International Women's Day: A Summary of ACM-W India Activities

March 8, 2026

Greetings from ACM-W India to all the members on the occasion of International Women's day!

We summarize key initiatives pursued by the ACM-W India Committee and the ACM India Council on this global day that celebrates the achievements of women. These initiatives stand witness to ACM India's affirmation of women in computing.

Grad Cohort is an annual assembly of women research scholars across India meant to exchange ideas on research in computing and all activities related to research including careers post a research degree. The 2025 Grad Cohort was held at IIT Kanpur in July 2025. Look out for the call for applications for 2026 Grad Cohort very soon!

An annual programming contest and a hackathon exclusively for under-graduate women students culminate in celebratory events that bring together the best of minds for a few days every year. ACM-W student chapters and professional chapters also get together in these celebrations; we welcome proposals from chapters to host more such celebrations.

One summer school and one winter school of ACM India are exclusively for women students, the last one was held in December 2025 at XIM Bhubaneswar on Responsible AI. The call for summer schools is expected soon; we welcome applications for all the schools from the students.

The winner of this year's ACM India Outstanding Contributions to Computing by a Women (OCCW) Award is Prof. S. Krishna, IIT Bombay. Hearty congratulations to Prof. Krishna!  Krishna delivered a lecture on her work at the ACM-W India Annual Event, co-located with the ACM India Annual Event that was held at IIT Hyderabad in February 2026. The event also hosted a unique fish bowl session and an active panel discussion on trending topics in Computing.

Happy Women's Day!

— ACM India Council and ACM-W India Committee.