CHI 2026 is shaking things up. One of the most noticeable changes is in the Posters track, which has evolved into a much broader and more inclusive venue. If you’ve ever had a great idea that didn’t quite fit a full paper, this is where it belongs.
What’s New?
In previous years, formats like alt.chi, case studies, and late-breaking work each had their own separate tracks. For CHI 2026, the Posters track will welcome any of these previous categories and more. That means Posters will now welcome:
- Provocations that challenge assumptions in HCI (think: “Will AI take over our jobs?”)
- Paper that presents systems or toolkits (e.g., an open-source library that researchers can build on)
- Focused case studies (e.g., what you learned rolling out a new VR app in a school)
- Paper that presents a prototype that deserves visibility and feedback
- Short but comprehensive studies (quantitative or qualitative) that tell a concise story
Note that we expect Posters to be nascent work, so they do not need to be as complete as full papers (in fact, resubmission of full papers as Poster papers is discouraged).
The Poster track is the home for bold, creative, and emerging HCI ideas that don’t neatly fit the full paper format. That is why the posters’ paper submissions are up to 6 pages (excluding reference) in a single column in the ACM Master Article Submission Templates format.
This change emphasizes the method of presentation, encouraging submissions that are well-suited for a poster presentation at the conference. This will be directly assessed as part of the review process.
We also believe that the Posters track will offer dedicated time for in-depth discussions, direct interaction with the community, and focused attention on the work itself.
Why Submit a Poster? What should I submit as a poster?
One concern we’ve heard is: “If I submit a Poster, will I lose the chance to publish a full paper later?” and “What kind of work should I submit to the Poster track (e.g., fully finished work or nascent work)?”
The answer is: the accepted CHI 2026 Poster papers (6-page article, but not the poster itself) will appear in the ACM Digital Library as Extended Abstracts in the CHI 2026 Conference Companion Proceedings, but they are considered as “ACM non-archival”. You are free to expand and resubmit the work as a full archival paper at CHI (or elsewhere) in the future. This policy is the same as the workshops, late-breaking works, work-in-progress, and extended abstracts in previous CHI conferences and in other SIGCHI sponsored conferences.
Example: You ran a pilot study using an AI-powered journaling app to improve users’ lives. You’d love to share your findings and get feedback. Submit it as a Poster paper submission in CHI 2026. Then, if you scale the study later, you can write it up and submit it as a Full Paper in CHI 2027 or other venues.
We really want to emphasise the nascent nature of work within this track. The Poster track is for work that sparks discussion and debate, with the benefit being that the authors get feedback and reactions to their ideas. This makes Posters a perfect venue if you want: (a) early visibility and feedback from the CHI community; (b) to test out a provocative or unusual idea; and (c) to showcase something novel but not yet ready as a full paper.
How Posters Are Reviewed
Posters will go through the ACM Reviewed process (mutually anonymous review) with light but constructive feedback. Reviewers will assess:
- Whether the submission will contribute to conversations and debate within the conference
- The submission’s significance, originality and benefit for the community
- Validity of methods and clarity of the paper
- Whether the submission is suitable for presentation in poster format
At the Conference
Each poster will be presented only once in one of the dedicated poster presentation sessions.This means that your poster receives focused attention at its designated time, rather than competing with dozens of others, and attendees know exactly when to come see your work, allowing them to plan to engage with you directly.
Upon acceptance of a Poster paper submission, author(s) will be given instructions on camera ready and presentation guidelines.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We are looking for volunteers to help as ACs for the Poster Track. As an AC you will not only be helping with the review process by finding reviewers for submissions but you will also be helping build this new track for future CHI conferences. Sign up here!
Benjamin Cowan, Juliana Jansen Ferreira, Dakuo Wang, Marios Constantinides, Marta E. Cecchinato, Rachel McDonnell
Poster Chairs of CHI 2026