FSE-AIWare Joint CompetitionAIware 2026

FSE-AIWare 2026 Competition Track

We are glad to announce the first edition of the competition track at FSE-AIWare 2026. Through this call, we solicit competition proposals on topics of interest to the FSE and AIWare community.

We especially encourage submissions with a clear scientific question and from fields with a positive societal impact, promoting causes that use SE and AI to help disadvantaged communities. Besides societal impact, we seek proposals in areas where SE and AI can positively influence other scientific, technological, or business domains. We hope that interesting competitions will attract a significant cross-section of interdisciplinary and diverse communities to our FSE-AIWare 2026 competition track.

Proposals should highlight an inclusiveness plan to promote diverse participation among both the organizing team and competitors. Separate recognition tiers to incentivize broad participation are encouraged, such as recognizing top submissions from high school students or other participant groups. Organizers are encouraged to collaborate with affinity groups to host on-site bootcamps and other initiatives aimed at promoting diversity of participation.

FSE 2026 together with AIWare 2026 will host a dedicated Competition Track, where results will be presented and discussed by participants and organizers. The Competition Track will be held in person on July 6th at FSE 2026.

Proposal Submission

Competition proposals must be submitted via HotCRP at:
https://fse-aiware-competition-26.hotcrp.com/

The competition proposals have a similar format to workshop proposals. They must be up to 4 pages in length and conform to the FSE Format and Submission Guidelines (without the double-blind restriction). Each proposal should contain the following information:

• Contact details of the organisers, including identification of the main contact.
• Abstract (max 200 words) of the goals and format of the competition, including theme, goals, topics, relevance, and timeliness, or any history of the competition.
• Competition format, including desired length (half or one day), forms of participation supported, and plans for generating and stimulating discussion.
• State whether the competition’s proceedings will appear in the ACM Digital Library. For inclusion, at least one author must register.
• Competition paper selection procedure, including types of papers allowed (demos, short, long), expected submission and notification dates, and proposed program committee members.
• A short description of the competition and a link to a detailed web page for the FSE 2026 website.
• Publicity plans, including expected number of participants and the solicitation and selection process. Indicate whether attendance will be open or closed.
• A brief biography of each organiser, including past experience and roles.
• Ideally, proposals should consist of an up to 2-page description (potentially included in proceedings) and an appendix (up to 2 pages) with additional material.
• To ensure effective use of room space, half-day events will be scheduled for competitions with fewer accepted papers, while larger competitions will be allocated additional time.

Reviewing and Selection Process

Each proposal will be reviewed by the track chairs. The evaluation factors include:

• Scientific relevance and Task(s): Well-motivated competitions with originality and relevance to the FSE and AIWare community. Positive societal impact is encouraged.
• Evaluation Protocol: Feasibility of the task, soundness of the evaluation plan, and clarity/fairness of competition rules.
• Logistics: Competition schedule, plan for attracting participants, and experience/diversity of organizers, including outreach to under-represented groups.

Important Dates (Anywhere on Earth)

• Competition proposals submission: Dec 5th, 2025
• Proposal notification: Dec 19th, 2025
• Accepted competition online (suggested): Jan 5th, 2026
• Competition papers submission (suggested): Feb 26th, 2026
• Camera-ready for accepted competition papers: Apr 2nd, 2026
• Competition date at FSE: Jul 6th, 2026

The camera-ready deadline is fixed for inclusion in the proceedings. Organizers should describe their intended timeline for submission and notification in the proposal. Competitions are recommended to be launched in January 2026 to ensure participants have enough time to submit high-quality entries.

Questions & Answers

Question: Is the entire competition happening during 1/2-1 day onsite? Or is it the discussion happening there with competition taking months before the conference?

Answer: It is not required to hold on-site live competition. Participant can submit their work (paper, code, etc.) before the competition, competition organizers can review and then invite participants for presentation during the conference.