European Speleological Federation - Fédération Spéléologique Européenne

𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙀𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 1𝙨𝙩 𝙐𝙄𝙎 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙨 & 𝙇𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩

"Below the Surface, Beyond Imagination"

The UIS Arts and Letters Committee is proud to launch its first international contest! We invite all cavers and karst explorers at heart to reflect on the underground world through creativity and poetic intuition.

Theme: "Subterranean Myths"

Categories:

Visual Arts: Painting, Drawing, Illustration, Digital Art (No photography).

Writing: Poetry, Short Stories, Essays, Literary articles (Max 1,000 words).

Music & Performance: Audio tracks or recorded performances (Max 3 mins).

Other Creative Forms: Sketchbooks, Art Books, Conceptual Designs,
Installations, Media Art

Recognition:

Evaluated by an International Jury (Blind Judging).

Featured on UIS social media and website gallery.

Official Certificates signed by the UIS President. Announced during the annual UIS meetings.

Key Dates:

Deadline: 15 July, 2026.

Results: August 2026.

How to Enter:
• Read full details & concept here: https://uis-speleo.org/index.php/2026/05/08/the-1st-international-arts-letters-contest-2026/

• Submit via official portal: https://forms.gle/tFdY22bogdHUTDmi9

(For technical issues, contact: [email protected])

🥳 10th ISCA Congress REGISTRATION now OPEN!

💚 We are pleased to officially invite everyone to participate in the 10th ISCA Congress, which will take place in Dordogne, France, this September.

👉 Follow the link below and download the registration form now. For organizational reasons, we strongly encourage all interested participants to complete and return the registration form at their earliest convenience to the email address shown in the official document. Special early booking rates will be available until May 30, so make sure to register in advance to save! Early registration will also greatly assist the organizers in planning and ensuring the best possible experience for all attendees.

🗣️ Reminder: places are limited!

🤩 You can also download the second circular, containing detailed information regarding the programme, accommodation, excursions, and practical arrangements, as well as the official registration form. Visit the ISCA website for further details and the official document.

1️⃣ Registration form link: https://www.i-s-c-a.org/clanok/332-registration-now-open-for-the-isca-10th-congress

2️⃣ Second circular link: https://www.i-s-c-a.org/clanok/333-2026-isca-congress-2nd-circular-available

🥰 We sincerely hope to welcome you in Dordogne for what promises to be an enjoyable and valuable Congress for the international show cave community.



FFTS - Fédération Française du Tourisme et Patrimoine Souterrain

𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁

Theme: "Invisible Life, Visible Impact: Guardians of the Dark"

The UIS Arts and LeFers Commission, in collaboration with the Cave Biology and Cave Protection commissions, invites you to capture the fragile beauty of the subterranean world.

This year, we focus on the silent inhabitants of the dark—from microscopic life to complex ecosystems. Show us the "Invisible Life" and help us reflect on our "Visible Impact" on these sacred realms.
Key Dates:

Submission Deadline: 30 June 2026
Final Selection: July - August 2026
Winners Showcase: 10-13 September 2026 (During the UNESCO IDCK event in Postojna, Slovenia)

Technical Guidelines:
For full technical requirements (resolution, naming conventions, and file formats) and to submit your work, please visit our official registration portal:
Submit here: https://forms.gle/UUEDrNsiQR7HPb7F7

Give a voice to the silent guardians and illuminate the hidden soul of the karst through your lens!

For more information: https://uis-speleo.org/index.php/2026/04/28/the-2nd-uis-international-speleological-and-karst-photography-contest/

Dear Colleagues, Dear Friends,
We are glad to inform you that the 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻!

Granted can be international expeditions or other events focused on the exploration, study, or protection of caves and karst, with an emphasis on educational, technical, and/or scientific cooperation.

Find more information on: https://uis-speleo.org/index.php/2026/04/23/call-for-speleological-event-support-2026/

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝘇𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗦𝗘

At the General Assembly of the European Speleological Federation FSE on the 16th April 2026 the Czech Republic was accepted as a new member country. They were unanimously warmly welcomed into the FSE family by the other member countries. The FSE now has 32 members.

The Czech Republic will be represented to the FSE by the Czech Speleological Society (Česká Speleologická Společnost: https://www.speleo.cz/) with the new delegates Michal Hejna and Markéta Jakovenko. The Czech Speleological Society represents 59 clubs with over 1.200 cavers. We thank the board of the Czech Speleological Society to have taken the step to apply for the FSE membership.

We all look forward to a good cooperation with our Czech colleagues and hope that their membership will lead to many mutual speleological activities.

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to participate in the events marking the first celebration of the UNESCO International Day of Caves and Karst, to be held in Postojna, Slovenia, from 10 to 13 September 2026.

These events represent the symbolic and official launch of the global observance of the International Day of Caves and Karst, proclaimed by UNESCO in 2025. Please find attached the invitation and the preliminary programme of events, which will be held under the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Nataša Pirc Musar, and under the patronage of UNESCO, with the support and cooperation of the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO, Postojna Cave, Škocjan Caves Park, the Municipality of Postojna, the Municipality of Pivka, and the Speleological Association of Slovenia.


For more information and registration for the scientific conference and the official ceremony in Postojna Cave, please visit:

https://izrkp.zrc-sazu.si/en/dogodki/international-day-of-caves-and-karst-idck

Information on registration for the accompanying events, along with their detailed programs, will follow.

We look forward to your participation and to celebrating the beginning of this important global initiative together.

Kind regards,

Nadja Zupan Hajna

on behalf of the Organizing Committee

Karst Research Institute ZRC SAZU and International Union of Speleology (UIS)

https://www.tetide.org/event/hidden-bussento/

We are proud to launch issue 1 of Underground Vision, a shared space dedicated to exploring, documenting, and celebrating the heritage hidden beneath our feet.
This issue opens with a clear vision: building an international community around underground culture, where speleology, photography, and scientific research converge.
We begin with a thought-provoking question: what if speleology were recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO? A perspective that challenges us to rethink the cultural, human, and scientific value of underground exploration.
This issue features exclusive interviews with leading voices on the global scene, including Sotiris Kountouras, winner of three categories at the Underground Visions Contest 2025, and emerging talents Anna and Florian Gundaker, winners of the 1st EuroSpeleo Youth Contest 2025.
In essence, the magazine takes you on a journey through some of the world's most extraordinary underground environments:
from the basalt caves of central Saudi Arabia to the depths of Georgia's Sarma Cave,
from the sulfur caves of Greece to the subterranean landscapes of Japan,
and across the Balkans, exploring speleological research in Kosovo.
The journey continues in Morocco's Middle Atlas, uncovering the secrets of the El Mejdam Caves, and in southern Spain with the spectacular Giant Geode of Pulpí, concluding along the Euphrates River, where cave dwellings tell stories of ancient human adaptation.
Underground Vision is more than a magazine: it's an invitation to look beneath the surface, to rediscover a hidden world, and become part of it.

Welcome to the underground vision.

https://speleomedit.tetide.org/magazine/published-numbers/march-2026-n1/

𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗿. 𝟴𝟲, 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱

Content:
• Editorial
• President’s column
• ISV22 Information Circular 2
• Recent Discoveries At Mt Porndon Western Victoria
• Self Tapping Concrete Screws In Volcanic Rock
• Volcano speleology related subjects from UIS Congress 38 Brasil
• Pyroduct Terms
• A Visit To Some Icelandic Caves
• Management Plan for Cueva del Tigre (Malargue, Mendoza)
• Volcano Speleological Expedition to Armenia 2025
• Memories of Phil Collet (1943 – 2025)

You can download the newsletter (pdf) from here:https://www.vulcanospeleology.org/newsletters/Vulcano86%20Apr%202026.pdf

We are glad to share with you 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝟔𝟕-𝟐 of the 𝐔𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧. The PDF Interactive format can be downloaded by clicking on the link:http://uis-speleo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/UIS-Bulletin-67-2-final.pdf