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The Call for Proposals is Now Open! 

Share your expertise! Submit an education session proposal for ANC 2026.

SNA’s Annual National Conference (ANC) is the premiere conference for K-12 school nutrition professionals. School nutrition experts from across the country are encouraged to submit an education session proposal.

The ANC26 theme, “Power of School Meals,” is more than a theme: it’s a call to recognize and celebrate the individuals behind every tray, every choice, and every child who is nourished and empowered through access to nutritious meals at school.

It speaks to the value of school meals as a critical part of education, wellness, and student opportunity, and honors the dedicated professionals who make these essential nutrition programs possible. School meal programs serve as foundational support for academic achievement, providing the nourishment students need to learn and thrive. By recognizing the importance of these programs and the workforce behind them, we acknowledge their vital contribution to student success and school communities nationwide.

We are calling upon YOU to share your expertise and celebrate your achievements, innovations, and fresh ideas that push the school meals forward. If you are interested in submitting an education session proposal, review the important information below.

Please use the information below to help you prepare your best possible submission.

Speaker Information

  • Speakers agree to be available on any day which SNA assigns the session.
  • Speakers do not need to be SNA members; however, if a proposal is accepted ALL speakers must register as conference attendees.
    • If the proposal is accepted and speakers plan to attend the full conference, SNA is offering $200 off full registration for speakers. As in prior years, they will receive the early bird price for their registration as well as early access to registration and housing.
    • SNA does not provide speaker fees or travel expense reimbursement for speakers of pre-conference and education sessions.
    • Speakers are expected to make their own travel arrangements.
  • Exhibitors who are also speakers should note that SNA will make every effort not to schedule your session during Directors-Only exhibit hours.  However, we cannot guarantee that your session will not be scheduled during Directors-Only exhibit hours.
  • *Please note: Pre-Conference and Education Sessions are NOT to be used as a sales or promotional platform for any speaker’s company, products, or services. SNA reserves the right to halt speakers from this practice if the situation arises during their presentation.

Full List of ANC26 Speaker Benefits*

If your session is selected, you will be able to take advantage of the benefits listed below:

  • $200 off your full registration fee for speaking at ANC.
  • Guaranteed early bird pricing should you decide to register after the early bird deadline.
  • An invitation to register for the conference ahead of general registration opening and subsequent early access to housing.
  • Access to the Speaker Ready Room onsite to make edits to your presentation, practice, meet with co-presenters, relax, or enjoy some refreshments.
  • Experience has proven that participation in SNA’s ANC programming has provided exposure for speakers seeking future speaking engagements, particularly with SNA state affiliates.
  • A speaker ribbon for your conference badge, of course!

*Speaker benefits are subject to change.

The Submission Process

Proposals must be submitted online by 11:59 pm ET on November 7, 2025, to be considered.

The individual submitting the proposal is considered the Point of Contact (POC). *The POC must provide contact information for ALL speakers, including their name(s), phone number(s), email address(es), headshot(s), bio(s) and signed speaker agreement packet(s). The primary contact will be notified of the committee’s decision by February 2026. View the ANC 2026 Speaker Agreement Packet.

Have any questions? Reach out to education@schoolnutrition.org.

ANC25-speaker

Helpful Hints Before You Begin

Proposals should focus on one of the following key areas:

1. Nutrition 2. Operations 3. Administration   4. Communications & Marketing.

It is strongly encouraged that proposal submitters review the list and consider the topics listed prior to starting the application. View the ANC 2026 Preferred Topics List and Session Formats.

For all Industry Submissions we strongly suggest at least one speaker is an operator to showcase the proposed session’s applicability to operating a school nutrition program.

How Will Sessions Be Evaluated?

To ensure high-quality presentations, volunteers representing SNA’s various member segments, subject matter experts, and other stakeholders will be tasked with reviewing and scoring ANC26 proposals. SNA has 60-75 volunteers participate in a thorough review process of all proposal submissions.

This group of volunteer proposal reviewers will help guarantee conference programming content is relevant to attendee needs. Proposals will be scored by the following categories:

  • Topic relevance,
  • Clarity of submission and learning objectives,
  • Creativity of ideas,
  • Applicability to operating a school nutrition program, and
  • Commitment to SNA’s Vision and Mission.

In addition to looking for sessions on timely topics, program reviewers are looking for speakers’ subject matter expertise on the topic being presented, innovative approaches that have been tried and tested, practical applications, and audience engagement.

The group of evaluators may supplement programming by inviting speakers to address specific topics, as identified.

Submission Timeline

DateKey Events
September 4, 2025ANC 2026 Online Call for Proposals Opens.
November 7, 2025ANC 2026 Online Call for Proposals Closes
at 11:59 pm ET.
February 18, 2026Proposal submitters notified of program status: accepted, pending or declined.
February 25, 2026Completed and signed speaker packets are due.
March 31, 2026The session speakers will be notified of the session date and time.
April 23, 2026Webinar specifically for speakers at 3 pm ET.
June 2, 2026Session PowerPoint presentations due.
July 12-14, 2026SNA’s 2026 Annual National Conference (ANC) in Charlotte, NC

Have any questions? Reach out to education@schoolnutrition.org.