Call for Chapters: Beyond the Empathy Machine: Critical Perspectives on Virtual RealityA book edited by the “VR as Empathy Machine: Media, Migration and the Humanitarian Predicament” Research Group at Utrecht Universityhttps://vrmigration.sites.uu.nl/2025/12/18/call-for-papers-beyond-the-empathy-machine-critical-perspectives-on-virtual-reality/ Editors: Professor Sandra Ponzanesi (s.ponzanesi@uu.nl), Dr. Jenny Andrine Madsen Evang (j.a.m.evang@uu.nl), Dr. Wouter Oomen (w.a.oomen@uu.nl), Laurence Herfs (l.l.herfs@uu.nl), and Lisa Burghardt (l.burghardt@uu.nl) Deadline for submissions of abstracts: February 15, 2026 Over the last decade or so, Virtual Reality (VR) has been honed as a new frontier in social tech. From Chris Milk and Gabo Arora’s invocation of VR as “the ultimate empathy machine” to the claims of VR as…

Call for Papers: The 14th International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems (BCSS 2026)In conjunction with the 21st International Conference on Persuasive Technology (PERSUASIVE 2026)March 10, 2026Hakodate, JapanBCCS 2026: https://bcssworkshop.wordpress.com/PERSUASIVE 2026: https://2026.persuasivetech.org/ Deadline for submissions: January 15, 2026 The 14th International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems – BCSS 2026 – will be held in conjunction with the 21st International Conference on Persuasive Technology in Hakodate, Japan. IMPORTANT DATES Submission deadline: January 15, 2026Notification to authors: February 5, 2026Final version deadline: February 20, 2026Event: March 10, 2026 DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT The Behavior Change Support Systems workshop, BCSS, organized in…

Call for Papers: New Challenges of Interactivity in Narrative CreationSpecial issue of Aniki: Portuguese Journal of the Moving Imagehttps://aim.org.pt/ojs/index.php/revista/announcement/view/79 Deadline for submissions: February 15, 2026 Narrative as a form of communication is one of the most important modes of human cognitive perception and understanding. In recent years, emerging media have significantly shaped that process, leading to new developments, opportunities, and challenges for the narrative form and its creation. In history, with each new media technology innovation—from the invention of writing to the printing press, and from the mass distribution of video to digital games—the relationship between narrative form and its…

Call for Abstracts: Fourth International Digital Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference (DMHW 2026)June 17-19, 2026University of Glasgow (United Kingdom)https://dmhw.net/ Deadline for submissions: March 30, 2026 DMHW is the venue for all actors interested in technologies revolving around mental health, from patients to clinicians, from entrepreneurs to researchers. Glasgow will host the fourth edition of the event, following those of Belfast 2023, Derry 2024 and Granada 2025. The event is hosted by the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Socially Intelligent Artificial Agents. — Mental ill health is prevalent, and citizens need more support to prevent mental ill health as well…

Call for Papers: CEEGS (Central and Eastern European Game Studies) Conference 2026Digital Earths | Material Realities: Sustainability of/in Video GamesNovember 20-22, 2026Warszawa, Polandhttps://ceegs.fsv.cuni.cz/ceegs-2026/ Deadline for submission of abstracts: February 14, 2026Deadline for submission of workshop proposals: May 30, 2026 ABOUT THE CONFERENCE CEEGS, the Central and Eastern European Games Studies Conference, is the annual conference of the DiGRA Central and Eastern Europe chapter dedicated to exploring various aspects of games, including digital, analog, and hybrid formats, as well as the cultural and social contexts in which they exist. CEEGS aims to promote and advance game research, particularly in Central and…

Call for Papers: Mediatization Conference 7, 2026Mediatization and Artificial Intelligence: Values, Principles, and Practices of AI-zation?March 19-20, 2026Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland, and onlineOrganizers: Institute of Social Communication and Media Science and Polish Communication Association, Mediatization Sectionhttps://www.umcs.pl/en/ms-cfp.htm/ Deadline for submission of abstracts: January 20, 2026 When observing the constant deepening of the mediatization process, one can ask what comes after mediatization? Is this term still relevant or should we look for an alternative, such as ‘AI-zation’, to describe and explain the transformations driven by Large Language Models witnessed by people in different fields and sectors of their private and…

Call for Papers: Communicating (with) Non-Humans. Animals and Machines as InterlocutorsJune 11-12, 2026European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), Germanyhttps://www.kuwi.europa-uni.de/de/professuren-mitarbeitende/sprachpraktiken-medienkulturen/communicating-nonhumans/index.htmlPDF: https://discourseanalysis.net/sites/default/files/2025-11/CfP_CommunicatingWithNonHumans.pdf Deadline for submissions: January 31, 2026 From voice assistants and generative AI to the evolving relationships between humans and their animal companions, language-based communication with non-humans is becoming an increasingly common feature of the everyday. In response, we are seeing a surge in research from linguistics to philosophy to the social sciences, investigating the meanings, quandaries, and realities of this new communicative terrain. This conference aims to build a bridge between the predominantly distinct fields of human–animal and human–machine communication in…

Call for Papers: The Cinematography of Today Conference LisbonJune 24–26, 2026Universidade LusófonaLisbon, Portugalhttps://cinematographyinprogress.com/index.php/cito/announcement/view/32 Deadline for submission of abstracts: March 24, 2026 The Cinematography of Today conference invites scholars, educators, researchers, and practitioners to explore the evolving art, craft, and theory of cinematography. This three-day event seeks to foster dialogue between academic research and professional practice, addressing the aesthetic, technical, educational, and ethical dimensions that shape contemporary image-making. As digital and analog practices, immersive technologies, and artificial intelligence redefine the cinematographic landscape, this conference offers a space for reflection, experimentation, and exchange among cinematographers, educators, students, and researchers from around the…

Call for Participation: Meaningful XR 2026 (MXR26)May 30-31, 2026University of OregonPortland, Oregon [and online]https://www.meaningfulxr.org/ Deadline for submissions: February 28, 2026 We are excited to invite you to Meaningful XR 2026 (meaningfulxr.org), a conference dedicated to exploring the transformative potential of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR)—collectively known as “XR.” Meaningful XR 2026 is a dynamic gathering of researchers, educators, industry professionals, and students passionate about XR technologies and their meaningful applications. Join us on May 30–31, 2026, at the University of Oregon’s Portland Campus or participate virtually through our hybrid option.…

Call for Participation: XR Social Accessibility in Practice: Lessons from Meta Horizon WorldsAn A11yNYC – Accessibility New York City MeetupJanuary 12, 2026 at 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM EST72 Spring St, New York, NY and on YouTubehttps://www.meetup.com/a11ynyc/events/312254520/ OVERVIEW You gain practical XR accessibility insights for Horizon Worlds and Quest with an online discussion—ideal for designers, devs, and accessibility advocates. DESCRIPTION This presentation provides a snapshot of XR social accessibility at the beginning of 2026, examining where the industry currently stands through Meta Horizon Worlds and the Quest ecosystem. We explore three interconnected layers: Quest headset accessibility (screen reader, text-to-speech, color…

Call for Papers:Playing Futures 2026May 20-22, 2026IT University of Copenhagen, Denmarkhttps://playingfutures.today/call-for-papers/ Deadline for submissions: February 16, 2026 Submit your work: https://easyabs.linguistlist.org/conference/PF2026/ The first Playing Futures conference invites proposals of academic abstracts and of interactive works that focus on issues related, but not limited to, any of the following topics, from the perspective of climate and energy futures: Representations of climate and energy futures in videogames and board games, such as ecogames, dystopian/utopian games, or solarpunk games. Representations of climate and energy futures in role-playing games and LARPs. Game communities and their climate actions, awareness, or responsibilities. Playable simulations of energy…

Call for Papers: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Uncertainty Management in Human-Machine InteractionSpecial Session 17 atIPMU 2026, the 21st International Conference on Information Processing and Management of Uncertainty in Knowledge-Based SystemsJune 15-19, 2026Rome, Italyhttps://www.sbai.uniroma1.it/conferenze/ipmu2026/special_sessions.phphttps://www.sbai.uniroma1.it/conferenze/ipmu2026/index.php Organizers: Madalina Croitoru, University of Montpellier, France (madalina.croitoru@lirmm.fr) Ganesh Gowrishankar, LIRMM, CNRS, Montpellier, France (ganesh.gowrishankar@lirmm.fr) Deadline for submissions: January 12, 2026 Format: 14 pages Springer LNCS (see https://www.sbai.uniroma1.it/conferenze/ipmu2026/submission-instructions.php) SCOPE AND TOPICS: Recent advances in robotics and autonomous systems have brought machines increasingly close to human environments, requiring them to act, decide, and communicate under multiple layers of uncertainty. While traditional research in uncertainty management has focused on data,…