ACII 2026

Call for Workshop and Challenge Proposals

Call for Workshop and Challenge Proposals

ACII 2026 – 14th International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction

https://acii-conf.net

Workshops day: 7 Sept 2026

Puebla, Mexico

The organising committee of Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction (ACII) 2026 is now inviting proposals for workshops and challenges. ACII is the flagship conference for research in Affective Computing, covering topics related to the study of intelligent systems that perceive, express, or otherwise use affect.

Workshops at ACII provide opportunities for researchers to get together to connect and exchange ideas on a specific topic in detail. Example workshops from previous years are available here: ACII 2025 (https://acii-conf.net/2025/program/workshops/), ACII 2024 (https://acii-conf.net/2024/program/workshops/) and ACII 2023 (https://acii-conf.net/2023/program/workshops/).

We encourage workshop proposals that draw together interdisciplinary perspectives on topics in affective computing. We also welcome Challenge-led workshops, where workshop participants would work on a shared task (e.g., building a multicultural affective computing avatar for mental health) in advance and present the results at a workshop.

The ACII 2026 conference theme is Emotions beyond borders: Multicultural Affective Computing.  

Workshop organisers will be responsible for soliciting and reviewing papers and putting together an exciting schedule, including time for networking and discussion. 

*Papers accepted by workshops will be published in the conference’s companion proceedings* 

Process

Please email your proposal to the workshop chairs: workshop-chairs@acii-conf.net (max. 3 pages, PDF format). Your mail must use (mandatory) a subject line in the following format: “WS-ACII 2026 | [Your Workshop Title]”.

Please address the following points in your proposal:  

  1. Technical Information
    • Title of the Workshop/Challenge.
    • Topics to be covered, with explanations of their relevance.
    • Relation to previous workshops/challenges at ACII, highlighting similarities and differences with respect to the proposed event.
    • A draft call for papers.
  2. Organisers and Speakers
    • Full names, titles, affiliations (with one, potentially two, contact emails) of the organizers.
    • A summary of the organizers’ background and experience that make them well suited for organizing the event, including brief bios.
    • In case this event is part of a series, please provide URLs to relevant past events and / or any related information.
    • A preliminary list of invited speakers (if applicable). Important: Please list only speakers who have confirmed or tentatively confirmed their attendance, clearly indicating whether each confirmation is tentative or final.
  3. Logistics
    • Duration preference (full-day or half-day event).
    • List of tentative and confirmed PC members (mention the status per PC member).
    • Specify the primary nature of your event:
      • Challenge.
      • Peer reviewed paper event (orals / posters).
      • Combination of invited speakers and peer reviewed papers.
      • Affinity workshop to create and strengthen communities (such as “Women in Affective Computing”).
    • A review timeline for papers or competitions.
    • If posters will be presented, provide a number estimate. Note that the conference may limit the number of posters based on space availability.
    • Any special space or equipment requirement.
    • Extended abstract making the scientific case for the workshop/challenge (why, why now, why at ACII, expected outcomes, impact).
  4. Additional information
    • For Challenges, include detailed task instructions as well as information on any restrictions, requirements, and available resources such as datasets, benchmarks, open-source models, and open-source tools. In addition, specify the metrics used to evaluate how well the challenge has been addressed, and provide clear instructions for submitting participants’ results.
    • Expected number of submissions, paper length, review process, and format.
    • Publication plan if beyond ACII companion proceedings (e.g., Special Issue, whether contact was made with the publisher already).

Proposals will be reviewed in a confidential manner, and acceptance will be decided by the ACII 2026Workshop and Program Chairs. Decisions about acceptance are final.

Important Dates

All deadlines are in the Anywhere on Earth timezone.

  • Submission deadline for workshop proposals: 21 February 2026
  • Notification for workshop proposals: 7 March 2026
  • Paper submission deadline for workshops: 30 May 2026
  • Workshop papers decision notification: 3 July 2026
  • Workshop camera-ready deadline: 24 July 2026
  • Workshops, tutorials, and DC: 7 September 2026

Workshop Chairs

  • Luigi Celona (luigi.celona@unimib.it)
  • Octavio Gutiérrez (octavio.gutierrez@itam.mx)