The Virtual International Day of the Midwife (VIDM) is an annual online FREE conference that celebrates the International Day of the Midwife. It is held on or around May 5th each year to be as close to the International Day of the Midwife as possible.
VIDM runs for 24 hours and covers a wide range of subjects with speakers from around the globe. It uses online conferencing software to bring together people who have an interest in childbirth matters – midwives, students and consumers — all completely free.
We are also looking for facilitators to work with our presenters during the conference. For information, please go to Call for Facilitators
Presentations from previous year’s conferences can be viewed on our YouTube Channel at this LINK.
18th Annual Virtual International Day of the Midwife
Starting 5th May 2026 at 22:00 UTC
24 hours of free online presentations for and about midwives
The Virtual International Day of the Midwife celebrates the International Day of the Midwife by bringing together midwives, students, consumers, and all parties interested in childbirth from across the globe using online electronic media. Various live events are presented every hour for 24 hours across 4th/5th/6th May 2026 (depending on the time zone) starting at 22:00 UTC on 5th May. To check your local starting time, click HERE
WHO CAN SUBMIT? Midwives, student midwives, and others interested in birth.
Presenters must have a computer with headphones and a reliable Internet connection for use during the presentation which will be live.
WHAT KIND OF PRESENTATIONS? Presentations may include midwifery research, international midwifery (this may include the Sustainable Development Goals), midwifery education initiatives, midwifery practice issues, midwifery philosophy, physiology and pathophysiology, social and reproductive justice, and Safe Motherhood (please review the ICM scope of practice of a midwife when considering your topic area ICM scope of practice)
Presentations may be organized as informal discussions, panel discussions, or story-telling. Previous presentations can be viewed on our YouTube Channel at this LINK. In keeping with the VIDM philosophy, the organizing committee has introduced a theme of Midwifery for All: Equity, Access and Human Rights in Maternal Care.
“Midwifery for all” is not only a call for better maternal outcomes — it’s a call for justice. Achieving equity, access, and human rights in maternal care demands a global commitment to empowering midwives and ensuring that every woman, everywhere, can give birth safely, with dignity and respect.
A presentation or session should:
Have a clear aim or purpose
Focus on midwifery or maternity care
Be of interest to a global audience
PRESENTATION FORMAT: VIDM conferencing software supports voice and PowerPoint presentations or slides in PDF files. Oral presentations should aim for 30 minutes of content with 10 minutes for questions. All presentations are live. Participants can listen and view on a computer, tablet, or cell/mobile phone.
We also welcome poster presentations that will be displayed on the VIDM website accompanied by a podcast, if willing. For more information about poster submissions: Call for Poster Presentations
LANGUAGES: While the expression of interest/proposal/abstract should be submitted in English, presentations in other languages are welcome. A translator may be available. Please contact info@vidm.org for further information and language assistance.
SPEAKER SUPPORT: Presenters do not need to be experienced in using web-conferencing software. Each presenter will be paired with a facilitator who will give support at every stage. Presenters must commit to attending an online practice session in late April with the session facilitator, so that the facilitators are assured that the technology will work well on the presentation day. Final slides are due April 14, 2026. Slides will be uploaded then and cannot be changed once uploaded.
SUBMISSION: The deadline for presentation proposals is 1 February 2026 @ 12:00 UTC.
Follow this link to see the deadline in different time zones: click here
Click on the links below for more information on writing an abstract.
It is strongly recommended to read these guides to make sure everything is clear about what is expected and what you should include in your abstract/submission.
How to write a research abstract
How to write a general abstract
Please click here to make your submission.