In 2026, we will continue to highlight the role of critique and critical approaches through the conference track labeled ‘critiques’. We want to maintain a forum for insightful and exploratory perspectives that challenge the status quo of our field. We also want to challenge traditional academic formats, both in terms of publication format as well as presentation format. We encourage you to try alternative approaches in your submissions and presentations !
The Critiques track will continue to spark thought-provoking discussions across subject areas, research traditions, and generations. Submissions will be assessed based on their ability to critically examine a topic, inspire, and/or spark debate and reflection.
The two potential submission formats combine traditional approaches with experimental ways of sharing:
- Critical writings outside the scope of regular papers
- Critical visualizations outside the scope of regular presentation formats
We encourage submissions that are provocative, assertive, or speculative, and that are creative in their expression.
We invite submissions in alternative formats that do not easily fit into any of the standard formats. We also welcome submissions from people working in different research traditions and creative practices and at different stages of their careers. It is our hope that the accepted program will reflect a broad range of the many novel research areas that have been emerging internationally in recent years within, e.g., HCI, STS, software studies, digital aesthetics, critical design, computer science, film, theatre, craft, and fabrication. We believe that this will contribute to a constructive mix of concord and friction at the conference, which will contribute to the further growth of our research community.
We want to encourage innovative and alternative proposals for opportunities to show, discuss, and present research; please contact the critiques chairs with questions about unconventional ideas you might have.
Submission Instructions and Schedule
Submissions should use the ACM master article template in single-column format. Templates and instructions for submission are found in: ACM single-column template.
The critique track is open for two open-ended types of submissions:
- Critical writings – writings must be no longer than 8000 words (excluding references).
- Critical visualizations – submissions must include a written abstract that describes the type of visualization you propose. Abstracts must be no longer than 500 words.
What is critical writing?
Critical writing builds on the literary tradition of critiques. In this way of writing, the writer attempts to learn about and advance thoughts on a topic through analysis, exploration, and theoretical reflection. This form of writing is visionary and speculative, rather than evidence-based, and it allows for informed and critically argued value judgments.
For your inspiration, here are three critical writing papers published earlier at NordiCHI:
- UDREDNING: an Extended Reality Artwork for Affectively Engaging with Diagnosing Processes – Authors: Jonas Fritsch, Christopher Gad A
- Forgotten Again: Addressing Accessibility Challenges of Generative AI Tools for People with Disabilities – Authors:Bedour Alshaigy, Virginia Grande
- UI for When it is No Longer U and I: An Online Divorce Form Rethought with Rites of Passage Theory – Authors: Anine Hansen, Lone Koefoed Hansen.
Here is a link to a paper published at Decennial Aarhus conference 2025: Utopian epistles: computing [codesign] crises. – Author: Pelle Ehn.
Requirements for critical writings
The category ‘critical writings’ is used for alternative essays, speculations, and provocations.
Critical writings must be no longer than 8000 words. They must be submitted as a PDF, using the ACM single-column template.
Authors are welcome to include supplemental material such as images and video (maximum length: 5 minutes). Supplemental material can be included by linking to it on a website/online platform or uploading it in the field for supplemental material. All uploaded content (PDF(s) + any images, videos, and other material) must be less than 100 MB in total.
What is a critical visualization?
A critical visualization may be a piece of digital or analog artwork, a play or interactive event, or digital speculation, to name a few examples. Possibilities are not limited to this list and we welcome unexpected visualizations. A critical visualization achieves the same things as critical writing, i.e. provoking reflection and exploring possibilities through critical speculation/intervention, but does so through other means than writing, such as critical making, or by combining writing with a particular medium of expression. Examples for the form of visualizations could be: a) Artwork e.g., software, video games, audio-visual art; b) Dialogues and round-table discussion formats; c) Live performances; d) Manifestations, Etc.
For an earlier example of visualization you could explore the paper:
Zine for Feminist Design of Reproductive Technologies – Authors: Nadia Campo Woytuk, Joo Young Park, Lara Reime, Marie Louise Juul Søndergaard, Deepika Yadav, Vasiliki Tsaknaki, Sarah Homewood, Mafalda Gamboa.
Requirements for critical visualizations
The category ‘critical visualizations’ is used to propose alternative visualization formats, like theatre, role-playing, and other live experiences. Regular prototypes and demos should be submitted as Demos but can be ticked with Critiques if it suits the theme. The submission must include a written abstract that describes the idea. The idea of the contribution must be clearly documented/demonstrated through images and/or video. The author(s) can either link to the video on a website/online platform or upload it as part of the submission. Abstracts must be no longer than 500 words. Abstracts must be submitted as a PDF, using the ACM single-column template.
What if I don’t want to use the ACM single-column format for my submission?
Should authors wish to submit using an alternative format, we ask that they use the visualization category. This will require the submission of an abstract that follows the ACM single-column template but will allow the main submission (whether containing visuals or purely text) to be in an alternative format.
Important Dates (Anywhere on Earth)
- Submission: 23th April 2026
- Author notification: 30th June 2026
- Camera-ready deadline: 7th August 2026
Review process
The submissions will undergo peer review by external reviewers, whose reviews will be used by the Critiques chairs and relevant other chairs (e.g. Paper chairs and Demo chairs) to make the final decision. Submissions will primarily be assessed on their ability to critically examine a topic, inspire, and/or spark debate and reflection.
Chairs
Marta Larusdottir, Reykjavik University, marta@ru.is
Johanna Ylipulli, University of Vaasa, johanna.ylipulli@uwasa.fi
Maria Normark, Uppsala University, maria.normark@im.uu.se