ACM India Outstanding Contributions in Computing by a Woman Award 2026 - Call for Nominations

August 21, 2026

Call for Nominations: ACM India Outstanding Contributions in Computing by a Woman (OCCW) Award

Overview

The ACM India OCCW Award is designed to recognize and celebrate the contributions of women in computing. Beyond the recognition of their professional achievements, the award aims to provide international visibility, serve as a role model for women in computing in India, and nurture future candidates for international honors.

The award includes a prize of ₹7 lakhs.

Deadline

Nominations for the award must be submitted by 15 September 2026, 11 pm IST. This deadline is firm, and the recipient will be announced by 31 December 2026.

Eligibility

  • The candidate’s work must have been carried out primarily in India.
  • The candidate can come from any discipline within the broad scope of computing.
  • The candidate does not need to be an Indian national or a member of ACM.

Additional Nomination Guidelines:

  • Self-nominations are not permitted.
  • The nominator should have firsthand knowledge of the candidate’s contributions and their impact on the computing field.
  • Prior consent from the nominee is required.
  • Nominations can remain under consideration for up to 3 years, and updated materials may be submitted during this period.

Evaluation Criteria

The candidate's contributions will be evaluated based on:

  • Significant contributions to computing, either through research, innovations, or interdisciplinary work (e.g., genomics, human-computer interaction).
  • Demonstrated leadership and efforts to empower and inspire women in computing.

Award Details and Timelines

  • The award includes a plaque and a prize of ₹7 lakhs.
  • The award recipient will be announced by 31 December 2026, with the ceremony taking place at the ACM India Annual Event in early 2027.
  • The awardee will be invited to present a talk on their research at the ACM-W summit, which is co-located with ACM India annual event held in February, with travel and accommodation expenses covered by ACM India.

Submission Process

Nominations for the award should be submitted to https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/acmindiaawards2026 under the “OCCW” track.  A single zip file, following naming conventions given in the CMT submission site, should be uploaded for each nomination.

The submission should include:

  • Contact information for both the nominator and the candidate.
  • A concise (25-word) suggested citation summarizing the candidate’s achievements.
  • A 2-page executive summary explaining why the candidate deserves the award, with particular focus on recent contributions (last 3-5 years), scientific and commercial impact, publications, patents, and work related to inspiring women in computing.
  • The candidate’s CV, listing their publications, patents, honors, and service contributions.
  • Letters of endorsement from three individuals, each offering unique insights into the candidate's contributions.

For any queries, please write to [email protected]