SciFi-VIS 2026 Way Out There – How SciFi and Visualization Influence Each Other
Exploring the two-way relationship between speculative interfaces and real-world visualization research and systems

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Call for Participation
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Aims and Scope
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Science fiction (SciFi) and visualization research have long influenced one another: SciFi imagines future data interfaces, while visualization adapts and reinterprets these ideas in practice.
Yet this relationship remains informal and insufficiently understood. It is often unclear which ideas originate from SciFi, how they are translated into visualization, and which remain “too far out there” due to technical or practical constraints.
SciFi-VIS aims to bridge this gap between imagination and implementation by bringing together researchers, designers, and creators to examine speculative interfaces, their feasibility, and their role in shaping future visualization systems and research directions.

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Topics
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Topics include, but are not limited to:
-SciFi-inspired visualization concepts and systems
-Design processes and decisions in SciFi interfaces
-Speculative and future-oriented visualization design
-Feasibility and limits of speculative interfaces
-Evaluation of speculative and imagined visualization systems
-Physics-based visualizations in SciFi media
-Shape-changing visualizations in SciFi media
-Referencing between SciFi and visualization work

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Submission Types
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We encourage creative and non-traditional contributions, including:
-Short papers
-Position papers
-Posters
-Demo proposals and show-and-tell artifacts
-Curated SciFi examples (scene breakdowns + analysis)
-Speculative designs and artistic explorations

This is a non-archival workshop, so work-in-progress and exploratory ideas are welcome.

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Submission Details
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Length
-Papers, reports, or documentation: up to 1000 words (approx. 2–4 pages)
-Other formats: flexible (short is better, we don’t publish SciFi books ;) )

Paper/documentation format
-VGTC template recommended (https://tc.computer.org/vgtc/publications/conference/)
-Up to 4 figures encouraged
-Ensure proper copyright and attribution

Submission platform: PCS (Under Submissions, pick Society: VGTC, Conference/Journal: VIS 2026, and Track SciFi-VIS)

Publication: Non-archival. Accepted submissions may be optionally hosted on the workshop website or an open repository.

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Workshop Format
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SciFi-VIS is a half-day hybrid workshop featuring keynote talks, lightning presentations, poster and demo sessions, and interactive group activities. The workshop emphasizes discussion, co-creation, and cross-community exchange to explore speculative interfaces and future visualization systems.

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Important Dates
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All deadlines are Anywhere on Earth (AoE).
Submission deadline: July 30, 2026
Notification: September 15, 2026
Camera-ready: September 21, 2026

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Organizers
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Ulrik Günther — Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
Julián Méndez — TU Dresden
Gabriela Molina León — Aarhus University
Samuel Pantze — Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS)
Mario Romero — Linköping University
Abdulhaq Adetunji Salako — University of Rostock
Annalena Ulschmid — TU Wien

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Website & Contact
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Website: https://scifi-vis.github.io/
Contact: scifi-vis@googlegroups.com