Dear SIGCHI Italy community,
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.
Conference website:
https://cc.acm.org/2026/
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 its 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, designing, 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) and Salvatore Andolina
(Politecnico di Milano)
Technical Program chair: Janin Koch (Inria Lille)
Paper chairs: Cesar Torres (University of Texas at Arlington) and Rebecca Fiebrink
(University of the Arts London)
Pictorials Chairs: Alwin de Rooij (Tilburg University and Avans University of Applied
Sciences), Mafalda Gamboa (Chalmers University of Technology), and 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) and Jeba Rezwana
(Towson University)
Workshops and Tutorials Chairs: Tim Smith (University of the Arts London) and Diogo Cabral
(University of Lisbon)
Graduate Student Symposium Chairs: Steven Dow (UC San Diego), Jane E (National University
of Singapore) and Caterina Moruzzi (University of Edinburgh)
Undergraduate Research Track Chairs: Ellen Do (University of Colorado)
Accessibility Chairs: Anna Troisi (University of the Arts London) and Ceren Yuksel
(University of the Arts London)
Local Chair: Matt Malpass (University of the Arts London)
Publications Chairs: Zijian “Jason” Ding (University of Maryland) and Kexin Quan
(University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Treasury Chair: Sam Ferguson (University of Technology Sydney)
Steering Committee Liaison Chair: Celine Latulipe (University of Manitoba)
Web Chairs: Hao Wang (University of the Arts London) and Jei Fu (University of the Arts
London)
Registration Chairs: Ziwei Zhao (University of the Arts London) and Nik Martelaro (CMU)
Sponsorship Chairs: Waitz Li (University of the Arts London) and Bea Wohl (University of
the Arts London)
Publicity Chair: Shuoyang Zheng (Queen Mary University of London) and Emilia Rosselli Del
Turco (University of California San Diego)
Social Media Chair: Rosa van Koningsbruggen (Bauhaus-Universität in Weimar)
Student Volunteer Chairs: Yinmiao Li (Northwestern University) and Giulia di Fede
(Politecnico di Milano)
Keynote Chair: Hooman Samani (University of the Arts London)
More details on the conference website:
https://cc.acm.org/2026/
--
Salvatore Andolina
Associate Professor
Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria
Politecnico di Milano
Via Ponzio 34/5 - 20133 Milano, Italy
https://andolina.faculty.polimi.it/