Futures

For inquiries, please contact the Futures Chairs.

Important Dates

Submission Deadline: 17th June 2025 @ 23:59 GMT.
Notification: 18th July 2025 (Juried by committee).
Camera-Ready Deadline: 31st August 2025 @ 23:59 GMT.

Call

The Futures track offers a unique platform to envision the future of a specific area, discipline, or topic. As researchers, we strive to deepen knowledge, make meaningful contributions to society, and uncover the intricate workings of the world. This track invites authors to submit forward-looking perspectives grounded in their expertise and existing scholarship. These may offer predictions, or flesh out possibilities through speculative design, design fiction or visions of a future in a variety of formats. We welcome submissions that are thought-provoking and discussion-oriented, possibly even opinion-driven, as long as they are well justified. Submissions should embrace a holistic approach, addressing aspects such as the ethical and legal dimensions of the topic, potential benefits and challenges, and alternative pathways the future might take. The aim is to spark curiosity, inspire reflection, guide attention to critical aspects of the chosen subject area, and support new imaginaries. Contributions to this track may highlight desired trajectories, propose necessary adjustments to predicted outcomes, or explore a variety of possible futures.

Submission Guidelines

The Futures track is different to a traditional submission.

Submissions may (but are not required to) include multimedia artefacts to accompany the short paper (e.g. video, design fiction object, prototype, audio, website, etc.). Submissions will be selected by a pre-appointed jury, rather than a peer review process and they will be included in proceedings under Extended Abstracts.

By fostering these multifaceted discussions, Futures aims to shape forward-thinking conversations that pave the way for meaningful progress. We invite you to share your vision of what the future holds, contributing to a collective understanding of how to navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Authors should submit an Extended Abstract (up to 4 pages excluding references) detailing:

  • The vision for the ‘future’.
  • Specify the context of this future and the pathway to it (e.g., what prerequisites might one’s chosen ‘future’ need to happen before any artifact proposed could manifest/materialize; what challenges will need to be addressed; what ethical implications does the future entail)
  • The format in which they will present at the conference e.g., technical presentation, poster, interactive exhibition, tangible artifact. This must include a description of how the work will be presented at the conference. BCS HCI 2025 would not be able to provide additional equipment or support for your presentations that goes beyond the conventional computer with slides/video presentation format. We will have an exhibition area to display objects that can be displayed stand-alone or on a standard laptop. We encourage authors to do additional research and be creative to ensure that their unique presentation style is accessible to a diverse audience.

All submissions should be in PDF format and adhere to the Electronic Workshops in Computing paper format. Authors are encouraged to submit a video alongside their work to help convey their ‘future’ (e.g. video, audio, artwork, design fiction objects, etc.).

Review Process:

All submissions will follow a juried-by-committee process.

Submission Process

Submissions are via EasyChair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=bcshci2025

Presentation

Accepted papers will be presented during the conference as specified by the author. Authors are expected to attend a meeting with the Futures Chairs to discuss. At least one author must register and attend the conference to present the work.

Publication

Accepted works will be available online, accessible via ScienceOpen.

We look forward to your contributions and to welcoming you to BCS HCI 2025!