We invite papers in the emerging work track that reflect early-stage efforts that either: 1) will be of interest to the Animal-Computer Interaction (ACI) community from multidisciplinary areas, including (but not limited to) ethics, computer science, veterinary science, design, and ecology and likely to generate insightful and/or instructional discussion, and/or 2) are early enough that they could benefit greatly from community feedback on direction, design, methods, etc. 

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Examples of emerging work papers include – but are not limited to – position papers, proposals for technology design, proposals for study design, open problem descriptions, analysis frameworks, etc. Potential authors are encouraged to contact the Program Chairs if there is any question about the suitability of their work for submission to the emerging work track. Note: an encouragement to submit from the chairs does not indicate the likelihood of acceptance.

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While emerging work papers are expected to be less mature than research papers, all paper submissions to this (and any other) track are expected to incorporate principles of ethical treatment of animals and have appropriate/requisite institutional review. 

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Authors are encouraged to submit a paper of length proportional to its contribution. While the maximum word count is 8,000 words (plus references), most Emerging Work papers are expected to be shorter due to the earlier research stage. Reviewers will be instructed to weigh the submission's contribution relative to its size. Papers should be concise but thorough in presenting the work. Shorter, more focused papers are encouraged and will be reviewed like any other paper. Papers whose lengths are incommensurate with their contributions will be rejected. Papers may be perceived as too long if they are repetitive or too short if they omit important details or neglect relevant prior art. 

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Submissions must be anonymous, meaning authors and their institutions must be removed from the submitted file. Reference to the authors’ previous work may be made in the third person. 

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Papers must be submitted using the new ACM Template. Authors may also submit a supplementary MP4 video of up to 3 minutes and 50MB. 

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All submissions will undergo a double-blind peer review and will be selected based on the quality of their contribution, perceived interest to the community, and potential to benefit from community discussion. At least two domain experts will review each submission. 

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Accepted papers will be published in a proceedings volume.

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Important Dates 

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August 2, 2026 – Submission deadline

September 13, 2026 – Decision confirmation

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Please note: All times are in Anywhere on Earth (AoE).

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Submission Instructions 

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All papers should be submitted via our EasyChair submission system. Please select "ACI26 Emerging Work" when creating your submission (available in March 2026). ​​​​