Program Synthesis Workshop
Webpage:
Description
Program Synthesis (PS) is the task of automatically generating executable programs from high-level specifications, such as logical constraints, input-output examples, or natural language descriptions. Inside the evolutionary community, PS is often seen as an established application of Genetic Programming (GP), but the broader PS community has developed a variety of different approaches, ranging from program enumeration with constraints, to Monte-Carlo tree search, to Large Language Models (LLMs). In recent years, hybrid approaches combining different techniques have begun to emerge, pushing PS towards better and better results.
A recent publication in the 2025 Genetic Programming: Theory and Practice conference, authored by one of organizers of this workshop, advocated for building a bridge between the evolutionary community and non-evolutionary approaches to PS. Following this idea, this workshop aims to encourage the evolutionary community to focus more on PS, at the same time, creating bridges with other PS approaches, in the hope of obtaining even more performing hybrid forms.
Scope:
The scope of the workshop includes, but is not limited to, the following PS-related topics:
• GP Representations for Program Synthesis (e.g., Tree-based, Linear, Graph)
• Fitness functions (Single vs Multi-objective, Test Integration, Coverage, Specification fulfill-
ment)
• Formal methods for Program Synthesis
• Inductive logic programming
• Deductive Program Synthesis
• LLM-based Program Synthesis
• Agentic approach for Program Synthesis
• Hybrid methods for Program Synthesis
• Program Benchmarks
• Program Synthesis for general AI tasks, such as the Abstraction and Reasoning Corpus1
• Non-conventional applications (e.g., theorem proving, infrastructure configuration)
• Real-world applications of Program Synthesis
Submission format
Full papers and extended abstracts:
- Full papers (8 pages + references): Must cover the ACM Open APC (see below for more information)
- Extended Abstracts (up to 4 pages): Are not eligible for APC - no fee paid by the authors for ACM Open Access. An Extended Abstract provides a summary of a work-in-progress, typically just enough for readers to understand the idea, scope, and potential impact. It often lacks full methodology, detailed results, or extensive references.
Important dates
- Submission opening: February 2, 2026
- Submission deadline:
March 27, 2026April 03, 2026 - Notification: April 24, 2026
- Camera-ready: May 5, 2026
- Author's mandatory registration: May 11, 2026
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 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
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.
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Organizers