Call for Competitions

Competition track

The SaTML 2026 conference will feature a competition track. We invite proposals for competitions on topics that advance trustworthy and secure machine learning. The results of these competitions will be presented and discussed by participants and organizers at the conference. Further details on the organization will be released in the following months.

We seek proposals with a clear scientific question in areas where machine learning can advance scientific, technological, or business domains. We especially encourage submissions that demonstrate a positive societal impact, particularly those using AI to support disadvantaged communities.

Our focus is on data science competitions where participants will compete to achieve the highest score on a relevant machine learning task. These tasks will be based on well-defined problems and corresponding data sets provided by the competition organizers.

Proposal submission

Proposals for competitions at SaTML must be submitted via email to pcchairs@satml.org. They should be concise, with a maximum length of three pages, to ensure a swift and efficient review process.

Reviewing and selection process

Proposals will be evaluated based on factors such as:

• Task(s): Impact, originality, and relevance to the SaTML community will all be considered. Tasks that will foster positive societal impact are highly encouraged, although other topics relevant to the SaTML community are also welcomed.

• Evaluation Protocol: Feasibility of the task chosen, sufficient data for training and testing algorithms to solve the proposed task, soundness of the evaluation criteria, and clarity and fairness of the competition rules will all be evaluated.

• Logistics: The competition schedule, plan for attracting competition participants, and experience and diversity of the organizers will all be considered. The specific plan for attracting competition participants, including groups under-represented at SaTML, will be important during the review process.

Important dates

The competition track includes the following dates:

• Competition proposal deadline: August 6, 2025
• Acceptance notification: August 27, 2025
• Competition track (during the conference): March 23-25, 2026

Competition organizers should propose a timeline for running the competition to ensure participants have enough time to contribute high-quality entries. It is recommended that competitions be completed by late February 2026 (one month prior to the SaTML conference) at the absolute latest.

Contact and help

Competition organizers who require help or suggestions regarding competition platforms for running the competition can contact pcchairs@satml.org for advice. This call for competitions is adapted from the NeurIPS competition track.