Call for Papers: Launching Astyanax: conference on Classical Studies at the University of Reading
The Department of Classics at the University of Reading are most pleased to announce a conference celebrating the launch of Astyanax, a peer-reviewed undergraduate journal on Classical Studies. This one-day workshop will take place at the University of Reading on 17 June 2026 and is open to contributions by undergraduate students, school students in Years 10 to 13 as well as teachers and lecturers!
Participants can present their work in the form of a 15-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of discussion or in the form of posters. We welcome contributions by undergraduate students on any aspect of classical studies. Those who submit articles for publication by 1 May 2026 will also be invited to the conference. We also invite educators in secondary and higher education on the application of inclusive, interactive, and transformative pedagogy in Classics in the university or school classroom.
School students can participate in two ways:
- School students who wish to submit an essay for our essay competition are most welcome to participate in the workshop to present their work either as a paper or as a poster. The deadline for the essay competition is Friday, 3 April 2026.
- Students and educators can also participate as a team by presenting a case-study of inclusive Classics in the classroom focussing on any aspect of interactive and student-empowering pedagogy (e.g., incorporation of performance in teaching, collaborative projects between teachers and students, innovative approaches to teaching classical languages in secondary education or to ab initio students, postcolonial pedagogy, engagement with modern reception of ancient stories, and any other form of student-empowering initiative in the teaching and learning environment).
All contributions will be considered for publication in the first issue of Astyanax in summer 2026. For more information on how to structure and present a poster, you can consult our library guide.
To express your interest, please submit an abstract of up to 300 words by 1 May 2026 at astyanaxjournal@reading.ac.uk.
A number of bursaries to cover accommodation and travel costs is provided thanks to the generous support of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. In addition, hybrid attendance will be available for those joining from abroad or having work, care, or other commitments.
You can find more information on the journal’s scope and competitions at: https://astyanaxjournal.com/. Don’t forget that Astyanax runs an Ancient Greek or Latin composition competition for undergraduate students and a Year 10-13 student essay competition (deadline 3 April 2026).
You can follow Astyanax on X as well as on Bluesky and LinkedIn. For inquiries and/or submissions please contact us at astyanaxjournal@reading.ac.uk.
We look forward to hearing from you! The Editorial Board of Astyanax, Reading Classics
