The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is pleased to announce our sponsorship of the Blue Sky Ideas track at the 26th IEEE International Conference on Data Mining (ICDM 2026), taking place from November 12-15, 2026, in Shenyang, China. Submissions are open until July 1st, 2026. If you are interested in submitting a visionary paper that could shape the future of the data mining community, please see the details below.
Call for Papers: ACM International Conference on Multimodal Interaction
Track: Blue Sky Track (A.K.A. Vision Track)
Date: November 12-15, 2026
Location: Shenyang, China
Website: http://icdm2026.neu.edu.cn/main.htm
Aims and Scope
The Blue Sky Track invites the research community to present visionary propositions that could inspire impactful directions and compelling new research opportunities for the ICDM community within the foreseeable future. Unlike traditional research papers, these submissions should:
- Expose gaps in current data mining research
- Propose bold, forward-looking ideas that tackle fundamental challenges
- Introduce unprecedented algorithmic or methodological opportunities
- Question prevailing assumptions in the community
The goal is to stimulate innovation and foster new research trajectories that will result in paradigm changes and enable a “quantum leap” in knowledge.
What is a Blue Sky Paper?
A Blue Sky paper presents a bold vision with high potential to expand the current ICDM research agenda by defining new research topics and transformative problem areas. Authors are encouraged to look beyond existing methodologies and technologies to present “out-of-the-box” thoughts.
What is NOT a Blue Sky Paper?
- Work proposing slightly better solutions to well-studied problems.
- Papers dominated by a specific solution with limited discussion on broader future impact.
- Applications of existing techniques to a specific domain without significant novel challenges for the ICDM community.
Why Submit?
Shape the Future: Influence long-term research visions and trajectories in the data mining community.
High Visibility: Accepted papers will appear in the conference workshop proceedings.
Recognition: Best submissions will be considered for awards sponsored by the CCC.
Submission Guidelines
Length: Limited to 4 pages, excluding references.
Format: IEEE 2-column format (see IEEE Templates).
Review Process: Single-blind; submissions must include author names, affiliations, and email addresses.
Submission Link: Submit via CyberChair.
Originality: Papers must not have been published elsewhere or be under consideration at other venues.
Important Dates
Submission Deadline: July 1st, 2026 (AoE)
Notification Date: August 30, 2026
Camera-Ready Deadline: September 15, 2026
Conference Dates: November 12-15, 2026 (in-person presentation required)
Presentation and Awards
At least one author of each accepted paper must complete registration and present the paper in person to be included in the proceedings and program. Remote presentations are not permitted.
With generous support from the Computing Community Consortium (CCC), the best Blue Sky papers will receive awards in the form of travel grants:
- First Prize: $1,000
- Second Prize: $750
- Third Prize: $500
Questions?
For questions regarding submissions, please email the track co-chairs with the subject “ICDM 2026 BlueSky.”
BlueSky Track Co-Chairs:
Jipeng Qiang, Yangzhou University (jpqiang@yzu.edu.cn)
Mengke Li, Shenzhen University (mengkeli@szu.edu.cn)
