ACM's Transition to Open Access - January 1, 2026

To: General Chairs and Program Chairs of all ACM conferences to be held in 2026

Dear ACM Sponsored Conference Organizer,

I’m reaching out with important news about ACM’s upcoming transition to Open Access, effective January 1, 2026.

The ACM Open program is designed to help institutions actively support Open Access publishing. We’re proud to share that more than 2,600 institutions worldwide are already participating—covering approximately 76% of all ACM conference papers.

To be included in ACM Open, the corresponding author must be affiliated with a participating institution. For APC-eligible articles (research, short paper, and survey) where none of the authors are currently from participating institutions, an APC will be required.

ACM understands this transition may create financial challenges. To ease the shift and give institutions more time to join ACM Open, the ACM Council has approved a subsidy for 2026 APCs. Authors whose institutions are not yet participating will pay a discounted rate of $250 (ACM/SIG Members) or $350 (Non-Members)—a 65% reduction. We encourage authors to use this transition year to help bring their institutions into the ACM Open program.

Note: ACM is not lowering APCs, but is instead contributing funds to temporarily subsidize APC pricing as the community adjusts to the Open Access program.

ACM supports a fully Open Access future—OA papers get 2–3x more downloads and 70% more citations. Please encourage your authors to support this effort by paying APCs and by urging their institutions to join ACM Open.

For 2026 conferences, please share this information with authors and include it prominently in your Call for Papers, submission pages, and other key spots on your website. Clear, consistent messaging is essential for a smooth transition.

Let me know if anything needs clarification.

With kind regards,

Scott Delman

ACM Director of Publications

 

Please Add the Following Message Block to your Call for Papers and Other Relevant Author-Facing Communications

Important update on ACMs new open access publishing model for 2026 ACM Conferences!

Starting January 1, 2026, ACM will fully transition to Open Access. All ACM publications, including those from ACM-sponsored conferences, will be 100% Open Access. Authors will have two primary options for publishing Open Access articles with ACM: the ACM Open institutional model or by paying Article Processing Charges (APCs). With over 2,600 institutions already part of ACM Open, the majority of ACM-sponsored conference papers will not require APCs from authors or conferences (currently, around 76%).

Authors from institutions not participating in ACM Open will need to pay an APC to publish their papers, unless they qualify for a financial waiver. To find out whether an APC applies to your article, please consult the list of participating institutions in ACM Open and review the https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/policy-on-discretionary-open-access-apc-waivers.  Keep in mind that waivers are rare and are granted based on specific criteria set by ACM.

Understanding that this change could present financial challenges, ACM has approved a temporary subsidy for 2026 to ease the transition and allow more time for institutions to join ACM Open. The subsidy will offer:

• $250 APC for ACM/SIG members
• $350 for non-members

This represents a 65% discount, funded directly by ACM. Authors are encouraged to help advocate for their institutions to join ACM Open during this transition period.

This temporary subsidized pricing will apply to all conferences scheduled for 2026.