The 29th International Congress of Onomastic Sciences returns to Vienna in August 2027 - and the call for workshop and session proposals is officially open
The International Council of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS) has launched the official website for its 29th Congress, which will take place August 16-20, 2027 in Vienna, Austria. Organized by the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Austrian Geographical Society, this landmark gathering promises to be one of the most significant onomastic events of the decade.
The submission portal is now open, inviting onomasticians worldwide to propose workshops and sessions through the congress website at https://icos27-vienna.at/. The deadline for submissions is May 31, 2026 — giving researchers several months to develop compelling proposals.
The Congress Theme: "Names as Condensed Narratives"
The organizing committee has chosen a theme both evocative and expansive: "Names as condensed narratives."
As the congress description explains, this framing recognizes that names function as compressed stories — narratives about the person or place they denote, about the name-givers themselves, about cultural values, historical moments, and social relationships.
Place names exemplify this particularly well. Every toponym represents an intentional choice to highlight an essential or striking aspect of a geographic feature. When medieval settlers named a location "Broadford," they condensed an entire landscape observation into two syllables. When immigrants renamed their new home "New Vienna," they compressed longing, identity, and aspiration into a single phrase.
But the theme extends far beyond toponymy. Personal names carry family histories, religious traditions, aesthetic preferences, and identity aspirations. Commercial names condense brand narratives. Nicknames tell stories of relationships and social positions. Even name changes - whether personal, political, or cultural - narrate transformations.
Importantly, while the theme provides intellectual coherence, submissions are not required to address it directly. The organizers explicitly welcome "the whole variety of onomastic topics and scientific approaches."
Topics Welcome at the Congress
The Vienna Congress invites papers and posters covering (but not limited to):
Identity and Change
- Names as identity markers
- Name changes
- Minority and indigenous names
- The endonym/exonym divide
Global and Regional Perspectives
- Names and naming in different parts of the world
- Naming in the Global South
- Urban toponymy
- Toponymy in education
Names in Society
- Names between heritage preservation and cultural change
- Commercial naming
- Nicknames
- Names in social media
- Names in literature
Scientific Approaches
- Names in the focus of various sciences
- Toponomastics as a field of science
- The universal phenomena of names and naming
Legal and Standardization Issues
- The juridical framework of naming
- Place-name standardization
This breadth ensures space for traditional philological approaches alongside sociolinguistic, geographic, literary, legal, and digital methods - reflecting the truly interdisciplinary nature of contemporary onomastics.
Call for Workshops and Sessions: What You Need to Know
Submission Details
What to submit: Workshop or session proposal (200-300 words)
Submission portal: https://express.converia.de/frontend/index.php?sub=2091
Deadline: May 31, 2026
Notification of acceptance: End of June 2026
Understanding the Structure
The congress distinguishes between workshops and sessions:
Workshops:
- Organizers invite paper presenters directly
- May also receive papers from the general call (with presenters' consent)
- Typically thematic or methodological in focus
- Offer more curatorial control
Sessions:
- Composed of papers attributed to them by abstract submitters
- More open to general paper contributions
- Traditional conference session format
This dual structure allows both curated thematic discussions and emergent topic clusters based on submitted abstracts.
The Vienna Venue: Historic Elegance Meets Modern Infrastructure
The congress will take place in the Austrian Academy of Sciences, located in Vienna's historic center - a setting that embodies the congress theme of condensed narratives. The building itself tells stories of scientific advancement, architectural ambition, and cultural heritage.
Facilities
Main venue: Austrian Academy of Sciences
Festive hall: Capacity for 300 people
Conference rooms: 5 additional rooms
Parallel sessions: Up to 6 simultaneous
Total capacity: 500 participants
The venue's location in Vienna's historic center - visible in the congress website's header image, Bernardo Bellotto's 1759-1760 painting "Vienna seen from the Belvedere" - places participants amid centuries of European intellectual and cultural life.
Getting to Vienna
Airport connections: Vienna Airport serves nearly 200 destinations; most European capitals are 2-3 hours by plane
Rail links: Extensive European rail network offers eco-friendly alternatives
Airport transfer: CAT (City Airport Train) connects airport to city center in 16 minutes
Local transport: Subway, tram, and bus systems are reliable and extensive
Accommodation: Full range from luxury hotels to budget options
Vienna's compact city center makes it easy to navigate on foot, and the congress venue's central location ensures participants can easily explore the city's famous cafés, museums, and cultural sites.
Program Overview
Congress Week (August 16-20, 2027)
Daily programming:
- Keynote addresses
- Paper sessions (parallel tracks)
- Poster presentations
Wednesday afternoon: Participants choose from curated excursions:
- Vienna city tour by bus
- Guided walking tour through the historic center
- Visits to art galleries
- Visits to the national library and museums
Social events:
- Reception
- Congress dinner
- Additional excursions for accompanying persons throughout the week
Pre-Congress Meetings (Sunday, August 15)
ICOS Board meeting: Sunday afternoon
Working groups: Can schedule meetings conveniently during session days
Onoma editorial board: Can meet during congress week
This structure allows the congress to serve multiple functions: presenting cutting-edge research, networking and collaboration, organizational governance, and cultural enrichment.
Language Policy: English Only
In a pragmatic decision reflecting contemporary scientific practice, the Vienna Congress will conduct all presentations in English only.
This departs from ICOS tradition of accepting English, French, and German. The organizing committee explains:
"The Vienna Congress will not make use of all of ICOS' official languages, i.e. English, French, and German, but will admit only presentations in English, the most inclusive, by far dominant global trade language and the prevailing language of sciences of our days."
The rationale is inclusivity: allowing German would likely result in many sessions conducted in German (given Austria's location and the expected participation from Germany and German-speaking Switzerland), effectively excluding the majority of non-German-speaking participants.
This decision prioritizes international communication and ensures German-speaking researchers can present their work to the widest possible global audience.
Important Dates: Full Timeline
January 2026: Call for workshop and session proposals opens
May 31, 2026: Workshop and session proposal deadline
End of June 2026: Notification of workshop/session acceptance
July 2026: Call for papers opens
End of October 2026: Paper submission deadline
End of January 2027: Notification of paper acceptance
End of February 2027: Detailed congress program published
March 1, 2027: Registration opens
August 15, 2027: Pre-congress meetings (ICOS Board, working groups)
August 16-20, 2027: XXIX International Congress of Onomastic Sciences
This extended timeline allows ample time for proposal development, review, and program planning - ensuring a high-quality scientific program.
The Organizing Team
Organizing Committee Chair
Peter Jordan, Ph.D.
Honorary and Associate Professor, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Urban and Regional Research; University of the Free State (South Africa), Faculty of Humanities; ICOS Vice-President
Jordan brings both scholarly expertise in toponymy and administrative experience from his ICOS leadership role.
Core Team
Fatemeh Akbari, Ph.D. (Terminology Committee, The Academy of Persian Language and Literature; ICOS Non-Executive Board Member)
Philipp Stöckle, Ph.D. (Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities)
Members at Large
- Peter Ernst (University of Vienna, Germanistics)
- Isolde Hausner (Austrian Academy of Sciences, retired; former ICOS President 1999-2002)
- Karl Hohensinner (Adalbert Stifter Institute, Upper Austria)
- Martina Piko-Rustia (Ethnographic Institute Urban Jarnik, Klagenfurt)
- Heinz-Dieter Pohl (Professor emeritus, University of Klagenfurt, Linguistics)
- Gerhard Rampl (University of Innsbruck, Linguistics)
This team represents expertise spanning toponymy, anthroponymy, dialectology, digital humanities, and ethnography — ensuring diverse perspectives in congress planning.
Scientific Committee: Global Expertise
Chair
Katalin Reszegi (University of Debrecen, Hungary; Past ICOS President)
A Truly International Board
The 40-member Scientific Committee spans six continents and includes past ICOS presidents, UNGEGN leadership, and distinguished scholars representing:
Geographic breadth:
- Europe (20 countries represented)
- North America (USA, Canada)
- South America (Brazil)
- Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe)
- Asia (South Korea)
Disciplinary diversity:
- Linguists (majority)
- Geographers and cartographers
- Historians
- Sociologists
- Philosophers
Notable members include:
- Sheila Embleton (York University, Toronto; former ICOS President)
- Carole Hough (University of Glasgow; former ICOS President)
- Paula Sjöblom (University of Turku; former ICOS President)
- Milan Harvalík (Slovak Academy of Sciences; former ICOS President)
- Staffan Nyström (University of Uppsala; current ICOS President)
- Helen Kerfoot (Natural Resources Canada; former UNGEGN Chair)
- Sungjae Choo (University of Seoul; UNGEGN Vice-Chair)
This committee ensures rigorous peer review and international representation in program development.
Why This Congress Matters
1. Return to Central Europe
Vienna's location makes it accessible to the large European onomastic community while remaining feasible for international participants. The city's role as a UN headquarters and international meeting hub reinforces its suitability.
2. Thematic Flexibility
The "condensed narratives" theme is intellectually rich without being restrictive. It invites theoretical reflection while accommodating empirical, applied, and methodological studies.
3. Infrastructure and Capacity
With space for 500 participants and six parallel sessions, the congress can accommodate both large plenary discussions and specialized workshops - essential for a discipline as diverse as onomastics.
4. Cultural Context
Vienna itself is a city of names: from street names commemorating Habsburg history to multilingual neighborhoods reflecting migration, from commercial naming in a global business hub to the preservation of minority names. The city embodies many themes onomasticians study.
5. Networking and Collaboration
ICOS congresses occur only every three years, making them crucial for establishing international collaborations, launching comparative projects, and maintaining the discipline's global community.
How to Participate
If You Want to Organize a Workshop or Session
Step 1: Develop your proposal (200-300 words)
Step 2: Submit via https://express.converia.de/frontend/index.php?sub=2091
Step 3: Wait for notification (end of June 2026)
Step 4: If accepted, invite presenters (workshops) or wait for paper attributions (sessions)
If You Want to Present a Paper
Wait until July 2026 when the general paper call opens. You will then submit a 200-300 word abstract, with the deadline in late October 2026.
If You Just Want to Attend
Mark your calendar for March 1, 2027 when registration opens. Even without presenting, congress attendance offers invaluable exposure to current research, networking opportunities, and professional development.
Special Considerations
Force Majeure
The organizers explicitly note they cannot be held responsible for cancellation due to force majeure (natural disaster, epidemic, major strikes, etc.). In such cases, the Organizing Committee will decide on refunding.
This disclaimer reflects lessons learned from COVID-19 disruptions to academic conferences worldwide.
Sustainability
Vienna's commitment to environmental sustainability (parks, climate efficiency, resource conservation) and its excellent public transportation make this a relatively eco-friendly congress option compared to many international venues.
Participants can reach Vienna by train from many European cities, reducing air travel. The compact city reduces local transportation needs.
Looking Ahead
The ICOS Vienna 2027 Congress represents a pivotal moment for international onomastics. As names increasingly enter public discourse — through debates over monument renaming, discussions of cultural appropriation in naming, controversies over geographic name changes, and recognition of indigenous toponymy - onomastic scholarship has never been more relevant.
The "Names as condensed narratives" theme positions onomastics at the intersection of linguistics, geography, history, sociology, cultural studies, and critical theory. Names don't just label - they tell stories, preserve memories, assert identities, erase histories, create communities, and mark boundaries.
The call for workshops and sessions is open now. If you have a vision for bringing together researchers around a theme, methodology, or geographic area, this is your opportunity to shape the congress program.
The Vienna Congress awaits your contribution.
Quick Reference
Congress: XXIX International Congress of Onomastic Sciences
Theme: Names as Condensed Narratives
Dates: August 16-20, 2027
Location: Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
Website: https://icos27-vienna.at/
Current deadline: May 31, 2026 (workshop/session proposals)
Submission portal: https://express.converia.de/frontend/index.php?sub=2091
Contact: Tiina Laansalu, ICOS Secretary
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