Technical papers authored by students are being accepted for consideration to the 2026 NAB Broadcast Engineering and IT (BEIT) Conference at NAB Show

The NAB BEIT Conference is for broadcast engineers and technicians, technology managers and developers, contractors, equipment manufacturers and distributors, consultants, researchers, and R&D engineers. Presentations consider pressing technical issues facing today’s media professionals with an emphasis on the evolution of technology for radio, television, digital and the broader media and IT ecosystem. An emphasis on next-generation systems throughout the media-delivery ecosystem provides the conference with a decidedly forward-looking focus.

Student Papers selected for the NAB BEIT Conference will be presented at the 2026 NAB Show, to be held April 18-22,2026, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Selected Papers will also be included in the Proceedings of the 2026 Broadcast Engineering and Information Technology Conference, to be published in April, 2026.

If accepted, your paper will be eligible for this year’s Best Student Paper Award, which will be announced at the start of this year’s NAB BEIT Conference. The Best Student Paper Award is presented in partnership with IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and includes travel support for the winner to attend NAB Show.

BTS

Thanks to IEEE:BTS for partnering with us to present the Best Student Paper award

Your paper must be submitted in the format set by the Conference template. Please download and use this template Papers that do not conform to the template style will not be considered.

For reference, this is the best NAB BEIT Conference student paper from 2025.

The paper should be technical. You are not allowed to promote a product or brand in the paper, but you can mention certain products as examples of the technology you will present. Papers that resemble a product brochure will not be accepted for publication.

You must submit your paper as a .doc or .docx file by November 20, 2025, to be considered for publication in the Proceedings.  

Submit your paper here.

Submission Topics

When submitting your student paper, please ensure you choose a category covered in the following list:

BROADCAST RADIO
Example topics might include:

  • Digital AM/FM (All‑Digital AM MA3, FM HD, hybrid/visual, ops issues, metadata)
  • In‑vehicle radio (connected services, UX, EV EMI considerations)
  • Datacasting (service models, payloads)
  • SFNs/boosters (timing/sync, geotargeting)
  • Advanced and emerging radio tech (new modulation, site/antenna innovations)

BROADCAST TELEVISION
Example topics might include:

  • ATSC 3.0 core (PLPs, SFN planning, mobile reception, security)
  • Interactivity and apps (Hybrid 3.0, BA/A/344, audio‑only services)
  • Broadcast Internet/datacasting (use cases, service layers)
  • ATSC 3.0 deployment and operations (simulcast considerations, infrastructure requirements, signal distribution)
  • Emerging systems (Brazil TV 3.0/DTV+, 5G Broadcast, Mobile TV)
  • Contribution (internet/mobile/IP‑satellite, aerial camera platforms)
  • Streaming and evolution (broadcast↔streaming workflows)
  • Addressable advertising (NextGen targeted ads, monetization)

BROADCAST FACILITY DESIGN & CLOUD DESIGN
Example topics might include:

  • Architecture and facility design (integrated workflows, IP‑based plant, virtualization)
  • Cloud infrastructure and services (build/operate, security, cost models)
  • Software‑defined broadcast infrastructure and SMPTE ST 2110 (PTP/ST 2059 timing, NMOS)
  • Archiving, Disaster Recovery, and Business Continuity (redundancy, object storage)
  • Sustainability and efficiency (green ops, low‑power models)
  • Field operations, maintenance and security (drone tower inspection, site physical security, safety protocols)

MEDIA WORKFLOWS
Example topics might include:

  • Cloud production and playout (cloud‑based creation/distribution, playout and MCR, DMF and Media eXchange Layer)
  • Contribution and remote ops (IP/Sat/5G/LEO; remote monitoring/control/operation)
  • Automation and orchestration (workflow automation, modern dev practices)
  • Observability and QC (monitoring/telemetry, automated QC and illicit‑content detection)

DIGITAL CONTENT OPERATION and DISTRIBUTION
Example topics might include:

  • Streaming and cloud distribution (at scale; OTT/CTV; mobile apps)
  • Advertising and insertion (advanced/targeted; DAI/SSAI; programmatic)
  • Personalization and AI‑driven UX (dynamic interfaces/content)
  • Data and privacy (first‑party data, consent/compliance)
  • Podcasting technologies for broadcasters

POSITIONING, NAVIGATION, AND TIMING (PNT) USING TERRESTRIAL BROADCASTING
Example topics might include:

  • BPS architecture and deployment (self‑synchronizing networks)
  • Timing and clocks (accurate/traceable clocks, inter‑tower sync, delay calibration)
  • Receivers and measurement (BPS receivers, time measurement/estimation)
  • Joint position–timing estimation (methods, models)

AUDIO & VIDEO TECHNOLOGY
Example topics might include:

  • Codecs and compression (new audio/video techniques for broadcast and streaming)
  • UHD/HDR/HFR (4K/8K, tone‑mapping, live)
  • Audio advances (immersive/personalized, loudness/quality)
  • Production workflows (emerging virtual/live, tools, live production)
  • Quality enhancement and QC (objective/subjective methods)

REGULATORY ISSUES
Example topics might include:

  • Emergency alerting (ATSC 3.0 AEA; cloud‑based alerting)
  • Spectrum and wireless mics (usage/coordination; spectrum sharing)
  • Accessibility and compliance (audio description rule changes)
  • Policy and enforcement (deregulation, piracy)
  • AM in automobiles (automotive spurious emissions/EMI)

CYBERSECURITY FOR BROADCASTERS
Example topics might include:

  • Content/signal protection (content security)
  • Enterprise/network security (auth/identity; segmentation)
  • Ransomware and incident response (lessons learned)
  • Supply‑chain security (vendor/firmware)
  • Data protection and privacy regulations

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Example topics might include:

  • Applications and automation (assistive/agentic workflows; back‑office; editing/post)
  • Accessibility in real time (closed captions, subtitles, translation)
  • Provenance and authenticity (C2PA, disclosure/watermarking, blocking bots, attribution)
  • Personalization and ad tech (content personalization; automated ad targeting)
  • Governance and policy (privacy, ethics, emerging regs; copyright/licensing)
  • Software development and integration (SDKs, pipelines)
  • Synthetic media (AI voices/hosts, CGI for video)

WORKFORCE, TRAINING and KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
Example topics might include:

  • Next‑gen technologists (recruiting; bridging RF↔IP)
  • Skills transition (hardware→software‑defined systems)
  • Knowledge systems (documentation, KM)
  • Hiring from IT/software (role frameworks, pathways

ANALYTICS and MEASUREMENT
Example topics might include:

  • Cross‑platform audience measurement (OTA vs. OTT; streaming; real‑time)
  • First‑party data and privacy‑compliant analytics
  • Attribution and verification (ad verification, impression measurement)
  • Access and compliance (democratized data; regulatory reporting)
  • ATSC 3.0 analytics (return‑path/viewership)
  • QoS↔QoE correlation and monitoring