NARSC Update Special Sessions at NARSC 2026 Conference organizers welcome individual papers and organized sessions relating to a wide variety of topics that are included within the diverse realm of regional science. As usual, there will be several organized sessions. If you are interested in participating in one of these organized sessions, please contact the session organizers. Details about these can be found here. Please note that the list of special sessions is updated on a regular basis, so please check regularly If you are interested in organizing a special session, please contact Program Chair Neil Reid at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Graduate Student Opportunity: NARSC Graduate Student Paper Competitions The NARSC Graduate Student Paper Competitions are held annually in conjunction with the North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI). These contests encourage the participation of young scholars by providing a forum for paper presentation and discussion by senior scholars in the field of regional science. Beginning in 2010, two separate competitions have been held for graduate student papers: Graduate-Student-Author Paper Competition: Eligibility for the award is limited to current Masters and PhD students, and/or recent graduates who completed their degree after August 1, 2025. Co-authored papers are acceptable; however, all authors listed on a paper must meet the eligibility criteria above. Graduate-Student-Led Paper Competition: Eligibility for the award requires that the paper’s “primary author” be a current Masters or PhD student, or a recent graduate who completed their degree after August 1, 2025. Papers with senior co-authors are acceptable; however, most of the substantive work and contribution of the paper must be directly attributable to an author who meets the eligibility criteria above. The 2026 contest will be held in conjunction with the annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International, to be held November 11 – 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, PA. See the NARSC Graduate Student Paper Competition website for more information on eligibility, submission requirements, deadlines, and conference attendance expectations. Interested in Being More Involved with the NARSC Conference and Graduate Student Participation? We are seeking volunteers (or nominations) for the NARSC Graduate Student Paper Competition Committee. The selected individual will: Support the NARSC Graduate Student Paper Competition Chairs with competition logistics and communications Participate in the reading committee for one of the two competitions While it is our hope that the selected individual plans to attend the 2026 NARSC Meeting (November 11 - 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, PA) and will continue their service beyond the 2026 conference cycle, they do not have to commit to either at this time. If you are interested, please submit your name, affiliation, and an indication of whether you are interested to serve for this year only or to potentially continue your collaboration in future years to: Claudia Montanía Portillo, University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Christa Court, University of Florida, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. NARSC Hotel Reservations The conference will be held at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown (201 North 17th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103). A special conference room rate of $239 (plus taxes) has been negotiated with the hotel. Please consider staying at the host hotel. Staying at the Sheraton helps NARSC continue to hold these meetings. NARSC is penalized when attendees do not stay at the hotel. Also, book the conference hotel through the NARSC website to make sure NARSC gets credit for your booking. The link to book your hotel room is below. Book your group rate for North American Regional Science Council (NARSC) Annual Meeting Nov 2026 NARSC has a limited number (25) of student rooms available at a rate of $179 (single or double). If you are interested, please contact Elham Erfanian with your request, name, and contact information at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Rooms will be allocated on a first-come, first served basis. Call for Papers NARSC 2026 Philadelphia, PA November 11-14, 2026 As the USA celebrates its 250 birthday, join us in the birth place of American independence for the 73rd North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI) sponsored by the North American Regional Science Council (NARSC). To submit an abstract or a complete session, please use our online submission system. The submission deadline is July 10, 2026. Decisions concerning the acceptance of papers and sessions will be announced in mid