ACM MMSys 2026
Research Track

Call for Papers

April 4 - April 8, 2026
Hong Kong SAR

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Important Dates:
- First Round Submission Deadline: September 26, 2025
- Second Round Submission Deadline: November 21, 2025
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## Scope and Topics of Interest

The 17th ACM Multimedia Systems Conference will be held from 4 April to 8 April, in Hong Kong SAR. MMsys 2026 brings together experts from academia and industry to share their latest research findings in the field of multimedia systems. While other venues focus on specific aspects related to multimedia systems, MMSys serves as an inclusive and interdisciplinary forum spanning a broad range of topics related to multimedia systems such as networking, operating systems, real-time systems, databases, mobile computing, distributed systems, computer vision, and middleware communities. This provides a unique opportunity to investigate the intersections and the interplay of the various approaches and solutions developed across these domains.

Full research papers should demonstrate substantial research contributions with comprehensive system design, thorough analysis, and rigorous evaluation. All accepted papers require in-person presentation at the conference. Each submission undergoes rigorous peer review by a minimum of three Technical Program Committee members.

Submissions are solicited on all aspects of multimedia systems, including but not limited to:

### AI and Machine Learning in Multimedia Systems

- Machine/Deep learning for multimedia understanding and all aspects of multimedia systems
- Analytics for multimedia content and systems
- Multimodal Large Language Models for multimedia systems

### Media Content

- Content generation, adaptation, and summarization
- Multiview, 360 degrees media
- 3D and volumetric media, such as meshes, light fields, point clouds, and 3D Gaussian splats
- Authoring language and tools
- Video games and cloud gaming

### Networking and Communication

- Adaptive streaming of multimedia content
- Sustainable (green) multimedia systems
- Network and system support for multimedia
- Mobile multimedia and 5G/6G cellular networks
- Internet of Things (IoTs) and multimedia

### Computing Paradigms for Multimedia
- Cloud and edge computing for multimedia systems
- Distributed systems for multimedia
- Cyber-physical systems
- Digital twins
- Autonomous multimedia systems

### Quality and Performance
- Quality of Experience (QoE)
- Evaluation Performance
- User behaviour analysis and modelling

### Multimedia Applications
- Multimedia systems for robotics and unmanned vehicles
- Multimedia systems for health
- Audio, image, and video coding for humans and machines
- Multi-sensory experiences
- Social VR/XR
- Games/Entertainment
- Other emerging multimedia applications


## Important Dates

There are two independent deadlines for submission to the Full Research Papers track. Authors can submit papers to either or both deadlines. Authors of rejected papers in the first round may submit their revised papers to the second round only if they address the majority of concerns raised by the reviewers in the first round. A summary of the revisions must be included in the paper; otherwise, the paper will be automatically rejected.

### First Round Submissions
- Registration: September 19, 2025
- Submissions: September 26, 2025
- Notification: October 24, 2025

### Second Round Submissions
- Registration: November 14, 2025
- Submissions: November 21, 2025
- Notification: January 9, 2025


## Organizing Committee

General Chair
- Pan Hui (HKUST (GZ))

Program Coordinator
- May Yi R. Fung (HKUST)

TPC Chair
- Cheng-Hsin Hsu (NTHU)
- Maria Torres Vega (KU Leuven)


## IMPORTANT update on ACMs new open access publishing model for 2026 ACM Conferences

Starting January 1, 2026, ACM will fully transition to Open Access. All ACM publications, including those from ACM-sponsored conferences, will be 100% Open Access. Authors will have two primary options for publishing Open Access articles with ACM: the ACM Open institutional model or by paying Article Processing Charges (APCs). With over 1,800 institutions already part of ACM Open, the majority of ACM-sponsored conference papers will not require APCs from authors or conferences (currently, around 70-75%).

Authors from institutions not participating in ACM Open will need to pay an APC to publish their papers, unless they qualify for a financial or discretionary waiver. To find out whether an APC applies to your article, please consult the list of participating institutions in ACM Open and review the APC Waivers and Discounts Policy. Keep in mind that waivers are rare and are granted based on specific criteria set by ACM.

Understanding that this change could present financial challenges, ACM has approved a temporary subsidy for 2026 to ease the transition and allow more time for institutions to join ACM Open. The subsidy will offer:

- $250 APC for ACM/SIG members
- $350 for non-members

This represents a 65% discount, funded directly by ACM. Authors are encouraged to help advocate for their institutions to join ACM Open during this transition period.

This temporary subsidized pricing will apply to all conferences scheduled for 2026.