Call for Papers

 

The submission deadline for papers is March 21, 2026.(Extended)

As part of an alternating virtual/physical cycle, COMPASS 2026 will be hosted virtually this year and invites interdisciplinary research on sustainability that draws attention to how computing and sustainability efforts are embedded in and shaped by local contexts. COMPASS welcomes work that critically examines how technology intersects with social, environmental, and economic systems.

COMPASS draws from a wide array of disciplines (e.g., computer and information sciences, social sciences, geography, environmental studies, economics, climate studies, and engineering). In doing so, it promotes multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary research and practice that address key challenges for sustainable societies, including but not limited to equity, health, education, poverty, accessibility, conservation, climate change, energy, infrastructure, and economic development. We also welcome critical research on the ethics and limitations of technology in supporting sustainable societies, and are committed to work that addresses challenges faced by under-represented and marginalized communities. We especially welcome contributions from activists, worker advocates, and Indigenous scholars, alongside research on labour movements, climate adaptation, and sustainability practices that interrogate these dynamics in place.

Important Dates for Authors: 

  • Submission site open: February 10, 2026
  • Submission Deadline: March 21, 2026 (Extended)
  • Author Notifications: May 1, 2026
  • Camera-Ready Deadline: June 1, 2026
  • COMPASS 2026 Virtual Conference: July 27–31, 2026

Deadlines are anywhere on earth (AoE) time.

Preparing Your Submission:

Submission via HOTCRP Portal: https://compass2026.hotcrp.com/

Themes and Topics of Interest

We invite submissions that speak to that contribute to one or more of the following areas:

  • Systems and IoT for Sustainable Societies
  • HCI, Design and Critical Perspectives
  • AI, ML and Data Science for Sustainable Societies
  • Development, Economics and Policy
  • Environment, Sustainability, Degrowth, and Climate Change
  • Technology, Media, and Social Practice
  • Energy, Infrastructure and Economic Changes in age of AI

We welcome a broad variety of submission types, including deployment experiences, practitioner reports, user studies, ethnographies, design research, and systems building. Contributions from diverse fields and practices — including those not traditionally identified with computing disciplines (e.g., humanities, social sciences, climate and sustainability research, community advocacy) — are encouraged.

Authors will have the opportunity to present their accepted work during virtual paper sessions.

Submission Tracks and Formats

Papers Track

We welcome full research papers, deployment experiences, practitioner reports, and other substantial contributions. We will also have interested authors with accepted papers from ACM JCSS to present their work here as full papers.

  • No strict page limit; typical submissions are ~7,000–8,000 words (excluding references, captions, appendices).
  • Submissions below 4,000 words or above 12,000 words may be subject to desk rejection.
  • Papers must be anonymized for double-blind review.

Formatting Your Submission

It is important that your submission is formatted correctly. Incorrectly formatted submissions might be rejected.

  • Papers in PDF, anonymized, single-column ACM format (Word or LaTeX).
  • Authors select 1–3 contribution areas to assist area assignment.
  • Accessibility guidance (SIGCHI Accessibility Guide) is strongly recommended.
  • Anonymization must follow ACM CHI relaxed model; remove all identifying metadata, acknowledgements, and institutional identifiers.

 Please use one of the following templates: 

  • Microsoft Word
  • LaTeX (Use sample-manuscript.tex for submissions)
  • Overleaf (or search for: ACM Conference Proceedings Primary Article)
    • To create a single-column version from this Overleaf template, the line that says “\documentclass[sigconf,authordraft]{acmart}” should be changed to “\documentclass[manuscript, screen, review]{acmart}”.

Papers must be submitted in PDF format in the single column format, and anonymized

Additional guidance is available from the ACM:
https://www.acm.org/publications/authors/submissions

Additional template formatting instructions from the ACM are available here: https:// www.acm.org/publications/taps/word-template-workflow

Accessibility

We ask that authors create accessible submissions when submitting their PDF. Please follow the guidance in the SIGCHI Accessibility Guide for Authors, particularly Section 1: Authoring an Accessible Document, and Section 2: Submitting Accessible Documents for Review. https://sigchi.org/resources/guides-for-authors/accessibility/ 

Authorship and Use of AI Tools

Papers must adhere to the ACM Policy on Authorship; generative AI tools may not be listed as authors and must be fully disclosed.

Anonymization Policy

All submissions must be anonymized for review. Author and affiliation sections and credits must be left blank. Authors of accepted submissions will add this information in preparation of the camera-ready version.

Review Process

The COMPASS organizing team is committed to providing supportive and high-quality reviews to all submissions, regardless of research method or topic. All submissions are reviewed via double-blind peer review. Each paper will be assigned an Associate Chair and two reviewers. Submissions are evaluated on relevance, quality of exposition, and potential for impact. Meta-reviews support final acceptance decisions.

Accepted papers will be published in the COMPASS 2026 proceedings and archived in the ACM Digital Library.

Upon Acceptance of Your Paper

Accepted authors must register for the conference and present their work. Papers without presentation may be removed from proceedings. Authors must complete ACM licensing and ensure permissions for all content.

ORCID IDs are required for all published authors.

Text in this guidance is adapted from prior ACM COMPASS conferences, ACM FAccT 2024, and ACM DIS 2024.

 

Important update on ACMs new open access publishing model for 2026 ACM Conferences!

Starting January 1, 2026, ACM will fully transition to Open Access. All ACM publications, including those from ACM-sponsored conferences, will be 100% Open Access. Authors will have two primary options for publishing Open Access articles with ACM: the ACM Open institutional model or by paying Article Processing Charges (APCs). With over 2,600 institutions already part of ACM Open, the majority of ACM-sponsored conference papers will not require APCs from authors or conferences (currently, around 76%).

Authors from institutions not participating in ACM Open will need to pay an APC to publish their papers, unless they qualify for a financial waiver. To find out whether an APC applies to your article, please consult the list of participating institutions in ACM Open and review the https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/policy-on-discretionary-open-access-apc-waivers. Keep in mind that waivers are rare and are granted based on specific criteria set by ACM.

Understanding that this change could present financial challenges, ACM has approved a temporary subsidy for 2026 to ease the transition and allow more time for institutions to join ACM Open. The subsidy will offer:

  • $250 APC for ACM/SIG members
  • $350 for non-members

This represents a 65% discount, funded directly by ACM. Authors are encouraged to help advocate for their institutions to join ACM Open during this transition period.

This temporary subsidized pricing will apply to all conferences scheduled for 2026.