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.

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

To help you prepare your application before completing the online form, you can review all application questions in advance here: ACM Celebration of Women in Computing Application Form Questions.pdf

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

Not convinced yet? Check out…

101 Ideas for Planning Celebrations

Recent Celebrations Reports and Announcements

Launch of the ACM-W Africa Working Group
Building Stronger Connections Across the Continent By Rukiye Altin, ACM-W Global Chair I am excited to announce the launch of the ACM-W Africa Working Group, a new initiative dedicated to strengthening connections, supporting local communities, and creating more opportunities for women in computing across Africa. This important milestone began with the first in-person meeting of… Read more: Launch of the ACM-W Africa Working Group
Wish to Host the Next womENcourage (2028)?
Could your institution host womENcourage 2028? ACM-W Europe is inviting proposals to host this celebration, bringing our community together to connect, exchange ideas, and celebrate women in computing. We’re delighted to share the call below, republished from ACM-W Europe’s call for hosting proposals. WomENcourage womENcourage is one ACM-W Celebration which is organized by ACM-W Europe.… Read more: Wish to Host the Next womENcourage (2028)?
Scholar Cohort 2026
Celebrating Talent, Community, and Women in Computing This month, we are pleased to repost an earlier article from ACM-W Asia-Pacific site (originally available at https://acmweurope.acm.org/newsletter-september-2025/), to celebrate the region. Congratulations to the Communications team in Asia-Pacific for this excellent account of such an inspirational event. Scholar Cohort 2026 was successfully held on February 11–12, 2026, bringing… Read more: Scholar Cohort 2026
Celebrating the ACM-W Asia-Pacific and India Regions
By Arati Dixit, Chair, Regional Activities Committee, ACM-W Global Leadership Team Since the start of the year, I’ve been meeting committed local leaders across the ACM-W Asia-Pacific and India regions and celebrating their work. Here are the highlights of three important events that ran in the past few months in our regions. ACM-W Asia Pacific… Read more: Celebrating the ACM-W Asia-Pacific and India Regions
Updates to the ACM Celebration Guidelines and Approval Process
To support consistent, inclusive, and well-coordinated celebrations across the ACM community, we have updated the ACM Celebration Guidelines and Approval Process. These updates clarify regional responsibilities and streamline the tracking and approval of celebrations worldwide, enabling volunteers to deliver meaningful, impactful celebrations across the ACM community. ACM Celebration Approval Process According to the updated process,… Read more: Updates to the ACM Celebration Guidelines and Approval Process