Submission guidelines: XXV FIGO World Congress

of Gynecology and Obstetrics

5 - 9 October 2025, Cape Town International Convention Centre, South Africa

Important dates

• Submissions open: Wednesday 18 September 2024

• Submissions close: Friday 1 November 2024*
• Review and selection period: November – December 2024
• Notifications to submitters: January 2025
*N.B. Submissions received after this date will not be considered.

Technical requirements

Please submit your proposal for the scientific programme through the FIGO Cape Town 2025 online
submissions portal only*.
The online submission portal works best with Chrome: 16 or higher, Internet Explorer 8.0 or higher and
Mozilla Firefox 5.0 or higher. Cookies and JavaScript must be enabled.
*N.B. Submissions received via email or post will not be considered.

Submission types

From 18 September – 1 November 2024, the Scientific Programme Committee invite the submission in
English, French or Spanish for the following via the online submission portal only:
1. Abstracts
• Accepted abstracts will be presented at the Congress as either a 7-minute oral presentation
followed by 2 minutes of audience Q&A or a 1-page ePoster in 16:9 PDF format.
• Accepted abstracts, limited to a maximum of 250 words, of full scientific papers will be published as
a supplement to the XXV FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics in the International
Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (IJGO).
• The Scientific Programme Committee will select a few outstanding abstracts, whose authors will be
invited to submit a full paper to the IJGO.
• The online abstract submission form is divided into the following sections:
– Title: The title should clearly define the content of the paper. There should be no full stop at the
end of the title. For clinical trials, the title should include ‘randomised controlled trial’ or ‘clinical
trial’.
– Objective: Concise statement on why the study was conducted.
– Methods: Location, number and type of human subjects, non-human species or material being
studied. Design of the study and type of intervention. Principal assays or test(s) performed and
the types of statistical analyses if appropriate.

Submission guidelines: XXV FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics 1

 – Results: Main findings and results should be reported. Results should be supported by
statistical analysis where appropriate.
– Conclusion: Main conclusion of the study and significance of the results. How the results may
affect patient management or understanding of the condition.
• Proofread your abstract carefully before submitting to ensure accuracy with no spelling, grammatical
or scientific errors. Corrections will not be accepted after the submission close date. Accepted
abstracts will be published in the IJGO supplement as submitted. Neither FIGO nor the IJGO accept
responsibility for errors in the abstract publication.
• Use standard abbreviations where appropriate. Include any other abbreviations in brackets after the
full word the first time it appears. Abbreviations should follow MEDLINE standards.
• Abstracts stating merely that the results will be presented or discussed at the congress will be
rejected.
• The use of tables, images or footnotes in the abstract is not allowed.
• Please do not include keywords in the body of your abstract. Any keywords included in accepted
abstracts will be removed for the IJGO publication.
• Authors: All author names should be included in the order they will appear in publication. The name
of the presenting author will be identified with an asterisk or in bold print. Ensure that the correct
spelling is confirmed for all contributing authors: no amendment will be permitted after the
submission deadline. FIGO strongly encourages that primary research studies carried out in low-
/middle-income countries must have at least one local co-author.
• Affiliations: Please only list one primary affiliation. Department names from the same affiliation will
be merged for a single entry. Affiliations will include the department, institution, city and country
only.
• Consent to Publish: If the abstract contains details relating to individual participants (for example a
case report), written informed consent for the publication of these details must be obtained from the
participants and a statement to this effect should appear at the end of the abstract. If the patient is
deceased, consent for publication should be obtained from the next of kin, and if the patient is under
16, consent should be obtained from the parent or guardian.
• Conflict of interest: All submitters must disclose, on behalf of all authors and co-authors in their
abstract submission, any conflicts of interest during the online submission or have their submission
rejected at the discretion of the scientific programme committee. We request all presenters to
cooperate by declaring any potential conflict of interest on their slides or posters. All disclosures will
be published with the abstract.
• Clinical trials: If your abstract reports on a clinical trial, you must provide the following:
– Prospective registration in a public trials registry (i.e. registry must clearly show that the trial
was registered before or at the time of enrolment of the first patient).
– URL of registration (this must link directly to the individual record for the paper on the trial
registry, not to the registry homepage)
– Full study dates (day, month, and year) stated in the “Methods” section, which must align with
those stated in the registry.
– Inclusion/exclusion criteria, which must align with those stated in the registry.
– Number of study participants, which must align with those stated in the registry.
– Statement of approval by an institutional Ethics Board.
– Name of approving Ethics Committee.
• The Scientific Programme Committee or IJGO editors may ask authors to share the anonymised raw
data of their study, either for review during the peer review process, or in the event of any post-
publication queries regarding the integrity of the study.
• All abstracts will be subject to a single-blind review process by the Scientific Programme Committee
and their advisors. Mean scores will be calculated for each submission and based on this they will
be allocated to oral or ePoster presentations, or they may be rejected. Each abstract will be scored
based on the following criteria: scientific merit, suitable sample size, proper statistical analysis,
adherence to instructions and originality of the work.

Submission guidelines: XXV FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2

 • You can add up to 10 authors per abstract submission. A maximum of one abstract presentation
and publication will be permitted to each presenting author. Only the presenting author’s name will
appear in the final Congress programme. All co-author names will be published in the IJGO
supplement.
• The presenting author must complete their registration payment by 30 June 2025 in order to have
their accepted abstract included in the final Congress programme and published in the IJGO
supplement. Failure to complete registration payment in time may result in exclusion from the
programme and IJGO supplement. Exceptions will only be made in extenuating circumstances at
the discretion of FIGO, for example if sanctions in your country prevent you from completing your
registration payment in advance of the Congress. If you have an extenuating circumstance, you
must notify [email protected] before 30 June 2025.
• The presenting authors of the top 20 abstracts accepted from low-/middle-income countries as
determined by the Scientific Programme Committee will be awarded with complimentary general
Congress registration.

2. Film festival
• The film festival will showcase high-quality videos up to a maximum of 10 minutes each.
• Films can address a range of topics, from surgical procedures to advocacy stories, and must include
audio narration. Films with no audio or music alone will not be considered, unless subtitles are
provided.
• Each film must have one nominated presenter who will introduce the film before it is played and
participate in audience Q&A after it has played.
• Film festival submission is split into 2 stages:
– Stage 1: Submit an abstract of your film to be reviewed by the Scientific Programme
Committee. The online form is divided into the following sections:
 Objective: Describe the objective of the film and if necessary, include history, the
diagnostic significance of symptoms, etiology or prevalence of disease, or the need for
new skill development.
 Description: A detailed explanation of techniques shown or interviews which take place.
This can include case histories, variations in management, prognosis, treatment or studies.
Key operative techniques should be identified and demonstrated as clearly as possible.
 Conclusion: Summarise the main points and thoughts/observations on future
developments.
– Stage 2: If the Scientific Programme Committee wishes to proceed with your film submission,
you will be sent further guidelines and asked to upload the film to our online review site for a
final review before it is accepted for presentation at the Congress.
• Videos presented at the Congress as part of the film festival may be added to FIGO’s Online
Knowledge Hub after the event has taken place.

*N.B. Videos exceeding 10-minutes will not be considered.

3. Breakout sessions
• Breakout sessions are 1 hour long, including time for audience Q&A, and come in a variety of
formats such as lectures, seminars, panel discussions or debates.
• Each breakout should have a chairperson who will introduce the session and the speakers,
moderate live discussion between the speakers and the audience, and give concluding remarks to
close the session.
• The scientific programme committee encourage submitters to limit the number of speakers in a
breakout session to a maximum of 4, including any Chairperson or moderator, to ensure each
speaker has ample time to present.

Submission guidelines: XXV FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics 3

 4. Hands-on simulation labs
• Hands-on simulation labs are 2 hours long, excluding a mid-session break.
• Simulation labs are practical teaching demonstrations where attendees get the opportunity to get
physically involved in the session. They typically require equipment such as models, medical tools
or other that allow the attendees to get a “hands-on” learning experience.
• Attendance to each simulation lab requires paid pre-registration in addition to the general Congress
registration.
• The minimum attendance for a simulation lab is 15 and the maximum is 50. FIGO requires the
minimum number of attendees to be registered for the simulation lab 2 months prior to Congress in
order for it to take place.

5. Pre-Congress workshops
• Pre-Congress workshops can be 3 hours (half-day) or 6 hours (full-day) long, excluding mid-session
breaks, and take place on Saturday 4 October 2025.
• Workshops are focused, interactive seminars that offer attendees a deep dive into a specific area of
interest. They should offer many opportunities for audience participation including quizzes, small
breakout groups with reporting, and similar exercise to encourage group interaction.
• Attendance to each workshop requires paid pre-registration in addition to the general Congress
registration.
• The minimum attendance for a workshop is 30 and the maximum is 100. FIGO requires the
minimum number of attendees to be registered for the workshop 2 months prior to Congress in
order for it to take place.

Submission categories

Submitters will be able to choose one of the following 10 categories for each submission type:
• Maternal fetal medicine
• Clinical obstetrics
• Sexual and reproductive health and rights
• Reproductive medicine
• Benign surgery
• Urogynaecology
• Non-surgical gynaecology
• Women’s cancer

For more information on the categories listed, please visit our website.

Terms and conditions

Submission and review process

• Completed submissions can be edited through the online submissions portal until the submission
close date. Corrections made or requested after this date will not be considered.
• Only submissions saved in “Final submission” status in the online submissions portal will be
considered for review by the Scientific Programme Committee.
• Once you have saved your submission in “Final submission” status, you will receive a confirmation
email that your submission has been received with a copy of your submission, both of which you
should save for your personal record.

Submission guidelines: XXV FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics 4

 • All submissions will be subjected to a single blind review process by the scientific programme
committee and their advisors.
• Preference will be given to submissions offering an interactive format and diverse perspectives with
speakers from different geographical regions. Single-gender panels are strongly discouraged.
• The Scientific Programme Committee welcomes submissions for all submission types in English,
French or Spanish. Submissions in other languages will not be considered.
• Simultaneous interpretation cannot be guaranteed. If you have multiple talks or speakers in your
session, you must ensure they can all speak the same language.
• There is no limit on how many submissions one person or organisation can submit; however, the
Scientific Programme Committee may limit submitting organisations to a maximum of one activity in
the programme to maximise inclusivity and representation of different perspectives.
• The Scientific Programme Committee may reassign the type and/or category of a submission at its
discretion.
• Submissions from industry will not be considered. Industry speakers are not allowed to present in
the scientific programme.
• Submissions which have been presented at other international meetings or have previously been
published, or be under consideration for publication elsewhere, will not be considered.
• Submissions received via email or post will not be considered.
• Submissions received after the submissions close date will not be considered.
• Only the submitters will be notified by email in January 2025 if their submission has been accepted
or rejected. The scheduled time and date determined by the Scientific Programme Committee of
accepted submissions, excluding accepted abstract submissions which will be scheduled in July
2025, will be included in the email. It is the responsibility of the submitter to notify the authors and/or
speakers in their submission of the Scientific Programme Committee’s decision. Further instructions,
for example for registration, presentation submission and arrival at the live event, will be
communicated directly to individual speakers in due course.
• Any request for withdrawal should be sent to [email protected] before 30 June 2025. The
submitter must clearly explain the reason for withdrawal. Failure to present an accepted submission
may lead to systematic rejection of your submission for future FIGO events.

Submitter and speaker commitments

• FIGO Cape Town 2025 is an in-person only event. All speakers must be available to present in-
person at the Cape Town International Convention Centre between 5 – 9 October 2025, and 4
October 2025 if they are part of a pre-Congress workshop.
• The scientific programme typically features over 800 speakers and nearly 2,000 abstract
presentations. As such, we cannot accommodate specific scheduling requests.
• All speakers must complete their registration and payment by 30 June 2025 in order to confirm their
participation and ensure their access to the live event.
• FIGO depends on all confirmed speakers to be on site and in the correct room for their presentation
prior to the scheduled session start time. Late or absent speakers will be recorded and may result in
exclusion from future speaking engagements at FIGO events. Exceptions will only be accepted in
the case of genuine last-minute emergencies.
• The host(s) and/or faculty of an accepted submission will be responsible for their own equipment,
travel, accommodation and registration costs.
• All submitters must disclose, on behalf of all other authors or speakers in their submission, any
conflicts of interest at the point of submission or have their submission rejected at the discretion of
the scientific programme committee. We request all presenters to cooperate by declaring any
potential conflict of interest on their slides, videos or posters.
• All confirmed speakers will be required to complete a full Conflict of Interest (COI) form at a later
date.

Submission guidelines: XXV FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics 5

 • Some sessions will be audio and/or video recorded during the live event, which may also include the
recording of the presenter’s slides or any pre-recorded video they may present. There will also be
photography at the live event. All speakers will be required to agree to FIGO’s use of any recordings
or photographs taken from the live event by signing a speaker consent form.

If you have a question regarding your submission or using the submission website, please contact us.

Submission guidelines: XXV FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics 6