CFP | GamiFIN 2027 | 11th Annual International Conference on Gamification | Pyhä, Lapland, Finland

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11th Annual International GamiFIN Conference 2027

March 15-19 – Pyhä, Lapland, Finland.

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–    Important dates

–    Themes

GamiFIN will again be held in the snowy and magical Lapland of Finland! 

GamiFIN 2027 conference welcomes several types of submissions, including workshop proposals and doctoral consortium applications. The conference offers two main submission categories: Proceedings Submissions and Presentation-Only Submissions. 

Proceedings Submissions are archival contributions that will be published in the ACM International Conference Proceedings Series (ACM ICPS). These submissions include Research Articles, Work-in-Progress Papers, Posters, Demos, and Workshop Proposals. The submissions will undergo a suitability desk-screening, and those accepted for review will be forwarded to the Program Committee. The accepted contributions will feature in the main conference session. Posters and Demos will also be exhibited in the sessions allocated for this purpose. 

In addition to proceedings-published submissions, GamiFIN includes a presentation-only track for high-quality contributions accepted for presentation at the conference but not published in the ACM proceedings. This track includes Development Papers, Spotlights, Exhibits, Extended Abstracts* and Doctoral Consortium Notes. These submissions are non-archival contributions intended for sharing emerging ideas, practical insights, ongoing projects, and interactive experiences without publication in the proceedings. Accepted presentation-only contributions will be presented in dedicated demonstration and poster sessions, paper development workshop, or doctoral consortium as part of the conference programme. 

*Extended abstracts are submissions for the special-themed workshops. These will be announced in January.

Important Dates

–26 October 2026: SSubmission deadline for proceedings contributions, including Full Research Articles, Work-in-Progress Papers, Demos, Posters, and Special Themed Workshop Proposals*.  

* This year, besides featuring special-themed workshops organized by experts invited by the conference chairs, we WELCOME YOUR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS through this open call. All proposals will undergo peer review, and the TWO selected for implementation at the conference will be published in the proceedings. 

– 30 November 2026: Notification of Acceptance/(Desk) Rejection for proceedings submissions 

*Authors of (desk) rejected submissions may be invited to transfer their work to the publication-only category.

– 21 December 2026: Camera-ready deadline for accepted proceedings contributions

– 4 January 2027 : Final Decision Notification for revised proceedings-eligible submissions 

– 11 January 2027: Presenter registration deadline for accepted proceedings-eligible submissions

– 11 January 2027: Submission deadline for presentation-only contributions, including Development papers (to be presented in the Paper Development Workshop), Spotlights, Exhibits, and Doctoral Consortium Notes. 

– 25 January 2027: Notification of Acceptance or Rejection for presentation-only submissions. 

– 22 February 2027: Registration deadline for all participants and general attendees

– 22 February 2027: Submission deadline for Extended Abstracts (to be presented in the Special Themed Workshops). 

– 15–19 March 2027: Conference dates.

Please check the contributions and presentation tracks carefully

Deadlines are Anywhere on Earth – you can check what that means to you here: 

https://time.is/Anywhere_on_Earth


FORMATS

To be published in ACM ICPS proceedings

Research Articles

Work in Progress*

Demos

Posters

Workshop Proposals (Extended abstracts)**

For presentation and discussion only

Development Paper  (for paper development workshop)

Exhibition work (to be displayed and presented along the Demos)

Spotlights  (to be displayed and presented with the Posters)

Doctoral Consortium Notes

Extended Abstracts (to be presented in the themed workshops)

* WIP accepted for publication in the proceedings will also be presented as part of the conference program.

** Only two participant-proposed workshops will be selected. The other two special-themed workshops featured in the conference will be organized by the program chairs. Workshop notes may be submitted on a later date, closer to the conference. These submissions will be announced separately. 

 

Themes

Gamification is a multi-faceted phenomenon that affects many domains of human life. Therefore, we welcome submissions related to this ludic transformation of reality under several domains and related (but not limited) to the following keywords:
 
– Users: e.g., Engagement, experience, user types
– Education: e.g., Gamification in education, serious games, game-based learning, games & math
– Media: e.g., Esports, streaming, social media and gamification, gamification in journalism & media
– Commerce: e.g., Business models, free-to-play, gambling, gamification in marketing/advergaming
– Work: e.g., Organizational gamification, gameful work, gamification in leadership, playbour
– Technology: e.g., Virtual reality, augmented reality, internet of things, wearables, AI, machine learning, privacy, security
– Toys & play: e.g., Toy play, toy design/creation, toys in education, internet of toys, toyfication, roleplay
– Health: e.g., Quantified self, games & gamification for health, COVID-19, mental health
– Culture: e.g., Ludification, history of games and gamification, gamification in society, social structures, storyfication
– Environment/Climate: Bioeconomy, climate-change engagement, circularity, human/forest interactions
– Governance: e.g., democracy, participation, law enforcement, e-justice, cyber forensics, urban planning, smart and playable cities, surveillance
– Design: e.g., Design principles, design methods, designing gamification, gamification artifacts, playful and speculative design
– Theories/concepts/methods: Contributions to science around gamification
– Critical approach to gamification: detrimental effects of gamification or metrification, aspects of poor quality of gamification and gamification research, extrinsic control, panopticon society, de-gamification
– Esports & exergaming: e.g., players/users, health, law, coaching, governance, business models and sponsorship, cultural expression, platforms
 
 

Submission guidelines

All submissions, whether they will be ACM-published or presentation-only, including Research articles, Posters, WIP Papers, and Demonstrations, are required to use the ACM single-column template. Templates are available in both LaTeX (including Overleaf) and Word formats:

 
In LaTeX and Overleaf, please use the following command in the document preamble \documentclass[manuscript,review,anonymous]{acmart}
 
Word limits per submission type apply to all content, including figures, tables, or other elements typically found in an article, and exclude references or appendices.
 
Submissions must be in PDF format and prepared for double-anonymous peer review, with all identifying information removed. Official ACM downloadable templates and instructions are available at:
 
Accepted ACM-published papers will be published in the ACM International Conference Proceedings Series (ICPS), included in the ACM Digital Library, and indexed in Scopus, DBLP, Web of Science, and EI Compendex.
 
To submit, click here.
 
When considering which submission category to choose, such as Research Articles, Work-in-Progress papers, Demos, or Posters, we encourage authors to carefully evaluate the maturity and quality of their work before submission. All submission types will undergo peer review and are expected to meet appropriate academic and professional standards. Different categories are designed to support different stages and forms of research contribution. 
 

Formatting information for each submission category

  • 1. Research articles
    • Length: 5000-8000 words (excluding references)
    • Accepted submissions will be published in the ACM proceedings and presented in the assigned paper session.
    • Submission deadline: ACM-published deadline (10.11.25). Research articles are only accepted to be submitted by this deadline. After the ACM-published deadline, papers may be submitted as WIP (see guidelines below). Research articles accepted as presentation-only will be transported to WIP presentation-only acceptances.

  • 2. Work-In-Progress (WIP) papers

    • Length: 1000-3000 words (excluding references)
    • Should describe ongoing research: research plans, preliminary results only, expected contributions
    • To be presented in the conference program and/or paper development session
    • Peer-reviewed; accepted submissions will be published in the proceedings only if submitted by the deadline (26.10.26)
    • Submissions made after the October 26th deadline, if accepted, will be considered Development Papers  for presentation at the paper development workshop 

  • 3. Demonstrations

    • Length: 1000-3000 words (excluding references)
    • Should describe digital or physical artifacts, prototypes, or gamification-related solutions
    • Presented as exhibits or posters during demonstration and poster sessions
    • Peer-reviewed; accepted submissions will be published if submitted by 26.10.26
    • Submissions made after that deadline, if accepted, will be considered Exhibition work for presentation-only

  • 4. Posters

    • Length: 1000-2000 words (excluding references)
    • Suitable for work that does not fit other categories but aligns with conference themes
    • Presented as posters during the demonstration and poster sessions
    • Peer-reviewed, accepted submissions will be published in the proceedings if submitted by 26.10.26. Submissions made after this deadline, if accepted, will be considered Spotlights for presentation-only.

  • 5. Themed workshop proposals

  •  This year, the conference invites participants to organize and host special-themed workshops related to gamification research and practice. Workshop proposals should describe the workshop topic, objectives, relevance to GamiFIN, expected contribution to gamification research, intended participants, expected number of participants, and the planned structure and dynamics of the session . Participants interested in organizing and hosting a special-themed workshop should submit their extended abstracts considering the following specifications:  

    • Length: 1000–3000 words, excluding references. 
    • Workshop duration: 3 hours
    • Include a clear outline of the 3-hour workshop format, including planned activities, discussions, hands-on components, or group work.
    • Proposals must also specify practical requirements, including the preferred room size, expected room layout, time needed for setup or cleanup, and any material, technical, or space needs. This may include requirements such as movable tables and chairs, a projector, audio, whiteboards, flipcharts, sticky notes, Wi-Fi, power outlets, software, devices, printed materials, or open floor space.
    • Workshop proposals must be submitted as extended abstracts using the ACM single-column review submission format (mentioned above). Authors preparing their submission in Microsoft Word must use the ACM Submission Template / Review Submission Format.  
All workshop proposals, if suitable, will undergo peer review, and two will be selected to be delivered during the conference and to be published in the proceedings. The hosts will take responsibility for coordinating the organization with the conference team. 
Please submit your Workshop proposals by October 26, 2026.
SUBMISSIONS FOR PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION – GENERAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE 11.01.2027 (except Extended Abstracts for workshops)
 
  • 6. Development papers
    • Length: 1000-3000 words (excluding references)
    • Peer-reviewed for presentation, not for publication in proceedings
    • Accepted submissions will be presented and discussed during the Paper Development Workshop

    • PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH PAPERS AND WORK IN PROGRESS THAT WERE NOT ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE PROCEEDINGS CAN BE RESUBMITTED IN THIS CATEGORY IF RECOMMENDED BY THE PC MEMBERS.  

    •  

7. Exhibits*

    • Length: 1000-3000 words (excluding references)
    • Should describe digital or physical artifacts, prototypes, or gamification-related solutions
    • To be exhibited and presented during the demonstration and poster sessions
 
    •  

8. Spotlights*

    • Length: 1000-2000 words (excluding references)
    • Suitable for work that does not fit other categories but aligns with conference themes
    • Presented as posters during the demonstration and poster sessions

Peer-reviewed demonstrations and posters that were not accepted for publication in the proceedings can be resubmitted in categories 6, 7, and 8 if recommended by the PC members.

    •  

9. Doctoral Consortium notes (submission deadline 11.01.2027)

    • Eligibility: Submissions are open to current PhD students whose research aligns with the conference themes. 
    • A research summary 1000-5000 words (excluding references) covering the topic, goals, research questions, methods, theoretical frameworks, current progress, and preliminary results
    • A curriculum vitae (CV)
    • Accepted submissions will be presented in the doctoral consortium and receive feedback from a panel of senior scholars. Doctoral consortium note submissions will not be published in the proceedings.
 
    •  

10. Extended abstracts to themed workshops

    • Detailed submission instructions will be announced and updated after the themed workshops have been confirmed and accepted. 
  •  
 
 
Upon acceptance, authors will receive further submission instructions for their camera-ready work.
 
 

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