SIGMOD 2027 Call for Workshop Proposals
SIGMOD/PODS 2027 invites workshop proposals in two tracks. In addition to regular workshops, this year SIGMOD launches a new track, SIGMOD Future Topics workshops, dedicated to emerging topics in data management research. Workshops in both tracks are held in person in Huntington Beach, California, USA, June 13–18, 2027.
Regular workshops are paper-driven. Organizers issue a Call for Papers, run a reviewing process, assemble a program from accepted papers, and typically publish proceedings in the ACM Digital Library. Propose a regular workshop if your community has papers that need a venue.
SIGMOD Future Topics workshops are community-wide events on emerging topics. Organizers propose a topic, issue a call for short papers (about four pages) presenting new ideas in data management, and design a flexible program that may combine pitch talks, keynotes, panels, and open discussions. Compared with regular workshops, Future Topics workshops are more flexible and lightweight in organization, submissions, and proceedings: short papers, a free-format proposal, and a publication venue chosen by the organizers. Propose a SIGMOD Future Topics workshop if your goal is to bring the community together around new ideas and shape a research agenda.
We welcome proposals on emerging, cross-disciplinary, and high-impact topics in both tracks. A proposal may be submitted to only one track; if you are unsure which fits, contact the Workshop Chairs before the earlier deadline. For regular workshops, the half day or full day will be decided not at the time a workshop proposal is accepted but at a later time. We will consider how many papers the workshop accepts in deciding the workshop duration. The workshop chairs will get in touch to collect the required information and reach out to the workshop organizers about the duration allocated. The duration and scheduling of SIGMOD Future Topics workshops will be determined in coordination with the organizers.
At a glance
All deadlines are at 11:59 PM Anywhere on Earth (AoE).
| Item | Regular Workshops | SIGMOD Future Topics Workshops |
|---|---|---|
| Proposal deadline | December 8, 2026 | February 1, 2027 |
| Notification | January 5, 2027 | March 1, 2027 |
| Proposal format | SIGMOD Workshop Proposal Template (Overleaf) | Free format, max. 4 pages excl. references and draft call for papers |
| Call for Papers | Required | Required (short papers, about 4 pages) |
| Paper reviewing | Required | Required |
| Proceedings | ACM Digital Library (typically) | Set by the organizers (e.g., arXiv or CEUR-WS) |
| Duration | Half or full day, set by the number of accepted papers | To be determined in coordination with the organizers |
| Report to SIGMOD Record | Optional | Submit to the December issue |
Regular Workshop Track
Regular workshops give papers a venue that they would not traditionally find at the main conference, and connect communities around a shared topic. Whether a workshop runs for a half day or a full day is decided from the number of submitted and accepted papers for the workshop. We encourage organizers to explore emerging, cross-disciplinary, and high-impact topics, and equally to consider retiring, merging, or transforming long-running workshops to keep the program vital and relevant. We may merge workshops on overlapping themes, for example LLMs, generative AI, or data-centric foundation models. Include a short paragraph on overlaps or interactions with existing workshops and your merge preferences, if any.
What a regular workshop proposal must contain
Use the SIGMOD Workshop Proposal Template on Overleaf and cover the following.
- Focus of the workshop — why the workshop should exist (for example, a venue for papers that would not otherwise find a place), key topics of interest, why those topics matter to the community, other database workshops on similar topics, and the communities the workshop connects.
- Intended audience and size — target audience and expected number of attendees.
- Time and place — expected numbers of submitted and accepted papers, which decide half day versus full day; preference for scheduling before or after the main conference; expected room size; and your submission, notification, and camera-ready dates. Your program must not overlap the PODS keynote session.
- Publicity and sponsorship — how you will advertise the workshop (DBWorld and other mailing lists, social media, outreach to past participants) and, optionally, how you will secure sponsors and student grants.
- Proposed organization — keynote talks by distinguished researchers from academia and industry, panel discussions on prevailing trends, speaker diversity across gender, race, and geography, and optionally varied presentation formats for short and long papers and poster or interactive sessions during breaks.
- Organizers — who they are and their relevant background.
- Organizational structure — a balanced PC across career stages and geographical locations, ideally mixing industry and academia.
- Prior attendance and submission statistics — for the last four editions, where applicable: submissions, accepted papers, and registered attendees, plus your expectations for 2027.
- Workshop website.
- Proceedings — where they will be published. The choice of publisher is at the discretion of the workshop organizers.
- Conflicts of interest and reviewing — whether double-anonymous reviewing will be used, and how COIs are handled, in particular for submissions by workshop organizers and their colleagues. Follow the SIGMOD COI guidelines in the SIGMOD call for research papers.
- Diversity commitment — diversity in both the organization and the program committee, in collaboration with the SIGMOD Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) chairs.
If the workshop has been held before, also include a plan for long-term sustainability: which metrics or events would trigger a switch to every other year, a sunset, a merge, or elevation to conference status. Additional requirements for regular workshops held in cooperation with SIGMOD are listed here.
Responsibilities and logistics
Organizers of accepted regular workshops are responsible for:
- Announcing the workshop and issuing a Call for Papers.
- Soliciting submissions, running the reviewing process, and finalizing the program, which must be published at least two weeks before the early registration deadline.
- Preparing the proceedings for submission to the ACM Digital Library.
- Optionally, publishing the call for papers and a workshop report in SIGMOD Record.
The SIGMOD 2027 organization handles logistics. Local organization chairs will coordinate with workshop chairs on registration and other arrangements, and further details will follow once the conference logistics are final.
How regular workshop proposals are evaluated
- Relevance to SIGMOD.
- Scientific quality.
- Perceived interest, for example previous submission counts.
- Past performance, for example proceedings published in the ACM DL.
- Diversity considerations.
- Long-term vision.
- Overlap with other proposals.
SIGMOD Future Topics Workshop Track
SIGMOD Future Topics workshops are a community-wide forum for exploring emerging research directions, identifying fundamental challenges, and developing new research agendas in data management. Organizers propose a topic and issue a call for short papers (about four pages) in which participants present new ideas on that topic. Organizers review the submissions and decide how accepted short papers are published (for example, on arXiv or CEUR-WS). The track is designed to be lightweight for both organizers and authors. Unlike regular workshops, the program is not limited to paper presentations: organizers may freely combine formats such as pitch talks of accepted papers, keynotes, dedicated panels, and open discussions. We particularly welcome forward-looking proposals that may foster new research communities.
The duration and scheduling of each SIGMOD Future Topics workshop will be determined in coordination with the organizers. Topics should sit within the broad scope of SIGMOD, with an emphasis on emerging, interdisciplinary, and potentially transformative directions. These examples are illustrative, and other forward-looking topics are equally welcome:
- Revisiting foundational techniques — how established ideas, such as Yannakakis’ algorithm, can inspire new advances in data management.
- Connecting with emerging technologies — opportunities at the intersection of data management and technologies such as quantum computing.
- Exploring interdisciplinary opportunities — bringing together researchers from different fields to identify shared challenges and new directions.
- Defining future research agendas — fundamental open problems and opportunities for new research communities or future workshops.
What a SIGMOD Future Topics workshop proposal must contain
Proposals must be no longer than four pages, excluding references and the draft call for papers, presented in an appendix. Cover the following.
- Topic and motivation — the proposed research direction, its significance to data management, the key open questions, and the potential long-term impact.
- Organizers — names, affiliations, relevant expertise, and responsibilities.
- Expected attendance and invited speakers — the expected number of attendees and, optionally, prospective keynote speakers or panelists (confirmation is not required at submission). Diversity in expertise, career stages, institutions, and geographical regions is encouraged.
- Call for papers and reviewing — a draft call for short papers (topics of interest, page limit of about four pages in the ACM format, and submission, notification, and camera-ready dates), a tentative program committee, and how submissions will be reviewed and selected.
- Publishing plans — how you will publish the accepted short papers (for example, on arXiv or CEUR-WS).
- Proposed program — a preliminary program where the organizers may freely combine formats such as pitch talks of accepted short papers, keynotes, dedicated panels, and open discussions.
Programs may evolve dynamically in response to the discussions, while reserving substantial time for interactive exchange alongside paper presentations.
- Logistics and expected outcomes — preferred duration, expected room capacity, publicity and paper solicitation plans, and anticipated outcomes such as research roadmaps, collaborations, or future workshops.
Responsibilities and reporting
Organizers of accepted SIGMOD Future Topics workshops are responsible for:
- Announcing the workshop and issuing a call for short papers.
- Running the reviewing process with their program committee and making final acceptance decisions.
- Publishing the accepted short papers according to their publishing plans.
- Coordinating the program, inviting speakers and panelists, and facilitating the discussions. The program must be published at least two weeks before the early registration deadline.
Organizers must submit a workshop report to ACM SIGMOD Record within two months after the event for the December issue, highlighting the key research challenges, insights, and future directions. Publication is subject to SIGMOD Record’s editorial process.
How SIGMOD Future Topics workshop proposals are evaluated
- Scientific quality and relevance — significance of the research questions to the SIGMOD community.
- Novelty and long-term impact — potential to establish transformative research directions or new communities.
- Organizers and diversity — expertise, complementary perspectives, and diversity of organizers and prospective invited speakers, if any.
- Program and call for papers — effectiveness of the proposed program and call for papers in attracting new ideas and fostering substantive, interactive discussion.
- Feasibility and complementarity — organizational readiness and distinctiveness from existing workshops and from other proposals.
How to submit
Submit proposals for both tracks through the same form: https://forms.gle/uxysRR9zgL9jLSCx7.
Indicate on the form which track you are applying to. Please do not email proposals directly to the Workshop Chairs. Regular workshop proposals use the SIGMOD Workshop Proposal Template on Overleaf. SIGMOD Future Topics workshop proposals are free format, up to four pages excluding references and the draft call for papers. Final selection in both tracks also considers the overall balance of the program and the available meeting space, and the two tracks are considered in coordination with each other.
Important dates
The two tracks have different submission deadlines. All deadlines are at 11:59 PM Anywhere on Earth (AoE). For both tracks, when setting speaker invitations and author notification dates, allow for the SIGMOD early registration deadline and for visa processing times.
| Item | Regular Workshops | SIGMOD Future Topics Workshops |
|---|---|---|
| Proposal submission | December 8, 2026 | February 1, 2027 |
| Notification | January 5, 2027 | March 1, 2027 |
| Conference | June 13–18, 2027, Huntington Beach, California, USA | June 13–18, 2027, Huntington Beach, California, USA |
Contact
For inquiries on either track, contact the SIGMOD 2027 Workshop Chairs:
| Chair | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| George Fletcher | TU Eindhoven, Netherlands | g.h.l.fletcher@tue.nl |
| Sujaya Maiyya | University of Waterloo, Canada | smaiyya@uwaterloo.ca |
| Makoto Onizuka | The University of Osaka, Japan | onizuka@ist.osaka-u.ac.jp |
