We invite Emerging Work Papers relevant to the field of Animal-Computer Interaction (ACI).

 

As a transdisciplinary field, ACI benefits from contributions from a wide range of disciplines, including computer science, informatics, engineering, interaction design, animal behavior and welfare science, veterinary science, ecology, sociology, philosophy, and more. Consistent with its transdisciplinarity, the field also benefits from different kinds of work, including philosophical and theoretical analyses, system developments and deployments, methodological and design frameworks, empirical studies of different kinds, and more. Diverse contributions with a focus on animal-centered interactions involving technology are valuable and encouraged.

 

In an increasingly networked world, (nonhuman and human) animals are increasingly entangled in webs of interactions that affect them in different, more or less obvious ways, whether positively or negatively. So, the notion of interaction has to be understood in the broadest possible sense, whether interactions are direct or indirect, dyadic or distributed, passive or active, cognitive or physical, co-located or remote, synchronous or asynchronous. Shedding light on these entanglements, understanding the influence of computing technologies on animals and ensuring that technology is developed and used for animals’ benefit is what ACI is all about.

 

The purpose of this track is to foster the development of work that is highly relevant to ACI but that is not yet mature enough to contribute to the Research Paper track. Emerging Work Papers have two key characteristics: 1) they are likely to generate insightful and instructional discussion during the conference and 2) they are early enough to significantly benefit from community feedback and guidance. Examples might include position papers, proposals for technology design, open problem descriptions, analysis frameworks and more, if these are still at an early stage of development.

 

Authors are encouraged to submit Emerging Work Papers of length proportional to their contribution, up to a maximum word count of 8,000 words (plus references and captions). Most Emerging Work Papers are expected to be shorter due to the earlier research stage. Shorter, more focused papers are welcome. Papers may be perceived as too long if they are repetitive or too short if they omit important details or neglect important details of relevant prior art. Papers whose length is incommensurate with their contributions are likely to be rejected.

 

All work reported in Emerging Work Papers is expected to be consistent with principles of ethical treatment of animals and have requisite institutional review as appropriate. 

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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 current ACM Template. Authors may also submit a supplementary MP4 video of up to 3 minutes and 50MB and volunteer to demo their paper if it is a system contribution, but this is not compulsory.​

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All submissions will undergo a double-blind peer review and will be selected based on the originality and quality of their contribution, perceived interest to the community, and potential to benefit from community discussion. Each submission will be reviewed by at least two reviewers drawn from the program committee and external domain experts.

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Accepted papers will be published in the ACI 2026 Proceedings on the ACM Digital Library.

 

Submission Instructions

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The submission system will open in March 2026 and will be linked to from here.

 

PLEASE NOTE: together with each paper, authors will need to submit a completed Author Submission Checklist. This is intended to help authors assess the suitability of their work for the Research Papers track and to position their contribution to ACI. The completed checklist will also be used by reviewers to guide their assessment of the submission. Although completing the checklist is relatively quick, we strongly advise that authors complete it before they start working on their paper. 

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Important Dates

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Midnight May 1, 2026 – Submission deadline

Midnight June 30, 2026 – Decision notification

Midnight July 31, 2026 – Revised papers and revision report

Midnight August 31, 2026 – Decision confirmation

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All times are Anywhere on Earth (AoE).​​