!!! DEADLINE APPROACHING !!! ICMI 2026 CALL FOR SPECIAL SESSIONS ============================================ 5-9 October 2026, Napoli - Italy https://icmi.acm.org/2026/ ============================================ The ICMI 2026 organizing committee invites proposals for Special Sessions to be held during the 28th International Conference on Multimodal Interaction (ICMI 2026) in Naples, Italy. ICMI is the premier international forum that brings together multimodal artificial intelligence (AI) and social interaction research. Multimodal AI encompasses technical challenges in machine learning and computational modeling, such as representations, fusion, data, and systems. * Important Dates Special Session Proposal Submission Deadline February 18th, 2026 Notification of Acceptance February 27th, 2026 * Special Session Proposals Special sessions provide an opportunity to explore emerging topics within multimodal interaction and are a key part of this year’s conference program. We are seeking proposals that will enhance the conference’s diversity and offer valuable insights into the conference theme of “Context and Cultural Awareness for Multimodal Interaction”. Prospective special session organizers are invited to submit proposals via icmi2026-specialsessions-chairs(a)acm.org. Special Session Proposals should include the following information: - Title: A title that shows the relevance of the session for the ICMI community and the novelty of the chosen topic. - Aims and scope: Explain why the chosen topic is novel and relevant, with the potential to contribute to the growth of the ICMI community and/or is aligned with this year’s conference theme. - Tentative speakers: A list of prospective contributing authors with tentative titles for their contributions. Special Sessions are normally expected to have 4 to 6 papers. While there is some flexibility for invited keynote and industry talks, the majority of the special session should consist of peer-reviewed papers. - Organizers and bios: A short bio of the session organizers including their experience in the topic of the Special Session. The primary criteria in evaluating the special session will include the relevance of the topic, the quality and track record of the proposers and speakers, diversity, the coherence of the proposal, and the expected value it will bring to the conference. We prioritize proposals that meet these criteria and welcome submissions from underrepresented communities. The organizers of accepted special sessions will actively participate in the high-quality peer review process for submitted papers, following ICMI standards for the main track papers. They will serve as Area Chairs (ACs) for their proposed sessions, being responsible for tasks such as assigning reviewers and facilitating discussion phases. Papers submitted to an accepted Special Session will follow the same review process as the main conference track papers, including the same submission system (PCS), formatting guidelines (short or long papers), notification dates, and a rigorous peer review process. For any questions and further information about the Special Sessions, please email icmi2026-specialsessions-chairs(a)acm.org or check https://icmi.acm.org/2026/special-sessions/.