Demos
The SportsHCI 2026 Demo track provides a venue for researchers and practitioners to bring hands-on experiences to conference attendees. We are excited to see demonstrations spanning a wide range of topics, including:
-
Functional prototypes of sports-related devices and systems
-
Smart mobile and wearable sports applications and services
-
New types of (e)sports and exertion games
-
Novel tools for measuring sports performance and experience
-
Innovative examples of athlete, coach, and audience experiences
-
Accessibility in sports
We welcome demonstrations and interactive prototypes from students, researchers, and designers in all stages of their careers. We particularly encourage undergraduate and graduate students, as well as authors of accepted papers (details in the submission section), to contribute their demos. An engaging and innovative demonstration presents an opportunity to showcase your research and connect with fellow researchers to explore and discuss your work.
Please note that demonstrations must be about research, not existing business—the demo forum is not an opportunity for marketing or sales presentations. Business-related visibility is only available for sponsors.
SportsHCI 2026 will be an in-person event only, with a dedicated interactive demo session (accessible via a main conference registration or “demo only” ticket). We encourage demos that invite attendees to interact directly with systems that spark conversation among participants. With this in mind, all submissions must outline how they intend to present their demo.
Important Dates
All times are in Anywhere on Earth (AoE) time zone. A deadline of day D means submissions are accepted until the end of the day, AoE. Navigate to the time.is website if you're not sure.
-
Submission system will open soon (tba)
-
Submission deadline (description paper, presentation plan, video and still image): July 1, 2026 (AoE)
-
Notification of acceptance: July 22, 2026 (AoE)
-
Camera ready deadlines (paper and video): August 5, 2026 (AoE)
-
TAPS: August 26, 2026 (AoE)
Submission Platform
Please submit your papers on PCS by the submission deadline. All information can be edited up to the submission deadline. After the submission deadline, no changes will be allowed to the author list and order. Please review the ACM Policy on Authorship for more information.
Submission Format
All papers must be written in English. Papers should be formatted in accordance with the single-column ACM SIGCHI format. Online guidance is available: Submitting Articles to ACM Journals. Templates are available for the following platforms:
-
One-column LaTeX Submission Template (Use sample-manuscript.tex for submissions, and use \documentclass[manuscript,review]{acmart}
-
Also available on Overleaf (Latex) (or search for ACM Conference Proceedings Primary Article)
All materials must be submitted electronically on PCS by the submission deadline.
Preparing the Submission
The submission should include:
-
Paper: A maximum of six pages in SIGCHI ACM single-column format (including figures, excluding references). The submission should be self-contained and clearly describe the novelty and distinguishing ideas of your project, even for readers who are not able to view the related demonstration at the conference. It should include:
-
An abstract summarizing your work within 150 words.
-
A description of the system, installation, or exhibition and the problem it addresses. Where relevant, discuss the broader context and questions that your work promotes reflection upon.
-
A description of the relevance of the work to the SportsHCI community, emphasizing its novelty, uniqueness, and rationale. If the system has been demonstrated before, describe any changes to the proposed demo in the “comments for the committee” text field in PCS.
-
-
Presentation plan: A maximum of one page in ACM single-column format, outlining how you intend to present your work. It should include:
-
A description of your setup and what attendees will experience (for instance, a third-person or first-person perspective, or a combination of views for AR/VR displays).
-
Your demo presentation approach, including any special equipment, space, or setup required (for instance, how you will engage with your audience).
-
A brief safety statement addressing whether there are any hazards for participants interacting with your demo, and how you will ensure no one is hurt by your system
-
-
Video: A concise video (3 minutes maximum) showcasing your demo. The duration should match the complexity of what you are presenting.
-
Image: A still image (at least 1500 x 1200 px) with an accompanying image description, for use in publications and conference publicity.
Anonymity
Submissions are not anonymous and should include all author names, affiliations, and contact information.
All submission metadata, including required fields in PCS like author names, affiliations, and order, must be complete and correct by the submission deadline.
Policy on Use of Large Language Models
Text generated from a large-scale language model (LLM), such as ChatGPT, must be clearly marked (for instance in the Acknowledgements section) where such tools are used for purposes beyond editing the author’s own text. Please carefully review the ACM Policy on Authorship before you use these tools. All papers will be subject to an inspection using a research integrity check tool (which includes a detection of LLM-generated text).
Submission of a demo for Authors of Accepted Papers
Accepted papers that include an interactive experience are granted a place in the demo session by default, and we strongly encourage all authors of papers with an interactive component to take up this opportunity to showcase their work and engage with attendees.
For accepted full paper authors, the demo submission process is streamlined:
-
Check the demo box on PCS for your accepted paper.
-
The demo chairs will follow up to request your presentation plan, demo video, and paper submission number.
Authors who wish to have an additional extended abstract published may also submit a description of up to six pages in extended abstract format. This will be reviewed by the chairs to assess its suitability for the demo format, and may be used to expand on artifact or contribution details not covered in the original paper. With this in mind, authors should take care to avoid self-plagiarism.
Inclusivity
Authors should ensure their demo and writing are as inclusive as possible; where this is not possible, it should be acknowledged. For example, authors should use gender-inclusive language when developing their papers (see gender-inclusive language guidelines) and consider what communities their work is — and is not —supporting, as well as their geographical context.
Review Process
Demos will follow a juried process organized by the Demo track chairs, and be assessed based on their relevance to the conference, originality of the system demonstrated, and suitability for a demo format.
Authors will not receive formal feedback on their submissions other than the selection decision, unless changes must be made to the submission. Confidentiality of submissions will be maintained during the selection process. All rejected submissions will be kept confidential in perpetuity.
The selection process will consider the associated presentation plan. Upon acceptance, possible changes to the plan may be requested to make the presentations of the demos feasible at the conference (e.g. to fit the capacity or the technical requirements of the demo space).
Publication
Accepted submissions will be included in the ACM Digital Library as part of the SportsHCI 2026 Adjunct Proceedings. Further instructions will be sent to the authors upon acceptance.
IMPORTANT: While Demo Papers will be Open Access, they are not APC-eligible (see Article Types Eligible for Open Access) and a fee has to be payed indicated by the Open Access fee structure.
Presentation Format
At least one author of a demo must register by the early registration deadline. All demos must be presented in-person at the conference venue.
Accepted demos must additionally submit a 30-second teaser video, which will be incorporated into a demo reel available to conference attendees. Please refer to the accessibility guidelines for video submissions for more information on how to prepare your video.
The demos track is planned to occur as follows:
-
The demo session will be held at a dedicated timeslot during the conference. Demos will be assigned a booth space (location, size, network, and other constraints will be announced at a later stage).
-
Short videos (30 seconds) of each demo will serve as a teaser for attendees. We will loop these videos on a screen in a central place with the locations of each demo booth shown.
-
The 3-minute video submission will be made available to participants to provide a reflection of the experience of participating in the demo after the demo session.
Any of your questions have not been answered yet? Please, contact our Demos Chairs Marie Muehlhaus and Tommy Dylan at demos2026@sportshci.com