Call for Submissions:

ACM Creativity and Cognition 2026 conference
Theme: “Creativity for Change”
July 13-16, 2026
London, UK
https://cc.acm.org/2026/

Deadline for submission of abstracts for papers, pictorials, and artworks: January 29, 2026 (more deadlines below)

We are pleased to invite submissions for papers to the ACM Creativity and Cognition 2026 conference, which will be held in London (UK) 13-16 July 2026. We encourage submissions that contribute with knowledge on various forms of creativity with topics ranging from designing or evaluating creativity-support environments and technologies to studying or reflecting on the experiences, practices, and cognitive processes in art, craft and design.

This year’s theme, “Creativity for Change,” responds to the rapid pace of change in our world and emphasizes the power of creativity in driving positive transformations.

Our conference will explore how creativity can inspire and enable sustainable approaches for societal transformation, addressing decolonization, tackle climate action, preservation of cultural heritage and support place-making and peace-making in urban and cultural contexts.

We aim to weave the theme of making a better world through creativity throughout the conference program.

We invite submissions across a range of categories that examine how interactive systems, design, and creative processes can foster positive change and respond to global challenges. Creativity will be the lens through which we view societal issues, showcasing how creative approaches can open up new possibilities.

Creativity and Cognition 2026 will be an in-person conference. Accepted submissions will be expected to have at least one author registered and present at the main part of the conference on July 14-16 July 2026.

Accepted full and short papers will be included in the Proceedings of the ACM Creativity and Cognition 2026 conference, and will be made available in the ACM Digital Library. Authors of accepted full papers from Creativity and Cognition 2025 also have the opportunity to join ACM Creativity and Cognition 2026 in London for poster or full presentations (for best papers).

Starting January 2026, ACM will fully transition to Open Access. All ACM publications, including those from ACM Creativity and Cognition 2026, will be 100% Open Access. See the conference website for more details.

IMPORTANT DATES

All deadlines are specified as Anywhere on Earth time (11:59 PM UTC-12)

Dates for PAPERS, PICTORIALS, AND ARTWORKS:
Abstract Submission Deadline: 29 January 2026
Final Submission Deadline: 5 February 2026
Notifications: 30 March 2026
Camera-Ready Deadline: 27 April 2026

Dates for WORKSHOPS AND TUTORIALS:
Submission Deadline: 19 February 2026
Notifications: 5 March 2026
Camera-Ready Deadline: 2 April 2026

Dates for POSTERS AND TECHNICAL DEMONSTRATIONS:
Submission Deadline: 16 April 2026
Notifications: 7 May 2026
Camera-Ready Deadline: 21 May 2026

Dates for GRADUATE STUDENT SYMPOSIUM AND UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH:
Submission Deadline: 19 February 2026
Notifications: 5 March 2026
Camera-Ready Deadline: 2 April 2026

Date of Conference:
13 to 16 July 2026. In-person, London (UK), Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.

CONFERENCE TOPICS

CREATIVITY AS A DRIVER OF POSITIVE CHANGE:

Keywords: #inclusion, #accessibility, #socialjustice, #climatechange, #criticaldesign, #archive

• Studies assessing creativity in diverse contexts such as work with underserved communities and cross-cultural contexts
• Innovative platforms and digital environments that support the preservation, curation, and access to cultural heritage in museums and archives, especially in response to societal challenges like decolonization and digital inclusion.
• Exploring and supporting creativity in the context of environmental, social and technical changes.

THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL REFLECTIONS ON CREATIVITY AND COGNITION AND IT’S POTENTIAL FOR TRANSFORMATION

Keywords: #co-creativity, #embodiedcognition, #spatialcognition, #somaesthetics, #materiality, #sensemaking

• New methodologies and theories for evaluating the impact of computing on creativity and cognition, or designing technologies for creative contexts, including first-person methods or longitudinal studies among others.
• Frameworks to structure the interconnectedness of the body, mind, and environment in creative ideation.
• Methods for capturing, representing, and analyzing creative processes and cognition.
• Studies of creativity applications applied to different domains such as learning, work, wellbeing, health, entertainment and Arts.

CREATIVITY AT THE INTERSECTION OF ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY

Keywords: #GenAI, #art, #music, #performance, #design, #robotics

• Investigating how sensory feedback systems, wearables, or generative AI can deepen engagement and enhance co-creativity among performers, machines, and audiences.
• Examining the role of generative AI in composing, performing, and personalizing dynamic compositions or workflows within music, performance, fine arts or design.
• Investigations into how smart and biomaterials are being used to expand creative repertoires or alter creative process.
• Examining the collaborative and creative processes between interdisciplinary teams or crowdwork.

CREATIVITY SUPPORT TOOLS

Keywords: #ideation, #sustainability, #AR/VR, #computationaldesign, #digitalfabrication

• Tools that enable creative approaches to sustainable computing and design.
• Investigations in AI-driven co-creativity including but not limited to ideation, iteration, and production.
• Tools that enhance creative environments like studios, makerspaces, digital platforms or support creativity within gaming, virtual and mixed reality environments.
• Creative systems and tools that cater to specific fields, workflows, and practitioners of all abilities.
• Creative systems and tools that facilitate the creation of virtual, physical, and hybrid artifacts and experiences, and offering new avenues for artistic expression and creativity support.

CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS

General Chairs:
Nick Bryan-Kinns (University of the Arts London)
Salvatore Andolina (Politecnico di Milano)

Technical Program Chair:
Janin Koch (Inria Lille)
Paper chairs:
Cesar Torres (University of Texas at Arlington)
Rebecca Fiebrink (University of the Arts London)

Pictorials Chairs:
Alwin de Rooij (Tilburg University)
Mafalda Gamboa (Chalmers University of Technology)
Andrew Webb (Louisiana State University)

Artworks Chairs:
Rocio Von Jungenfeld (University of Kent)
Joana Chicau (University of the Arts London)

Posters and Demos Chairs:
Corey Ford (University of the Arts London)
Jeba Rezwana (Towson University)
Workshops and Tutorials Chairs:
Tim Smith (University of the Arts London)
Diogo Cabral (University of Lisbon)

Graduate Student Symposium Chairs:
Steven Dow (UC San Diego)
Jane E (Stanford University)
Caterina Moruzzi (University of Edinburgh)

Undergraduate Research Track Chairs:
Ellen Do (University of Colorado)

Local Chair:
Matt Malpass (University of the Arts London)

Publications Chairs:
Zijian “Jason” Ding (University of Maryland)
Kexin Quan (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

Treasury Chair:
Sam Ferguson (UTS)

Steering Committee Liaison Chair:
Celine Latulipe (University of Manitoba)

Web Chairs:
Hao Wang (University of the Arts London)
Jei Fu (University of the Arts London)

Registration Chairs:
Ziwei Zhao (University of the Arts London)
Nik Martelaro (CMU)

Sponsorship Chairs:
Waitz Li (University of the Arts London)
Bea Wohl (University of the Arts London)

Publicity Chair:
Shuoyang Zheng (Queen Mary University of London)

Keynote Chair:
Hooman Samani (University of the Arts London)

Social Media Chair:
Rosa van Koningsbruggen (Bauhaus-Universität in Weimar)

Accessibility Chairs:
Anna Troisi (University of the Arts London)
Ceren Yuksel (University of the Arts London)

Student Volunteer Chairs:
Yinmiao Li (Northwestern University)
Giulia di Fede (Politecnico di Milano)

Steering Committee:
Andruid Kerne (Texas A&M University)
Brian Bailey (University of Illinois)
Celine Latulipe (University of Manitoba)
Ellen Yi-Luen Do (University of Colorado Boulder)
Ernest Edmonds (De Montfort University, Leicester)
Neil Maiden (City, University of London)
Nick Bryan-Kinns (University of the Arts London)
Sam Ferguson (University of Technology Sydney)
Steven Dow (University of California, San Diego)
Thecla Schiphorst (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver)
Yukari Nagai (Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)

More details on the conference website:
https://cc.acm.org/2026/