Dear colleagues and friends,
The EGU General Assembly 2026 is just around the corner, and we are looking forward to welcoming you to Vienna for a week of science, exchange, and connection.

Following last year’s initiative, this issue of the newsletter focuses on the General Assembly, bringing together key activities, highlights, and opportunities to engage with the Natural Hazards community. Alongside this, you will also find updates on ongoing initiatives and ways to stay involved beyond the conference.

We hope this issue helps you navigate the week ahead and makes you feel part of the community, whether you are new or a long-time member. And see you all the Division meeting for Natural Hazards (NH) on Thu, 07 May, 12:45–13:45 (CEST) - Room F2.

Heidi Kreibich, Division President
Elisa Nobile & Naveen Ragu Ramalingam, ECS Reps

Natural Hazards Highlights at EGU 2026

...AND UNION SYMPOSIA OF INTEREST FOR THE NH COMMUNITY

NH0.1 | Land Degradation and Natural Hazards: Entering the Critical Zone

📍Thu, 07 May, 10:45–12:25 (CEST) Room E2

US7 | Evidence-based policymaking in an era of increasing climate hazards and risks.

📍 Mon, 04 May, 14:00–15:45 (CEST) Room E1

US6 | Climate change, morals, values and policies

📍 Wed, 06 May, 08:30–10:15 (CEST) Room E1

NH1.1 | Extreme meteorological and hydrological events induced by severe weather and climate change

📍 Mon, 04 May, 10:45–12:30 (CEST), 14:00–18:00 (CEST) Room D2

🏅 Including Plinius Medal Lecture by Amir AghaKouchak (17:25–17:55 CEST)                   

NH10.1 | Multi-(hazard) risk assessment and management: innovative approaches for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation

📍 Tue, 05 May, 08:30–12:25 (CEST), 14:00–17:55 (CEST) Room N2

🏅 Including Sergey Soloviev Medal Lecture by Gerasimos Papadopoulos (10:45–11:25 CEST)
 

NH9.2 | The costs of Natural Hazards: direct, indirect, tangible and intangible aspects

📍 Wed, 06 May, 08:30–12:25 (CEST) Room E2

🏅 Including Arne Richter Award Lecture by Nivedita Sairam (10:45–11:15 CEST)

TM2 | Coevolution in Coupled Human–Water Systems — What We Learned and What We Should Do Next

📍 Mon, 04 May, 19:00–20:00 (CEST) Room D3

SPM176 | Strengthening ECR Engagement & Empowerment: A Joint Forum for Senior and Early-Career Researchers                                                                   

📍Tue, 05 May, 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room 2.83

SPM71 | GTM e.V. | Global Tsunami Model Association – Open session

📍Wed, 06 May, 10:45–12:30 (CEST) Room 2.97

NET5 | Journal Reception – Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS)

📍Mon, 04 May, 18:00–19:00 (CEST) Room D2

NET18 | 25 Years of Interactive Open Access Publishing

📍Thu, 07 May, 18:00–19:30 (CEST) PICO spot 5

DM14 | Division meeting for Natural Hazards (NH)

📍Thu, 07 May, 12:45–13:45 (CEST) Room F2

Meet the NH Division Team

📍Thu, 07 May, 16:00-17:00 (CEST) EGU booth – Hall X2

NH ECS Networking Lunch + Follow-on ECS best practice

📍 Wed, 06 May, 12:30–13:45 (CEST) EGU networking zone – terrace G (Purple Level)

SC1.1 | How to navigate EGU: tips and tricks

📍 Mon, 04 May, 10:45–12:30 (CEST) Room 2.82

SC1.2 | How to navigate EGU as a neurodivergent participant

📍 Mon, 04 May, 14:00–15:45 (CEST) Room 0.55

SC1.3 | Best Practices for Early Career Researcher (ECR) Engagement and Empowerment

📍 Tue, 05 May, 08:30–10:15 (CEST) Room 0.55

EGU is a community, and the General Assembly 2026 is not just about presenting your research but it’s about connecting, learning, and growing as a Natural Hazards community. The conveners of the Division put together a fantastic programme in 47 NH lead scientific sessions, 37 co-organised scientific sessions and 13 inter- and transdisciplinary sessions covering a great variety of topics across our 11 sub-divisions. 

We recommend to check the full programme and enjoy the inspiring presentations and discussions!

Beyond the scientific sessions, EGU26 is offering Short Courses (SC) to improve your personal and scientific skills, Education and Outreach Sessions (EOS) to bridge the gap between research and society, and Cross-cutting themes on Art-Science, GeoCinema, Science for Policy, and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) to explore creative ways of communicating science, strengthen the dialogue between research and decision-making, and foster a more inclusive geoscience community.

The programme also includes community-led events such as Townhall and Splinter Meetings, pop-up networking events, and many other opportunities to connect with colleagues across disciplines. Check the EGU26 website and start building your personal programme to get the most out of your week in Vienna!

Open for ECS Award and Medal Nominations

Nominations are rather easy to do and all EGU members (i.e. basically all who attend 2026 EGU General Assembly this year) can nominate. Here you find information what is required for a Nomination: https://www.egu.eu/awards-medals/proposal-and-selection-of-candidates/

Information about our Division medals are found in the following links. I would like to remind you once again that both medals are now open to candidates of all career levels after the early-career scientist level (e.g. mid-career).

• Sergey Soloviev Medal - awarded for outstanding scientific contributions in fundamental research that improves our knowledge of basic natural hazards principles, as well as research that assesses and leads to the proper mitigation of natural hazards, from both human and environmental perspectives (open for all career stages).                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
• Plinius Medal - awarded for outstanding research achievements in fields related with natural hazards, important interdisciplinary activity in two or more fields related with this topic, and research that has been applied in the mitigation of risks from natural hazards (open for all career stages).                                                                                                                     
• Natural Hazards Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Awards - awarded for outstanding scientific achievement made by an Early Career Scientist in the field of Natural hazards. An Early Career Scientist (ECS) is a student, a PhD candidate, or a practising scientist who received their highest certificate (e.g. BSc, MSc or PhD) within the past seven years.

All nominations need to be submitted via the nomination page: https://www.egu.eu/awards-medals/nominations/

Early Career Scientists (ECS): Your Voice, Your Space in Natural Hazard Division

If you’re an Early Career Scientist,  whether you're a master's student, PhD candidate, postdoc, or in the early stages of your career outside academia, you are the future of the NH Division. We are here to support you in building your network, developing new skills, and finding your voice in the global natural hazards community across the year.

If you would like to be part of this, there are many ways to get involved:

✍️ Write for our blog and share your work or perspective, supported by our fantastic editorial team, whose work has been recognised with multiple awards, including in 2025 with the post “If a Resilient City Had a Face: It Might Look Like Kagoshima” by Hedieh Soltanpour

🔥 Join or help host webinars and campfires, including cross-divisional events that bring together different communities and perspectives. Looking for some inspiration, check out our last campfire “Volcanoes Across Disciplines: From Magmatic Processes to Hazard Management” together with GMPV Division.

📱 Contribute to our social media and highlight voices from the community.

💬 Take part in ECS meetings and exchange ideas.

Whether you are looking to try something new, connect with others, or simply stay involved, the NH ECS community is open to you throughout the year.

📩 Want to get involved or ask a question? ecs-nh@egu.eu or connect with us on https://linktr.ee/nh.egu.eu

......heres a list of upcoming events and deadlines

7th World Landslide Forum (WLF7)

The next World Landslide Forum will take place on 23–27 November 2026 in Faridabad, India. A key event for the landslide and disaster risk community, it offers a space to exchange ideas, share research, and build collaborations across disciplines. Abstracts deadline: 30 April 2026.
  🔗 https://wlf7.org/

NEXUS International Photo Contest
 Interested in science through images? This international photo contest explores the links between water, energy, food, and ecosystems, inviting creative perspectives on sustainability and risk. Deadline: 20 May 2026.
 🔗 https://festas2026.github.io/nexus/photocontest.html

All images were created on Canva.