Call for Competitions

Competition track

The SaTML 2027 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.

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.

Important dates

The competition track includes the following dates:

  • Competition proposal deadline: Fri, Aug 28, 2026
  • Acceptance notification: Fri, Sep 18, 2026
  • Competition completed: no later than Mar 31, 2027
  • Competition track (during the conference): Early May, 2027 (Exact Dates TBC)

Competition organizers should propose a timeline for running the competition to ensure participants have enough time to contribute high-quality entries.

Proposal submission

Submissions and all related communication with organizers will be handled through a dedicated HotCRP instance. Please submit your proposal by 11:59 PM AoE (UTC-12) on the day of the deadline.

  • Submission site: proposals.satml.org

  • Submission format: We ask that proposals be prepared as a PDF using the competition template file, with all of its sections filled in so we can get a complete picture of your proposal. The template covers the competition’s motivation and task, evaluation protocol, organization and logistics, and the organizing team and their experience. We encourage keeping submissions concise, with a maximum length of three pages, to allow for 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.

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.