The 1st Iberian / 15th Spanish Conference of Criminology will take place on 10, 11, and 12 June 2026 in A Coruna, Spain.
The theme of the conference is ‘Shared Horizons in Criminology’. This event aims to foster collaboration and dialogue, strengthening research connections between Portugal and Spain by leveraging their geographical and cultural proximity. It also seeks to broaden academic networks by connecting criminology scholars and institutions across Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in Latin America.
The Conference is organised by the Spanish Society of Criminological Research and the ECRIM research group of the University of A Coruna, in partnership with 13 research centres and academic institutions in Portugal.
Important dates:
Deadline for submission of contributions: 28th February 2026.
Notification of acceptance: by 10th April 2026.
Registration deadline: 31st May 2026.
Early registration: until 30th April 2026.
Contact email:secretaria@criminologia.net
About the conference
Criminology in Spain and Portugal has grown exponentially in recent decades, marked by the creation of undergraduate and postgraduate programs and the emergence of research groups with an increasingly international profile. However, unlike other regions – such as the Nordic countries – this parallel development has not led to deep and sustained regional collaboration.
The 1st Iberian / 15th Spanish Conference on Criminology seeks to change that. Inspired by successful models elsewhere, the Conference will provide an ideal platform for building bridges and fostering dialogue to strengthen research cooperation between Portugal and Spain, leveraging their geographic and cultural proximity. At the same time, it aims to expand academic networks with criminology scholars and institutions across Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Latin America.
The 1st Iberian / 15th Spanish Conference of Criminology will take place on the 10th, 11th, and 12th of June 2026 in A Coruna, Spain.
The conference is organised by the Spanish Society of Criminological Research (SEIC) and the ECRIM research group at the University of A Coruña, in collaboration with 13 research centres and academic institutions in Portugal.
The event will be hosted at the Faculty of Law of the University of A Coruna, located on the university’s Elviña Campus.
COMMITTEES
DIRECTORATE COMMITTEE
Meritxell Pérez Ramírez
Cristina Fernández Bessa
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
- César San Juan Guillén.
- Anabel Cerezo.
- Fernando Miró Llinares.
- Meritxell Pérez Ramírez
- Andreia Castro Rodrigues
- Marlene Matos
- Ana Sani
- Melanie Tiago
ORGANISING COMMITTEE
- Ana Ballesteros Pena (UDC)
- José Ángel Brandariz (UDC)
- David Castro Liñares (UdVigo)
- Borxa Colmenero Ferreiro (UDC)
- Beatriz Díaz Vázquez (USC)
- Vera Mónica Duarte (U Maia)
- Rita Faria (U Porto)
- María Ángeles Fuentes Loureiro (UDC)
- Amara García Adán (UDC)
- Ana Guerreiro (U Maia / U Porto)
- Sílvia Gomes (U Warwick)
- Xosé Antón Gómez Fraguela (SEIC)
- Rafaela Granja (U Minho)
- Javier Guardiola García (SEIC)
- Steven Kemp (SEIC)
- Carla Martínez (SEIC)
- Estefanía Ocariz Passevant (SEIC)
- Silvia Rodriguez Lopez (UDC)
- Virxilio Rodríguez Vázquez (UdVigo)
- Natalia Torres Cadavid (UdVigo)
- Jonathan Van Durmen (SEIC)
Programme
Further information will be provided shortly.
Registration
| EARLY REGISTRATION Until 30th April | STANDARD REGISTRATION 1st – 31st May | |
| SEIC MEMBERS (with membership fees paid for the current year) | €100 | €160 |
| PARTNER UNIVERSITIES AND INSTITUTES (Portugal)* | €100 | €160 |
| COLLABORATING BODIES (Professional associations and colleges) | €150 | €210 |
| UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS (Includes workshops) | €30 | €50 |
| GENERAL | €180 | €240 |
| GALA DINNER | Further information will be provided shortly. | |
* CECS, Universidade do Minho; CICS, Universidade do Minho; CIPSI, Universidade do Minho; CRIA, Universidade do Minho; Departamento de Ciências Sociais e do Comportamento, Universidade da Maia; Escola de Criminologia, Universidade do Porto; Escola de Direito-JusGov, Universidade do Minho; Escola de Psicologia, ISPA; Escola de Psicologia, Universidade do Minho; Escola do Porto da Faculdade de Direito, Universidade Católica Portuguesa; Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade Fernando Pessoa; Faculdade de Direito, Universidade Lusíada do Porto; Faculdade de Direito, Universidade Lusófona de Lisboa; Faculdade de Educação e Psicologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa; WJCR (William James Center for Research), ISPA; Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa.
To complete your registration, please follow the instructions provided in the registration form.
Bank Account Number: ES30 3187 0313 4853 0467 3824 (Please use the following reference for the payment: NameSurname_Congress26)
Registration form: https://forms.gle/1NUDQS3irKHDY41NA
Any queries regarding registration should be sent to tesoreria@criminologia.net.
Grants for Early-Career Researchers
The SEIC awards several grants at each edition of the Criminology Conference to cover registration fees for early-career researchers. For the 1st Iberian / 15th Spanish Conference of Criminology, 15 grants will be available.
These grants are intended for early-career researchers who are SEIC members (with membership fees up to date) and presenting at the Conference.
Each grant consists of a full waiver of the registration fee. Applicants should therefore refrain from paying the fee until they receive confirmation of their application. Grants will be allocated based on the principle prior in tempore, potior in iure (first come, first served basis).
The application period runs from the 1st of March to the 30th of March 2026, and the final list of beneficiaries will be published on the 10th of April 2026.
To be eligible, applicants must:
· Have submitted a contribution proposal by the deadline.
· Be an early-career researcher, defined as someone under 31 years of age who is currently pursuing postgraduate or doctoral studies, or who obtained their doctoral degree in the 2025/2026 academic year.
Applications should be sent to secretaria@criminologia.net and must include:
1) A copy of the submitted proposal;
2) A letter from the thesis supervisor or head of department confirming the applicant’s affiliation with a centre or research group in the field of criminology; and
3) A one-page CV, including the average grade obtained in undergraduate studies.
Priority will be given to applicants who do not hold a pre-doctoral or post-doctoral research grant. This should be indicated in the CV.
Submissions
The deadline for submitting contributions is the 28th of February 2026.
Accepted formats include oral presentations, posters, roundtables, author-meets-critics and workshop sessions. In addition, participants may propose pre-organised thematic panels consisting of three to four oral presentations.
All submitted papers must be original and address topics of criminological interest. Presentations can be delivered in Spanish, Portuguese, or English. Each proposal should include an abstract of 200 to 300 words and must be submitted through the designated online form, clearly indicating the type of contribution.
For pre-organised panels, a single representative should submit the entire panel via the form, including the abstracts for each individual presentation within the panel.
Submission Form (ENG): https://forms.office.com/e/NG1gFjXXi3
Notification of acceptance or rejection by the Scientific Committee will be sent no later than 10th April 2026 to the email address provided in the submission form.
All accepted abstracts will be included in the Conference programme, provided that the authors have completed their registration. The programme will be made available to participants through a dedicated application.
Communications accepted by the Scientific Committee will be included in the Conference proceedings and published in the REIC, provided that presenters attend the event and comply with the established presentation guidelines. Each accepted contribution will receive the corresponding certification, which will always be designated as a communication, regardless of the presentation format.
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
Each presenter will have 10 to 15 minutes to deliver their communication, which may be accompanied by a PowerPoint or similar visual presentation. Oral presentations will be grouped into panels of 3 or 4.
To ensure that as many participants as possible have the opportunity to present, each individual may submit only one oral communication as first author.
POSTERS
Each presenter must bring a printed poster measuring 90 x 120 cm, which will be displayed for the duration of the event. Participants choosing this format should indicate it on the contribution submission form and will have the opportunity to briefly present their work during the designated poster session.
ROUNDTABLES, AUTHOR-MEETS-CRITICS SESSIONS, WORKSHOPS AND OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS
The Conference will also feature roundtables designed to encourage a more flexible debate on topics of criminological relevance, moving beyond the traditional presentation format. These roundtables may be organised either at the initiative of the Conference organisers or proposed by participants who submit a detailed proposal to the Organising Committee.
In addition, book discussion sessions will follow an author-meets-critics format, providing an opportunity to engage with significant, recently published works in criminology.
Participants wishing to propose roundtables, author-meets-critics sessions, workshops, or other types of contributions should also complete the Submission Form providing a detailed description of their proposal for evaluation and potential inclusion in the programme. All such proposals will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee, which will decide on their acceptance or rejection.
Accommodation and Transport
How to get to A Coruna:
Further information will be provided shortly.
Gala Dinner
Further information will be provided shortly.
Awards
RULES FOR THE CRISTINA RECHEA AWARD FOR EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS 2026
The Board of Directors of the Spanish Society of Criminological Research (SEIC), in its session of 5 December 2025, and in accordance with its legal and statutory powers, approves the following rules:
Purpose: The Cristina Rechea Award for Early-Career Researchers, granted by the Spanish Society of Criminological Research, aims to promote criminological research among young scholars. The award will be presented to early‑career researchers who showcase their work at the XV Spanish/ I Iberian Conference of Criminology, to be held in A Coruña on 10-12 June 2026.
Eligibility: Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Deliver an oral communication at the XV Spanish/ I Iberian Conference of Criminology.
- Not hold a doctoral degree, or have obtained it during the year of the Conference.
- Be no older than 31 years old on the first day of the Conference.
- In the case of co-authored work, the applicant must be the principal author, responsible for most of the analyses and for writing the submitted text.
Application Process and Required Documentation: Applications must be submitted by email to the SEIC Secretariat (secretaria@criminologia.net) no later than 15 April 2026, clearly stating the intention to apply for the “Cristina Rechea Award – Early‑Career Researchers”. The following documents must be attached:
- An anonymised summary of the work (2,000–3,000 words).
- Proof of acceptance of the communication at the XV Spanish / I Iberian Conference of Criminology.
- A curriculum vitae (maximum two pages).
The SEIC Secretariat will acknowledge receipt of all applications by email. After the award is granted, the full list of candidates and the titles of their submitted works will be published.
Evaluation Criteria: The Jury will review the summaries and conduct an initial assessment of the written work, selecting up to five finalists. The SEIC Secretariat will then disclose the authors’ identities so they can present their work in a dedicated session at the XV Spanish Congress of Criminology / I Iberian Congress of Criminology.
Evaluation will be based on:
- Originality and relevance of the research questions or theoretical/methodological contributions.
- Appropriateness and rigour of the methodology.
- Contribution of findings or methods to criminological knowledge.
The decision will be justified according to these criteria and read during the Award Ceremony.
Voting and decision: The Jury of the Award, composed by the members of the SEIC Scientific Committee, will evaluate the works and nominate the winner(s) to the Board of Directors.
The Jury will propose the winner by majority vote, with the Chair having the casting vote if necessary. In all cases, the awarded candidacy will be sufficiently justified, and the Jury will outline the merits and circumstances leading to the decision. Considering the quality of the works and where duly justified, the Jury may decide to grant the award ex aequo.
Any unforeseen issues not covered in these rules will be resolved by the Jury, whose decision shall be final and binding.
Award: The winner(s) will receive a certificate issued by the SEIC and will be invited to publish the full version of their work in the Spanish Journal of Criminological Research (REIC). The remaining finalists will also receive a certificate acknowledging their status as finalists.
Acceptance of Rules: Submission of an application implies full acceptance of these rules and of the SEIC’s organisational provisions.
BASES OF THE RAFAEL SALILLAS 2026 NATIONAL CRIMINOLOGY AWARD
The Board of Directors of the Spanish Society of Criminological Research (SEIC), in its session held on December 5, 2025, and in the exercise of its legal and statutory powers, hereby agrees to approve the following rules:
BASES OF THE CONTEST
Purpose: The Rafael Salillas National Criminology Award seeks to promote and encourage the social contribution of criminological research and its practical application as a tool for analysing social reality. It also aims to recognise the work carried out by scientists and researchers in the field of Criminology.
To this end, the SEIC will grant this award every two years during the SEIC National Criminology Conference. The award honours individuals or institutions that have made outstanding contributions to criminological sciences, valuing their dedication and the national and international prestige achieved in any speciality or field – academia, research, applied practice – for the benefit of society. In accordance with SEIC Statutes, the 2026 award will be presented during the XV Spanish/ I Iberian Criminology Conference, to be held in A Coruña on June 10-12, 2026.
Eligibility: This award is open to individuals (individually or as part of a working group) and entities or institutions, of Spanish or foreign nationality, engaged in criminological activities in the broadest sense.
Submission of nominations: Nominations must be submitted by email to the SEIC Secretariat (secretaria@criminologia.net) no later than April 15, 2026.
Each nomination must include:
- Formal proposal from at least one SEIC member, accompanied by a one-page letter justifying the candidate’s nomination.
- References from at least two recognised members willing to provide their assessment of the candidate.
- If available, a link to the candidate’s CV or career summary published online.
Evaluation Criteria: The Jury will assess each nomination based on the following criteria (for guidance purposes):
- Scientific contributions from academic or other fields, with emphasis on originality, innovation, and scientific quality and rigour.
- The impact of the candidate’s work on the advancement of criminological sciences.
- Other socially relevant activities that merit recognition due to their significance.
Voting and Decision: The Prize Jury, composed of members of the SEIC Scientific Committee, will evaluate submissions and propose the winner(s) to the Board of Directors.
The Jury will propose, by majority vote of its members, the winning person or institution, with the Jury president’s casting vote deciding the outcome if necessary. In any case, the awarded nomination shall be duly justified, for which the Jury will set out the merits and other circumstances that influenced the decision. Taking into account the quality of the nominations submitted and provided there is sufficient justification, the Jury may decide to grant the prize ex aequo.
Any unforeseen issues not covered by these rules will be resolved by the Jury, whose decision shall be binding and final.
Prize: The prize consists of a diploma and a commemorative statuette.
If, in the Jury’s opinion, no candidate meets the required merits or if no nominations are submitted, the award may be declared void.
Award Dates and Presentation: The winner will be announced during a formal ceremony at the XV Spanish/ I Iberian Criminology Conference and published on the SEIC website. The SEIC Secretariat will maintain an official record of all awards granted.
Acceptance of Rules: Submission of a nomination implies full acceptance of these rules by all candidates.
RULES OF THE SEIC AWARD FOR CRIMINOLOGY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS 2026
The SEIC Award for Criminology Undergraduate Students aims to encourage and promote research in the field of criminology at the university level and to recognise the work carried out by students in the Final Year Project (TFG for its initials in Spanish) in Criminology at Spanish universities.
Applications: To be eligible for the award, students must meet the following requirements:
- The student must have defended and passed their Final Year Project in Criminology between the end of the previous SEIC National Conference of Criminology (October 2024) and the XV Spanish/ I Iberian Conference of Criminology, which will take place in A Coruña on 10-12 June 2026. If the Project has been completed but cannot be defended before the conference due to university scheduling, the application will be accepted provided that a written endorsement from the supervisor is submitted.
- The Project must have a single author, who must send an executive summary in PDF format (maximum two A4 pages) to secretaria@criminologia.net. The document must include: title, author(s), supervisor(s), indication of whether it is a theoretical review or an empirical study, and a summary of the objectives, data used, methodology, results, and main conclusions. The email subject line must read: ‘Criminology Students Award Application’.
- If pre-selected, the author will be asked to submit the full Final Year Project following instructions sent to the email address used for the initial submission.
- If selected for the final stage, the candidate must register for the XV Spanish/ I Iberian Conference of Criminology and present the Project as an oral communication in the dedicated session, following the instructions provided by email.
Applications must be submitted by 1 April 2026.
Evaluation: The SEIC Scientific Committee, acting as the evaluation panel in accordance with the Statutes, will review all executive summaries submitted within the specified deadlines and format. Up to eight projects will be shortlisted, and their authors will be asked to submit the full text. From these, the committee will select the four best projects based on written evaluation. These four projects will be presented orally at the Conference in a dedicated session, where the winning project will be chosen.
Award: From the four projects presented during the dedicated session at the Conference, one will be selected as the winner. The winner will be awarded a certificate and free SEIC membership for the following year. The remaining three projects presented in the session will each receive a certificate as award finalists.
Announcement and presentation: The winning project will be announced during the Closing Ceremony of the XV Spanish/ I Iberian Conference of Criminology.
Acceptance of the rules: Submitting an application implies full acceptance of these rules by all candidates.
SEIC 