Celebrations of Women in Computing

ACM Celebrations of Women in Computing connect technical women working or studying in a particular geographical location, whether that’s a single city, a state or group of states, a country, or several countries. These conferences build community and break down feelings of isolation. Our intention is to reach the broadest possible populations through an international network of self-sustaining small conferences, dovetailing when possible with ACM-W chapters.

Examples of ACM-W Celebrations

Below are examples of ACM-W Celebrations held across different regions.

North America

General Requirements for Celebrations

  • Propose a formal name for your Celebration (e.g., “Ohio Celebration of Women in Computing: An ACM Celebration”) and a branding name or abbreviation (e.g., “OCWIC”).
  • All official branding on your website, printed materials, signage, and promotional content must include the phrase “ACM Celebration of Women in Computing” or “An ACM Celebration.” This may appear as the main title or as a subtitle.
  • The event must be at least one full day in length (preferably longer) and must explicitly focus on women in computing, including issues of participation, representation, education, research, industry pathways, and leadership.
  • Participants from more than one institution, school, or geographic area are strongly encouraged.
  • Include attendees from a diverse population, that is, from more than one institution, school, or geographic area.
  • Although all events are different, your event should ideally include speakers, panels, workshops, a career fair, and opportunities for student presentations.

Sponsorship

ACM-W provides financial sponsorship for each celebration and collects, tracks, and disburses corporate sponsorship. Each celebration organizing committee is responsible for additional fundraising within their conference area. The goal is to keep registration fees as low as possible for student attendees.

If your Celebration would like to use an ACM in-house account for expenses, your organizing committee must mention that on application form.  ACM-W Global Celebration Chair will assist you with that. To initiate payment, the organizer must first send the pro forma invoice(s) or invoice(s) for the relevant expenses to the Global Celebration Chair, who will coordinate the payment process with ACM.

How to Plan and Apply

We recommend beginning the planning process at least six months before the event, to allow sufficient time to define clear goals, coordinate the many elements involved, and build meaningful engagement with your community. Set a timeline with milestones for securing a venue, arranging speakers, and promoting the event.

Organizing committees planning a Celebration are required to submit the updated application form at least four months before the event, regardless of whether they are requesting ACM sponsorship: New Application Link

Please review the full Celebration Guideline before applying, as it details eligibility requirements, recommended program components, and the documentation expected at each stage of the process: ACM Celebration of WIC Guideline_2026.pdf 

For questions regarding the updated process, the ACM-W Celebrations team can be reached at: acmw-celebration@acm.org

ACM-W Celebration Application Process Summary

The diagram above summarizes the full Celebration application journey: from form submission and review by the Global Celebration Chair, Regional Celebration Chair, and Community Programs or Global Expansion Chair, through the approval decision, to post-event follow-up on budget, newsletter, and photos.
The diagram above summarizes the full Celebration application journey: from form submission and review by the Global Celebration Chair, Regional Celebration Chair, and Community Programs or Global Expansion Chair, through the approval decision, to post-event follow-up on budget, newsletter, and photos.

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Recent Celebrations Reports and Announcements