ICGJ 2026 RETURNS TO NEW YORK CITY: LEADING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GAME JAMS AND HACKATHONS ISSUES CALL FOR PAPERS

Interdisciplinary Conference to Convene at Pace University, August 21–22, 2026
Submission Deadline: May 29, 2026

After a one-year hiatus, the International Conference on Game Jams, Hackathons and Game Creation Events (ICGJ) today announced its return for 2026, issuing an official Call for Papers for the seventh annual gathering. The conference will take place August 21–22 at Pace University in New York City, marking the first time the event will be held in the global media capital.

ICGJ 2026 welcomes educators, researchers, professionals, and event organizers from across the interdisciplinary spectrum to share knowledge, findings, and experience surrounding the rapidly evolving phenomena of game jams and hackathons. As with previous editions, proceedings are expected to be published in the ACM Digital Library, pending approval.

A GROWING FIELD OF INQUIRY

With thousands of game jams and hackathons held annually—engaging hundreds of thousands of participants worldwide—the field has generated a wealth of data ripe for scholarly examination. The conference seeks to explore critical questions at the intersection of creativity, technology, and collaboration:

Who participates in these events, and why?

What kinds of games and prototypes emerge from intensive, time-limited creation?

How do these experiences shape participants’ subsequent creative and professional trajectories?

What methodologies best capture and analyze the dynamics of rapid collaborative production?

Organizers invite rigorous analysis that may yield unexpected findings of significant value to the scientific community and the growing ecosystem of game creation events.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

ICGJ 2026 accepts original submissions in three categories:

Full Papers (6–8 pages, excluding references): Ready for publication in conference proceedings. Submissions undergo double-blind peer review.

Short Papers and Posters (up to 4 pages, excluding references): Suitable for emerging research or focused contributions. Submissions not accepted for oral presentation may be considered for the poster session. ICGJ will handle all printing and mounting for accepted posters.

Event Reports (up to 4 pages, excluding references): Designed for organizers and scholars to present on past game jams, hackathons, or series of events. Reports should foreground lessons learned and provide actionable guidelines on event format, dynamics, and organization. Evaluation criteria emphasize the quality of observations, depth of discussion, and practical value for fellow organizers and researchers. Event reports undergo single-blind review and do not require anonymization.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

All submissions must use the double-column ACM template, available at:

https://www.acm.org/publications/taps/word-template-workflow

LaTeX users should employ the following document class:

\documentclass[sigconf,authordraft]{acmart}

Full and short paper submissions must be anonymized (removing all author and institutional identifiers) and uploaded to EasyChair prior to the deadline.

Event report submissions must NOT be anonymized and should include author identification within the text.

Submit all work via EasyChair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icgj2026

KEY DATES (All deadlines Anywhere on Earth/AoE)

Friday, May 29, 2026 – Full Paper, Short Paper, Poster, and Event Report Submission Deadline

Friday, June 26, 2026 – Decision Notification

Friday, July 17, 2026 – Early Registration Deadline

Friday, August 21, 2026 – ICGJ Jam

Saturday, August 22, 2026 – ICGJ 2026 Conference Day

TOPICS OF INTEREST

The conference welcomes contributions on all aspects of game jams, hackathons, and game creation events. Topics of particular interest for 2026 include but are not limited to:

Communication skills and group dynamics

Community building and team formation

Creativity and ideation processes

Educational dimensions and frameworks for game jams

Game design issues in rapid development contexts

Games Done Quick and speedrunning culture

Game jam and hackathon attendance: demographics and motivations

Impacts on participants, institutions, and industries

Methodologies for studying and documenting jams

Resources, assets, and makerspaces

History of game creation events

Incentives, rewards, and recognition

Learning outcomes and skill acquisition

Online and distributed game jams

Theme development and interpretation

Integration of AI in game development

Natural language and dialogue systems in games

ABOUT ICGJ

Now in its seventh year, the International Conference on Game Jams, Hackathons and Game Creation Events serves as the premier interdisciplinary forum for scholarship on intensive, time-bound collaborative production. Previous proceedings are available via the ACM Digital Library: https://dl.acm.org/conference/icgj

ABOUT THE HOST

Pace University, located in the heart of Lower Manhattan, will host ICGJ 2026. The university’s commitment to experiential learning and its position within New York’s vibrant technology and creative sectors make it an ideal venue for the conference’s long-awaited return.