Expanded 2026: The Expanded Conference

The Expanded Conference (Expanded 2026) will take place from September 9th to 11th as part of the Ars Electronica Festival 2026. This call for papers focuses on academic papers in the field of Expanded Animation and Interactive Art that explore and experiment with media expression at the intersection of art, technology, and society. We will have four categories (Research Paper, Art Paper, Doctoral Consortium, Play Gallery), where submissions will undergo a rigorous peer-review process. 

All selected speakers will be given a free pass to the Ars Electronica Festival (September 9th to 13th).

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

    3D Scanning
    AI-generated media; human-AI collaboration
    art-science and interdisciplinary collaborations
    artistic computer animation
    artistic human-computer interaction (HCI and UX)
    audio-visual experiments
    data journalism and animated documentary
    data visualizations and information aesthetics
    digital cultural heritage
    digital media art history
    digital, hybrid, and expanded theater
    expanded animation
    game art and playable media
    generative and algorithmic art
    hybrids between animation and game
    innovative interfaces
    innovative research and practice-based methodologies
    music visualization
    participatory media
    performance projects
    physical computing, tangible media/interfaces, robotics
    projects using NFT, Metaverse, Social Media
    reactive and interactive visuals
    real-time CG
    scientific visualizations
    site-specific installations, projection mapping, media facades
    sound art and soundscapes
    transmedia environments, narratives, and experiences
    VR, AR, MR, XR; virtual humans and environments