Dear Colleagues (apologies for cross-posting),

The 20th IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture
Recognition (FG 2026)

May 25th – 29th, 2026, Kyoto, Japan.
https://fg2026.ieee-biometrics.org/

The IEEE conference series on Automatic Face and Gesture Recognition is the
premier international forum for research in image and video-based face,
gesture, and body movement recognition. Its broad scope includes advances
in fundamental computer vision, pattern recognition, computer graphics, and
machine learning techniques relevant to face, gesture, and body action, as
well as innovative algorithms and analyses of specific applications.
The 20th IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture
Recognition (FG 2026) marks a milestone as the 20th conference in the
series, returning to Japan after nearly three decades. FG 2026 will be held
from May 25th to 29th, 2026, in Kyoto, Japan, as an in-person event. The
conference invites submissions addressing both foundational and emerging
research topics in face and gesture recognition.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Face, gesture, and body detection and tracking
• Robust recognition under varying conditions (pose, occlusion,
  illumination)
• Generative modeling and neural rendering (e.g., deepfakes, AR/VR)
• Advanced learning paradigms (self-supervised, few-shot, foundation models)
• Soft biometrics and behavioral analysis (emotion, personality,
  demographics)
• Multimodal fusion and cross-modal analysis
• Benchmark development and dataset creation
• Cognitive and bio-inspired vision systems
• Bias mitigation, interpretability, and ethical considerations
• Real-world applications and deployment studies
• Paper format and submission

Format
Submitted papers may not be accepted or under review elsewhere. FG 2026
will consider two different paper types, i.e., Short and Long Papers.
Authors should carefully consider the category before submitting a paper.

• Short papers: 4 pages + 1 page for references
• Long papers: 8 pages + references
  The main difference between the two is in the size of the contributions,
  rather than in their importance or technical quality. Please visit the
  submission page for additional details on paper formatting and paper types.
  Accepted papers will be published and indexed in IEEEXplore.

Submission
FG 2026 will use a two-round reviewing procedure. New papers can be
submitted in either the first or the second round. The primary benefit of
submitting in Round 1 is that submissions can be invited for resubmission
to Round 2, enabling authors to address reviewer concerns and significantly
improve their work.

Paper submissions are accepted through CMT:
https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/FG2026/

Important Dates (all Pacific time)
Round 1:

• Abstract submission: Thursday, September 25th, 2025
• Paper submission: Thursday, October 2nd, 2025
• Notifications to authors: Thursday, December 11th, 2025

Round 2:

• Abstract submission: Friday, January 9th, 2026 (only for round 2 new
  submissions)
• Paper submission: Thursday, January 15th, 2026
• Notifications to authors: Thursday, April 2nd, 2026
• Camera Ready (for all): Tuesday, April 21st, 2026

For more information, visit: https://fg2026.ieee-biometrics.org

--
Ryo Yonetani, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist | CyberAgent
Web: https://yonetaniryo.github.io

Dear Colleagues (apologies for cross-posting),

Call for Competitions at:
The 20th IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture
Recognition (FG 2026)
May 25th – 29th, 2026, Kyoto, Japan.
https://fg2026.ieee-biometrics.org/

We invite proposals for competitions to be held in conjunction with the
2026 IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture
Recognition (FG 2026), which will be held in Kyoto, Japan. The
competitions provide a forum for challenging, stimulating, and
benchmarking cutting‑edge research in face, gesture, and related
visual‑computing tasks. We solicit competition proposals on any topic of
relevance to the FG community, especially from emerging directions or
novel application domains related to face and gesture analysis.
Interdisciplinary topics relevant to a significant cross-section of the
community (e.g., those linking FG to health, accessibility, robotics,
human–machine interaction, or social good) are particularly welcome.

Types of Competitions
We envisage at least three possible types of competitions (but are open
to creative alternatives):

1. Standard (offline) data‑science competitions – Participants compete
   to achieve the best performance on a machine learning task of importance
   to the FG community based on data and clearly defined metrics provided
   by the organizers of the competition.
2. Live / demo competitions – held in a “science-fair” style at FG 2026,
   where participants bring interactive demonstrations applying their
   approaches to real-world problems or specific domains defined by the
   organizers.
3. Lab to Market / Entrepreneurial competitions – designed to highlight
   the translation of research outcomes into deployable, real-world
   solutions. Organizers may design competitions that encourage
   participants to demonstrate the market readiness, societal relevance, or
   commercial potential of technologies related to face and gesture
   understanding. The goal is to bridge research innovation with market
   validation and showcase pathways from lab to product.

What We Look for in Proposals
Competition proposals will be evaluated by the Competition Chairs. Each
proposal will be reviewed for:

• Task selection: Originality, relevance, and interest to the
  community.
• Evaluation protocol and metrics: Clarity, fairness, reproducibility,
  and robustness.
• Data and resources: Quality, diversity, annotation, and
  representativeness.
• Feasibility and logistics: Realistic timeline, infrastructure, and
  communication plans.
• Engagement and outreach: Strategies to attract participants and
  foster inclusivity.
• For lab to market competitions, clarity of problem–solution
  alignment, evidence of real-world relevance, and potential for
  societal or market impact.Organizer expertise and diversity:
  Experience and diversity of the organizing team.
• Presentation plan: Tentative schedule and resource requirements for
  FG 2026.

Proposal Preparation and Submission
Competition proposals (for all types) should be submitted via the
official conference submission system by selecting the Competition
track:
https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/FG2026
Please follow the structure of, and adapt, the provided template here:
https://www.overleaf.com/read/ynkmqnpswykr#ab0b9a

Important Dates (Tentative)
General Timeline:

• Competition proposal submission deadline: November 21, 2025
• Acceptance notification to organizers: November 28, 2025
  For Standard Competitions:
• Competition launch (data release): Start January 2026
• Submission deadline (Test Results): Mid February 2026
• Result evaluation and feedback: Start March 2026
• Paper Submission: Mid March 2026
  For Live Demo and Entrepreneurial Competitions:
• Competition Launch: Mid January 2026
• Demo and pitch submissions: Mid February 2026
• Notification of results: Start March 2026
• Paper submissions: Mid March 2026

Additional Notes

• Competition organizers may request assistance regarding competition
  platforms or infrastructure.
• FG 2026 will provide support for poster/demo space/pitch and
  logistics during the conference.
• Organizers are encouraged to make evaluation code, baselines, and
  data public at the competition launch.
• Competitions involving sensitive data must address privacy, consent,
  bias, and legal compliance.
• Competition chairs will coordinate review, selection, and
  integration into the program.

Competition Chairs
Chirag Raman, TU Delft, The Netherlands (c.a.raman@tudelft.nl)
Jyoti Joshi Dhall, Monash University, Kroop AI, Australia
(jyoti.joshi@monash.edu)

Contact and Inquiries
For questions or advice (e.g., about platforms or logistics), please
contact the FG 2026 Competition Chairs via the email addresses above.
We look forward to your innovative competition proposals and to
showcasing the next frontier of face and gesture analysis!

Dear Colleagues (apologies for cross-posting),

Call for Workshop/Special Session/Panel Proposals at:
The 20th IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture
Recognition (FG 2026)

May 25th – 29th, 2026, Kyoto, Japan.
https://fg2026.ieee-biometrics.org/

Call for Workshop Proposals

We invite workshop proposals for the 2026 IEEE Conference on Automatic Face
and Gesture Recognition (FG 2026) in Kyoto, Japan. Accepted workshops will
be held on either May 25 or May 29, 2026, in the same venue as the FG 2026
main conference. Complementary to the main venue, we especially encourage
workshop proposals relating to emerging new fields or new application
domains of face and gesture analysis and synthesis.

[Submission Procedure]
Workshop proposals should include the following information:

• Workshop title
• Workshop motivation, expected outcomes, and impact
• List of organizers including affiliation, email address, and a short bio
• Tentative length of the workshop (half-day or full-day)
• Style of the workshop and related activities, e.g., poster/oral paper
  presentations, invited talks, round tables, competition, hackathon, etc
• Tentative paper submission and review schedule (Ideally, the camera-ready
  deadline will coincide with the main conference deadline on April 2)
• Planned advertisement, website hosting, potential sponsorships
• Paper submission procedure (submission website) if applicable
• Paper review procedure (single/double-blind, internal/external,
  solicited/invited-only, the pool of reviewers, etc.)
• Tentative program committee, and invited speakers, if any
• Estimated number of submissions and acceptance rate

Proposals should be submitted through CMT:
https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/FG2026

[Important Dates]
Workshop proposals due: November 13, 2025
Notification of acceptance: November 27, 2025

[Contact]
For additional information and queries regarding the workshop proposal
procedure, please contact the Workshop Co-chairs:
Shiro Kumano (shiro.kumano@ntt.com)
Koichiro Niinuma (kniinuma@fujitsu.com).

Call for Special Session and Panel Proposals

[What is a special session in FG 2026]
A special session focuses on a specific topic within the broader domain
of face and gesture recognition. Unlike a workshop, a special session is
fully integrated into the main conference program. Papers submitted to a
special session will be included in the conference proceedings and
undergo the same rigorous peer-review process as regular submissions.
All papers must present original research and adhere to the general FG
submission guidelines.

Upon acceptance of a special session proposal, a dedicated Subject Area
will be created in the paper submission system (CMT). The special
session organizers will serve as Area Chairs and oversee the review
process for submissions within their topic. If enough papers from the
special session are accepted, an oral session will be scheduled during
FG 2026, and the organizers will be invited to chair that session.

Proposals may address any topic within the broader area of face and
gesture recognition, modeling, and analysis. We particularly encourage
submissions that explore emerging research directions, novel application
domains, and new challenges related to face and gesture.
Interdisciplinary topics that bring new perspectives to the FG community
are also highly welcome. Proposers should demonstrate a strong track
record in the proposed field.

[What is a panel in FG 2026]
A panel is a focused discussion session that brings together experts to
debate and explore timely, controversial, or emerging topics in the
field of face and gesture recognition. Unlike a special session, a panel
does not involve paper submissions or formal proceedings. Instead, it
provides a dynamic forum for interactive dialogue, diverse viewpoints,
and thought-provoking exchanges between panelists and the audience.
Panel sessions aim to stimulate new ideas, address key challenges, and
foster active community engagement.

[Proposal Submission Guidelines]
Proposals should be submitted to the Special Session and Panel Chairs
with the subject field “FG 2026 Proposal: [title of session]”. A
proposal must include the following information:

• The title of the proposed Special Session or Panel.
• A brief description of the topic, including how it stands apart from
  the regular FG topics/sessions.
• Contact information and short bio of the organizers.
• For a Special Session: a list of proposed contributions to the
  special session (including authors, title, and short abstract).
• For a Panel: a list of proposed panelists and their expected
  perspectives/contributions.

[Important Dates]
Special Sessions:

• Proposals due: November 15, 2025
• Proposal notification: November 30, 2025

Panels:

• Proposals due: March 10, 2026
• Proposal notification: March 20, 2026

All proposals should be sent to the FG 2026 Special Session & Panel
Chairs: Shiqi Yu yusq@sustech.edu.cn and Matteo Ferrara
matteo.ferrara@unibo.it.

Dear Colleagues (apologies for cross-posting),

The 20th IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture
Recognition (FG 2026)

May 25th – 29th, 2026, Kyoto, Japan.
https://fg2026.ieee-biometrics.org/

The IEEE conference series on Automatic Face and Gesture Recognition is the
premier international forum for research in image and video-based face,
gesture, and body movement recognition. Its broad scope includes advances
in fundamental computer vision, pattern recognition, computer graphics, and
machine learning techniques relevant to face, gesture, and body action, as
well as innovative algorithms and analyses of specific applications.
The 20th IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture
Recognition (FG 2026) marks a milestone as the 20th conference in the
series, returning to Japan after nearly three decades. FG 2026 will be held
from May 25th to 29th, 2026, in Kyoto, Japan, as an in-person event. The
conference invites submissions addressing both foundational and emerging
research topics in face and gesture recognition.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Face, gesture, and body detection and tracking
• Robust recognition under varying conditions (pose, occlusion,
  illumination)
• Generative modeling and neural rendering (e.g., deepfakes, AR/VR)
• Advanced learning paradigms (self-supervised, few-shot, foundation models)
• Soft biometrics and behavioral analysis (emotion, personality,
  demographics)
• Multimodal fusion and cross-modal analysis
• Benchmark development and dataset creation
• Cognitive and bio-inspired vision systems
• Bias mitigation, interpretability, and ethical considerations
• Real-world applications and deployment studies
• Paper format and submission

Format
Submitted papers may not be accepted or under review elsewhere. FG 2026
will consider two different paper types, i.e., Short and Long Papers.
Authors should carefully consider the category before submitting a paper.

• Short papers: 4 pages + 1 page for references
• Long papers: 8 pages + references
  The main difference between the two is in the size of the contributions,
  rather than in their importance or technical quality. Please visit the
  submission page for additional details on paper formatting and paper types.
  Accepted papers will be published and indexed in IEEEXplore.

Submission
FG 2026 will use a two-round reviewing procedure. New papers can be
submitted in either the first or the second round. The primary benefit of
submitting in Round 1 is that submissions can be invited for resubmission
to Round 2, enabling authors to address reviewer concerns and significantly
improve their work.

Paper submissions are accepted through CMT:
https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/FG2026/

Important Dates (all Pacific time)

• Abstract submission: Friday, January 9th, 2026
• Paper submission: Thursday, January 15th, 2026
• Notifications to authors: Thursday, April 2nd, 2026
• Camera Ready (for all): Tuesday, April 21st, 2026

For more information, visit: https://fg2026.ieee-biometrics.org

Dear Colleagues (apologies for cross-posting),

Call for Demos/Doctoral Consortium Participants at:
The 20th IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture
Recognition (FG 2026)

May 25th – 29th, 2026, Kyoto, Japan.
https://fg2026.ieee-biometrics.org/

Call for Demo Presentations

The 20th IEEE Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture Recognition (FG
2026) invites researchers from academia and industry to present live
demonstrations of their research findings and face/gesture recognition
systems to conference participants.
These demonstrations aim to provide tangible, practical, and interactive
validation of the presenters' research concepts and scientific or
engineering contributions. The primary objective is to offer researchers
and practitioners a platform for discussing operational face/gesture
recognition systems, applications, prototypes, or proof-of-concepts. Such a
setting enables conference attendees to observe and engage with live
demonstrations showcasing innovative solutions and concepts and to witness
cutting-edge research in action.
Demos are NOT restricted solely to the papers accepted by FG 2026 or its
associated workshops. We encourage the submission of any demo that
demonstrates the effectiveness of face and gesture recognition methods.
These demos may originate from papers accepted at other venues (e.g.,
extended works), such as peer-reviewed conferences or journals. However, it
is expected that these demos present innovative and novel research outcomes.

[Expected Contents]
We strongly encourage submissions in all areas related to face and gesture
analysis and synthesis, as outlined in the general call for papers for IEEE
FG 2026, which can be found at the following link:
https://fg2026.ieee-biometrics.org/

[Submission Guidelines]
All submissions will undergo a peer-review process. Anonymous submission is
not mandatory, and the submission materials should include the following:
(Mandatory) A one-page proposal (including references) formatted according
to the standard IEEE FG 2026 guidelines.
This proposal should provide a comprehensive description of the
demonstrated system and articulate the novelty and significance of the
contribution to the FG community. Special emphasis should be placed on
detailing the specific demonstration scenarios for the system. This should
encompass how the audience will engage with the demo, the range of
functionalities it offers, user scenarios, interface design, interaction
options, and more.

In particular, the proposal should address the following aspects for the
evaluation:

• What is the scientific or engineering concept behind the work?
• What is the novelty of the work and how is the work different from
  existing systems or - techniques?
• What is the expected impact on the FG community?
• What will be actually shown during the demo?
• What type of interactivity will be supported, for onsite and/or online
  scenarios?

(Optional Supplementary Material)
If you have any special requests or unique requirements regarding the
configuration of your demo booth, you are welcome to submit an additional
one-page PDF file detailing these specifications. This document will help
us accommodate any specific needs you may have for your demo presentation.
Although not required, adding a video or a link to it is encouraged, as it
can help convey the content more clearly.

Demo proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format through CMT.
The configuration description should be submitted as Supplementary Material
through the same CMT. Please ensure that all uploaded content falls within
the overall submission size limit of 100 MB. Demonstration presentations
that have been accepted, accompanied by a one-page proposal adhering to
FG2026’s camera-ready format, will be featured in the proceedings of FG2026.
Submission link: https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/FG2026/

[Important Dates]
Submission Deadline (One-page proposal and Supplementary Material):
April 9th, 2026 (11:59 pm Anywhere on Earth)
Notification of Acceptance: April 16th, 2026
Camera Ready Deadline: April 21st, 2026

[Contacts]
For additional information and queries, please contact the Demo and
Exhibition Chair:
Katsutoshi Masai (masai@ait.kyushu-u.ac.jp)
Kevin ElHaddad (kevin.elhaddad@umons.ac.be)

Call for Doctoral Consortium Participants

IEEE Face and Gesture 2026
Doctoral Consortium Date: May 25th, 2026

Website: https://fg2026.ieee-biometrics.org/doctoral_consortium/

[Overview]
The aim of the FG 2026 Doctoral Consortium is to provide a forum for PhD
students to discuss their research and career objectives with other
students and senior researchers working in relevant fields and get
effective and timely feedback from the international research community.
The FG 2026 Doctoral Consortium also aims to:

• Provide a networking environment that will enable the doctoral students
  to establish new contacts and collaborations with other international
  junior and senior researchers;
• Equip the new generation of bright researchers with career options and
  inform them about the possibilities in academia and industry.

The Doctoral Consortium will be a half-day event that will take place in
parallel to the tutorials and workshops on the first day of the conference
on 25 May 2026. The event will feature networking opportunities with
established senior researchers, presentations by the accepted PhD students,
Q&A sessions, and a joint lunch. Accepted PhD students will also be given
the opportunity to present their work during a poster session of the main
conference, helping to increase the visibility of their PhD research.
Attendance at the consortium is strictly by invitation.

[Eligibility]
We invite eligible students to apply for the Doctoral Consortium, with the
expectation that successful applicants will actively participate in the
entire program in-person.

Eligible students are those pursuing a PhD who have made progress in their
dissertation, with some results already published or nearing publication.
We value diversity and equality in terms of research topics, participating
institutions, and individuals involved. We particularly encourage women and
individuals from underrepresented groups to apply. We do not expect more
than two students to be invited from each institution to represent a
diverse sample. Although having a paper appearing in FG 2026 is not a
prerequisite for participation, it is highly encouraged for applicants to
have a paper associated with the conference, whose topics could be
summarized during the Doctoral Consortium.

[Submission]
To apply for the Doctoral Consortium, please submit:

• A research statement summarizing the thesis research topic, the working
  plan, and the progress to date (max 2 pages).
• A CV (max 1 page). The CV should highlight any publications and
  conference presentations that are related to the thesis topic.
• A supporting letter from the thesis advisor that endorses the student's
  application to this Doctoral Consortium and briefly describes the progress
  or status of the student's thesis work.

All materials should be prepared in a single PDF file and submitted through
the Doctoral Consortium Track of the FG 2026 CMT instance:
https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/FG2026

[Review and Selection Process]
Applications will be evaluated based on:

• Quality of the application and thesis topic.
• Anticipated benefits (current/potential contributions to science) of the
  student's research.
• Student's contribution to the diversity of topics, backgrounds,
  methodology, etc.
• Endorsement by the thesis advisor.

There will be no papers published from the Doctoral Consortium in the
proceedings of FG 2026.

[Financial Support]
The students selected to participate in the Doctoral Consortium may be
considered for financial support. However, the availability and extent of
financial support are subject to the availability of funds and are not
guaranteed. Applicants should be prepared to attend FG 2026 without
financial support in the event that funds are not available. It is
important to note that the lunch session with senior mentors will be fully
covered by the conference anyway, and no expenses associated with lunch
will be incurred by the Doctoral Consortium participants or mentors.

[Important Dates]
Submission Deadline: April 9th, 2026
Notification of Acceptance: April 16th, 2026
Doctoral Consortium Date: May 25th, 2026

[Contacts]
For questions and queries, please contact the Doctoral Consortium Chairs:

Yasutomo Kawanishi, RIKEN, Japan (yasutomo.kawanishi@riken.jp)
Kalin Stefanov, Monash University, Australia (kalin.stefanov@monash.edu)