Each symposium will run for one hour and is to incorporate two to four speakers, The time allocated for each presentation is up to the symposium applicant, but there should be time allocated for audience members to ask questions and for an exchange of views which can be in the format of a panel discussion.

1. Symposium applicants must be a current member of Hypertension Australia
2. Please confirm that you have sought agreement from speakers to participate in your symposium before including them in the application.
3. Symposia will be ranked by the organising committee of the ASM and relevant delegates
4. Applicants will be advised via email whether their symposium proposal has been accepted by Monday 29 June 2026.
5. Successful applicants will be required to submit their final speaker and chairperson names to the meeting secretariat via email to hypertensionaus@expertevents.com.au by Friday 3 July 2026, if different to original submission.

If your proposal is successful, the symposium applicant, chairperson and speakers will be requested to register for the meeting. Hypertension Australia members, including the symposium applicant, chairperson and speakers, are required to fund their own registration and travel expenses. Chairperson and speakers who are only attending their symposium session will be eligible for complimentary registration. If attending the ASM for the entire day, they will be required to pay for registration. A day registration option may also be available.

Individual symposium presenters will be required to submit their abstract (i.e. for their presentation as part of the symposium) by Friday 11 September 2026.

Proposals must include sufficient supporting material to permit the Meeting Organising Committee to evaluate the quality of and potential interest in the symposium. Reviewers will rank the applications in order from most to least appropriate for the meeting according to the criteria below. Any conflicts of interest must be declared and the conflicted reviewer will abstain from ranking the symposia for which they have a conflict.

CONTENT. Highly ranked proposals should:

• Demonstrate sound scientific merit across the symposium talks;
• Include content that makes a contribution to knowledge;
• Demonstrate novelty or innovation; or,
• Provide new insights into old topics.

SPEAKERS. Highly ranked proposals should:

• Include a balance of early- and mid-career speakers, as well as established and senior researchers;
• Ensure that the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion are demonstrated by the applicant in the selection of chairs and speakers, including the proportion of male and female contributors, diversity of geographical locations, and under-represented groups in scientific societies;
• Indicate that the proposed speakers have agreed in principle to participate in the symposia should it be selected for the Joint Congress.

PRESENTATION. Highly ranked proposals will be:

• Well organised and clearly written; and
• Include a series of well-considered and coherent talks that contribute to the overall symposia theme.

AUDIENCE. Highly ranked proposals should address a topic that is of interest to more than one conference partner or more than one special interest group.