstract length limits
• Identifying information in title/text
• Submission of same abstract to multiple abstract categories
Congress Awards
EUPSA Young Investigator Award – Best two trainee presentations
The EUPSA Young Investigator Award aims to encourage and recognize high-quality research in Paediatric Surgery conducted by trainees.
Eligibility and Submission
• Any abstract may be submitted for this award session, provided the presenting author is a trainee.
• Abstracts must meet the same eligibility and submission criteria as all other congress abstracts (see guidelines).
• During submission, please indicate whether your abstract should be considered under the Young investigator Award category.
• Although an individual author may submit multiple abstracts, each author may present only one paper in the Young Investigator Award session.
Selection Process
• Abstracts are selected for the Young Investigator Award session based on their overall peer-review scores.
• The two best presentations in this session will receive the award.
• While review criteria are the same as for all abstracts, final scoring during the session is performed by the Young Investigator Award Committee. Abstract and presentation is evaluated for originality, Scientific value, clinical value, quality of presentation, and overall impression (scale 1 to 5).
EUPSA Poster Award – Top Three Posters
The EUPSA Poster Award recognizes excellence in poster presentations at the Congress.
Eligibility
• All abstracts accepted for poster presentation are eligible, excluding case reports.
• Posters must comply with congress abstract submission rules and formatting guidelines.
Selection Process
• The three best posters presented in EUPSA poster sessions will receive the award.
• Posters are evaluated based on two components:
1. Abstract score received during the review process.
2. Presentation score awarded during the poster session by the session chairpersons.
EUPSA Case Report Session and Awards
The EUPSA Case Report Award encourages trainees and young surgeons to share interesting and educational case reports.
Eligibility
• Only case reports may be submitted for this session (EUPSA category: Case Report).
• Abstracts must be original and follow congress submission guidelines.
Selection Process
• Accepted case reports will be presented orally in a dedicated Case Report Session.
• The best case reports will be awarded by the European Journal of Paediatric Surgery Reports.
EUPSA Andrew Pinter Award – Best Contribution from a Young Eastern European Surgeon
The EUPSA Andrew Pinter Award honors the memory of Professor Andrew Pinter and aims to encourage young surgeons from Eastern Europe to contribute to the field of Paediatric Surgery.
Eligibility
• The presenting author must be a young surgeon from an Eastern European country.
• Abstracts must follow the general congress submission rules and guidelines.
Selection Process
• Abstracts presented by eligible authors will be considered for the award.
• During the congress, presentations will be evaluated by the Andrew Pinter Award Committee. Scoring is done for originality, scientific value, clinical relevance, quality of presentation, overall impression (scale 1 to 5).
• The Andrew Pinter Award is granted the best presentation delivered by a young Eastern European surgeon.
ESPES and IPEG awards
IPEG/ESPES, IRCAD Award
As a result of a generous grant provided by Karl Storz Endoscopy, one fellow will be selected by the IPEG Research Committee each year to travel to Strasbourg, France to participate in a course in pediatric minimally invasive surgery at the world famous European Institute of Telesurgery. This center, on the campus of the University of Strasbourg, is a state-of-the-art institute for instruction in all aspects of endoscopic surgery.
Eligibility
This award is for either a trainee or junior faculty who not only presents the best Innovation abstract (judged on combination of written submission and live presentation), but also submits the manuscript for publication by the deadline set for meeting edition of Journal of Pediatric Surgery. During abstract submission, applicants with Innovation abstracts will be considered for the IRCAD award if you select to be considered.
Award Prize: The award covers the IRCAD course fee and travel expenses up to a total of $5000. The winner is announced on site at the annual meeting during the awards ceremony.
To apply: Submit an abstract to the annual congress and select to be considered for the award.
IPEG/ESPES Best Scientific Presentation Award
Eligibility
This award is for any submitter who not only presents the best abstract (judged on combination of written submission and live presentation), but also submits the manuscript for publication by the deadline set for meeting edition of Journal of Pediatric Surgery. During abstract submission, applicants will be considered for the award, if they select to be considered for it. All submissions are reviewed and scored by the Program Committee. The top 15 highest scored abstracts are then eligible for review and the winner (judged on combination of written submission and live presentation) is selected by the Research Committee.
To apply: Submit an abstract to the annual congress and select to be considered for the award.
IPEG/ESPES Best Tips and Tricks Award
Eligibility
This award is for any submitter who not only presents the best abstract (judged on combination of written submission and live presentation) in the cool tips and tricks category. During abstract submission, applicants will be considered for the award, if they select to be considered for it. All submissions in this category are reviewed and scored by the Young Surgeons Committee, judged on a combination of written submission and live presentation.
To apply: Submit an abstract to the annual congress for the Cool Tips and Tricks category and select to be considered for the award.
IPEG/ESPES Best poster Award
Eligibility
This award is for any subission selected for a poster presentation. During abstract submission, applicants will be considered for the award, if they select to be considered for it. All submissions in this category are reviewed and scored by the Research Committee, judged on a combination of written submission and live presentation.
To apply: Submit an abstract to the annual congress and select to be considered for the award.
Information to be updated soon.
Publication
Information to be updated soon.
Contact
For all inquiries, please contact the Joint Congress Program Committee:
• Annika Mutanen (Chair, EUPSA) – annika.mutanen@hus.fi
• Hanna Alemayehu (IPEG) – hanna.alemayehu@emory.edu
• Maria Escolino (ESPES) – maria.escolino@unina.it