The submitted papers will be evaluated by the Screening Committee for inclusion as either:

• Oral Free Paper Presentation
• Poster Presentation

Authors who wish their work to be considered only for poster presentation should clearly indicate "POSTER ONLY" at the time of submission.

The Screening Committee reserves the right to accept, reject or allocate papers to either Oral or Poster categories based on scientific merit, thematic relevance, programme requirements, and available presentation slots.

Eligibility

• Free papers may be submitted by both NNF members and non-members.
• For presentation at least one of the author is desirable to be NNF member.
• The presenting author must be one of the listed authors.
• Submission of an abstract implies approval from all listed co-authors.
• The presenting author shall be responsible for the accuracy, authenticity, and completeness of the submitted work.

Originality and Ethical Requirements

1. The submitted work should represent original scientific work.
2. Plagiarism, duplicate submission, data fabrication, falsification, or any other form of scientific misconduct may result in immediate rejection of the submission and exclusion from future NNF scientific activities.
3. Studies involving human participants should have obtained appropriate Institutional Ethics Committee approval wherever applicable.
4. Any financial support, sponsorship, funding source, or potential conflict of interest relevant to the work should be disclosed.
5. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in manuscript or abstract preparation, if any, should be clearly disclosed. AI tools may be used solely for language refinement and improvement of clarity of expression, and not for scientific analysis, interpretation, or the generation of academic or technical content. Authors remain fully responsible for the scientific accuracy, integrity, and originality of the submitted work, including all facts, interpretations, and any content or outputs produced with the assistance of AI. The responsibility for the accuracy of all facts and content generated or assisted by AI rests entirely with the authors themselves.

Submission Format

Abstract Format

The abstract should not exceed 250 words (excluding title, author names, affiliations, and disclosures). For original research papers, the abstract should be structured as follows:

• Introduction
• Aims and Objectives
• Materials and Methods (including statistical methods where relevant) Results
• Conclusions

Mandatory Abstract Details

The abstract should include:

• Title of the paper
• Names of all authors
• Name of presenting author (underlined)
• Institutional affiliation(s)
• Place of study
• Sub-specialty category
• Email address and mobile number of presenting author

(Text should be typed in Times New Roman, Font Size 11, Single Spacing.)

Instructions

1. NNF members should quote their Central NNF Membership Number while making the submission.
2. Registration for the conference shall be mandatory for all accepted presenters, both NNF members and non-members.
3. Registration must be completed within two weeks of notification of acceptance.
4. Authors are advised to retain acknowledgement of submission for future reference.

Sub-specialty Categories

Abstracts may be submitted under the following categories:

• Cardiology (CAR)
• Community Neonatology (CP)
• Endocrinology (ENDO)
• Gastroenterology (GE)
• Genetics (GENE)
• Growth & Development (GD)
• Hematology-Oncology (HO)
• Intensive Care (IC)
• Nephrology (NEP)
• Neurology (NEU)
• Nutrition (NUT)
• Quality Improvement (QI)
• Respiratory (RESP)
• Miscellaneous (MISC)
• Infectious Diseases (ID)
• Innovations (Separate Category)

Poster Plenary Session

Based on scientific merit and subject relevance, selected posters may be invited for brief presentation and interaction during the Poster Plenary Session as assessed by the evaluation committee.

Best Poster Awards

All posters shall automatically be considered for:

• Best Poster Award
• Best Innovation Poster Award

Judging shall be based on scientific merit, originality, presentation quality, and clinical relevance.

Award Papers may be submitted under the following categories:

1. NNF Gold Medal Award (MD/DNB): For postgraduate students and recent graduates (upto 1 year) from MD Pediatrics and DNB Pediatrics programmes.
2. NNF Gold Medal Award (DM/DrNB/Fellowship): For trainees and recent graduates (upto 1 year) from DM Neonatology, DrNB Neonatology and Fellowship Neonatology programmes.
3. Social Neonatology Gold Medal Award: For research related to social, community, public health, developmental, health systems, and implementation aspects of neonatology.

Eligibility Criteria

1. The presenting author must be a current Central NNF member. Papers from non-members will not be accepted for award category.
2. The presenting author must be the first author.
3. Only one submission per presenting author shall be accepted under the Award Category.
4. The age of the first author should be less than 45 years as on 1 January 2026.
5. The total number of authors shall not exceed five. There is no age restriction for co-authors.
6. Previous recipients of a particular award shall not be eligible to compete again for the same award category, though they may be listed as co-authors.
7. Submission of an award paper implies approval from all listed co-authors and affiliated institutions.

Originality and Ethical Requirements

1. The submitted work should represent original scientific work.
2. Plagiarism, duplicate submission, data fabrication, falsification, or any other form of scientific misconduct may result in immediate rejection of the submission and exclusion from future NNF scientific activities.
3. Studies involving human participants should have obtained appropriate Institutional Ethics Committee approval wherever applicable.
4. Any financial support, sponsorship, funding source, or potential conflict of interest relevant to the work should be disclosed.
5. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in manuscript or abstract preparation, if any, should be clearly disclosed. AI tools may be used solely for language refinement and improvement of clarity of expression, and not for scientific analysis, interpretation, or the generation of academic or technical content. Authors remain fully responsible for the scientific accuracy, integrity, and originality of the submitted work, including all facts, interpretations, and any content or outputs produced with the assistance of AI. The responsibility for the accuracy of all facts and content generated or assisted by AI rests entirely with the authors themselves.

Manuscript Format

1. Full manuscript submission is mandatory.
2. Manuscripts should follow the format prescribed by the Journal of Neonatology (https://journals.sagepub.com/author-instructions/NNT).
3. Maximum manuscript length shall be 3,000 words excluding abstract, references, tables, figures, and appendices.
4. Abstract word limit shall be 250 words (excluding title, author names, affiliations, and disclosures).
5. A maximum of five tables and figures combined may be included.

Mentioning in Manuscript Requirements

1. Author names and institutional affiliations should appear only on the title page.
2. The manuscript body, including methods and acknowledgements, should not contain identifying information.
3. Failure to comply with blinding requirements may result in disqualification.

Abstract Format

The abstract should not exceed 250 words (excluding title, author names, affiliations, and disclosures). For original research papers, the abstract should be structured as follows:

• Introduction
• Aims and Objectives
• Materials and Methods (including statistical methods where relevant) Results
• Conclusions

Mandatory Abstract Details

The abstract should include:

• Title of the paper
• Names of all authors
• Name of presenting author (underlined)
• Institutional affiliation(s)
• Place of study
• Sub-specialty category
• Email address and mobile number of presenting author

Manuscripts should be typed in Times New Roman, Font Size 11, Double Spacing.

Declaration Requirements

Authors submission will be taken as certified of the below points as well as they have to submit a self declaration mentioned at the end that:

• The submitted work is original.
• All authors have approved the submission.
• Appropriate ethical approvals have been obtained wherever applicable.
• The submitted data are authentic and accurate.
• The manuscript does not violate any copyright or intellectual property rights.

Award Evaluation Process

1. Award papers shall undergo independent scientific review by reviewers appointed by the Screening Committee.
2. Based on reviewer scores, shortlisted papers may be invited for final physical presentation before the award jury at NEOCON 2026.
3. The decision of the judges and Screening Committee will be communicated to the first author indicated in the paper & shall be final and binding.