2026 Call for Nominations for SIGCHI Awards

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Thank you for your interest in nominating an individual for a SIGCHI award or special recognition. The deadline for all nominations is Saturday, December 13, 11:59pm, AoE.

The SIGCHI awards identify and honor leaders and shapers of the field of Human-Computer Interaction within SIGCHI. We present awards in six categories:  

  • SIGCHI Lifetime Research Award;
  • SIGCHI Lifetime Practice Award;
  • SIGCHI Lifetime Service Award;
  • SIGCHI Social Impact Award;
  • SIGCHI Outstanding Dissertation Award; and
  • Induction into the SIGCHI Academy.

You can find a detailed criteria for the different awards on the SIGCHI website. You can also read more about the nomination process, guidelines for putting together nominations, who reviews them, and our FAQ. 

Furthermore, this year we are soliciting nominations for the SIGCHI Special Recognitions initiative to celebrate and honor individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) in ways that may not be fully captured by our existing awards. This initiative seeks to acknowledge a diverse range of impactful efforts, from emerging talent to long-standing dedication, that have significantly advanced our field. Special recognitions can be for individuals or groups. Some possible special recognitions include the following, but this is NOT an exhaustive list:

  • Emerging Researcher Recognition: For students who have completed at least two years of graduate education, have shown passion, enthusiasm, and commitment to impactful HCI research, and demonstrated dedication to building community within SIGCHI, at any level
  • Excellence in HCI Education: For researchers and practitioners who have made outstanding contributions to HCI curricula or pedagogy that improve the quality and reach of HCI education 
  • Community Building and Outreach: For researchers and practitioners who have built strong and reciprocal relationships with communities and community-based organizations, through which they have amplified the social impact of their research and/or practice
  • Significant Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion in HCI: For researchers and practitioners who have shown strong leadership in advancing diversity and inclusion in the SIGCHI community, demonstrated by clear positive impacts on meaningful participation in the field 
  • Impactful Industry-Academia Collaboration: For researchers and practitioners who have forged strong collaborations between industry and academic organizations towards more impactful, creative, and sustainable HCI research and/or practice  
  • Lifetime Achievement in HCI Mentorship: For researchers and practitioners who have dedicated significant time, knowledge, and energy to consistent and quality mentorship of early career members of the HCI community, whether through direct relationships or infrastructures that support mentorship
  • Breakthrough in HCI Theory: For researchers and practitioners who have made outstanding, impactful, and lasting theoretical contributions in HCI research 
  • Etc.

Note that no SIGCHI award or special recognition is self-nominated. Nominators provide a suggested citation (50 words) for all nominations.

For all awards and special recognitions EXCEPT Outstanding Dissertation, the following information is required: 

  • Name and contact information of the nominator; 
  • Brief summary (1,000 words max.) of how the nominee meets the criteria for the award;
  • Names and contact information of two people who are knowledgeable about the qualifications of the nominee, and agree that the nominee deserves the award. These endorsers do not write a separate endorsement letter. The nominator confirms with the endorsers that they endorse the nominee.

If you are submitting a nomination for the Outstanding Dissertation Award, the following information is required:

  • The full Ph.D. dissertation (in English);
  • A list of publications for the dissertation;
  • A letter from the advisor (or advisors if co-advised); and
  • A letter of support from a third person with knowledge of the work.

Eligible dissertations must have been successfully completed between September 1, 2024 and August 31, 2025.

  • Note! Each department may only submit one nomination for the Outstanding Dissertation Award (this restriction was temporarily removed for the 2024 cycle; it has been reinstated). 
We use Submittable to accept and review our submissions.
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