Paper Submission Instructions

General Information

All papers will be included in the ACM Digital Library. For any paper to be accepted into the ACM Digital Library, it must be submitted in an electronic format which conforms to ACM SIG formats using official ACM templates. Moreover, papers must adhere to ACM copy-editing rules. Finally, there are specifications of page and word limits imposed by GECCO. This information is detailed in the sections below.

Papers must be submitted through the paper submission website.

The Full and Poster-only papers submitted to GECCO will be rigorously reviewed in a double-blind review process and they should be ANONYMIZED. This means that they should NOT contain any element that may reveal the identity of their authors. This includes author names, affiliations, and acknowledgments. Moreover, any references to any of the author's own work should be made as if the work belonged to someone else.

Page and Word Limits

All papers uploaded through linklings are subject to a 25MB size limit. Similarly, supplementary material are subject to a 10MB limit.

Full papers
Maximum number of words in the abstract: 200. Maximum number of pages: 8 (excluding references).

Poster-only papers
Maximum number of words in the abstract: 200. Maximum number of pages: 4 (including references).

Late-Breaking Abstracts
Maximum number of pages: 2 (including references).

Hot Off the Press
Maximum number of pages: 2 (including references).

Competition Entries
Maximum number of pages: 2 (including references).

Student Workshop Papers
Maximum number of words in the abstract: 200. Maximum number of pages: 4 (including references).

Workshop Papers
Warning: Workshops are allowed to change this limit up to the limits stated below. The limits for specific workshops may therefore be more strict than this limit. Please refer to the workshop's description and/or website for any changed limits.

Maximum number of words in the abstract: 200. Maximum number of pages: 8 (excluding references).

ACM Formats and Templates

Submissions that do not conform to the ACM SIG standards, templates, and formats will be returned to the author for corrections and/or alterations. The page size for this ACM publication is US Letter (8-1/2x11 inches).

\documentclass[dvipsnames,format=sigconf,anonymous=true,review=true]{acmart}

import matplotlib
matplotlib.rcParams['pdf.fonttype'] = 42
matplotlib.rcParams['ps.fonttype'] = 42

Camera-Ready Instructions

\acmDOI{10.1145/nnnnnnn.nnnnnnn} % To be updated after completing copyright process
\acmISBN{978-x-xxxx-xxxx-x/YY/MM} % To be updated after completing copyright process
\acmConference[GECCO '26]{The Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference 2026}{July 13--17, 2026}{San José, Costa Rica}
\acmYear{2026}
\copyrightyear{2026}

import matplotlib
matplotlib.rcParams['pdf.fonttype'] = 42
matplotlib.rcParams['ps.fonttype'] = 42

Copy-Editing Rules

import matplotlib
matplotlib.rcParams['pdf.fonttype'] = 42
matplotlib.rcParams['ps.fonttype'] = 42

\begin{CCSXML}
<ccs2012>
<concept>
<concept_id>10010147.10010257.10010293.10011809.10011813</concept_id>
<concept_desc>Computing methodologies~Genetic programming</concept_desc>
<concept_significance>500</concept_significance>
</concept>
</ccs2012>
\end{CCSXML}

ACMs new Open Access publishing model for 2026 ACM Conferences (New) 

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 APC Waivers and Discounts Policy. 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.

Additionally, SIGEVO will provide an additional subsidy of $125 to papers accepted to GECCO 2026 (and only for 2026) that are subject to APCs. This will make the final amounts to be paid:

• $125 (USD) for SIGEVO members
• $225 (USD) for non-members

It is IMPORTANT to mention that both forms of subsidy (by ACM and by SIGVO) only apply to GECCO 2026. Moreover, it is still to be determined how the SIGEVO subsidy will be implemented, either directly to the APC or in other forms.

Finally, we note that APC charges apply to accepted Full Papers, but Abstracts (1-2 pages), Extended Abstracts (1-4 pages) and Tutorials ARE NOT APC Eligible; i.e., an APC will not have to be paid for these types of contributions.

ACM Authorship and Peer Review Policies on Generative AI (New) 

GECCO follows the official ACM policies on authorship and peer review, including the use of generative AI tools.

Under ACM's Authorship policy, generative AI tools and technologies cannot be listed as authors of an ACM published Work. The use of generative AI tools and technologies for assistance must be fully disclosed in the manuscript's Acknowledgments section. Authors are fully accountable for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of all submitted material.

In accordance with ACM's Peer Review policy, reviewers must not upload or share submitted manuscripts or review materials with generative AI systems. Reviewers may use generative AI or tools with the sole purpose of improving the quality and readability of reviewer reports for the author.

ACM is actively developing tools to help identify improper AI use in submissions, and GECCO may employ available detection methods. Submissions found to violate ACM policies may be rejected.