The MOTH Festival of Ideas

The Festival is dedicated to exploring the rich and rapidly evolving field of inquiry and action pursuing efforts to bring the more-than-human world into the ambit of moral, legal, and social concern.

The Festival has two components. The morning sessions comprise a closed-door, interactive conference which will examine philosophical, scientific, legal, and cultural perspectives on more-than-human rights and other ecocentric paradigms. In addition to serving as an interdisciplinary space for the generation and refinement of ideas, this conference is intended to help consolidate the field of thinkers and doers working on topics related to MOTH.

The afternoon sessions, meanwhile, are open to the public and serve as a platform to engage a broader audience in conversations and actions aimed at advancing the rights and well-being of humans, nonhumans, and the web of life that sustains us all. With creativity and interdisciplinarity at its heart, the Festival will include keynote talks, interviews, film screenings, book launches, poetry readings, concerts, and performances of various kinds by prominent scientists, lawyers, Indigenous leaders, artists, journalists, advocates, and scholars from around the world.

The 2026 MOTH Festival of Ideas will run from May 18th through May 20th, 2026 in London, United Kingdom. We have released the call for papers for the academic conference which is part of the Festival. To apply to the conference, please submit your paper abstract and other information here. Applications are due by November 15th, 2025.

Please note: A registration fee of $200 will apply for participants whose papers are accepted. Public afternoon events will carry a separate fee; however, registered conference participants will receive a discounted rate. A limited number of need-based scholarships and discounts will be available to support participants who may require assistance.