Transitioning to ACM Open
ACM is transitioning to ACM Open (AO) — 100% open access — effective January 1, 2026. With 1,800+ (and counting) institutions signed up already for AO, approximately 70% of ACM authors will be AO-covered and not need to pay for publishing.
In March 2025, the ACM Council voted to approve an AO transition plan, towards ensuring that ACM does not lose authors in this move to open access. 2026 conferences will have an Article Processing Charge (APC) of $250 for ACM members and $350 otherwise. Authors are encouraged to use this transition year to help bring their institutions into the AO program. Conferences taking place in 2026 are encouraged to clearly and consistently communicate upcoming changes to their target audiences in calls for papers.
For those who are not AO-covered, please note:
If any of your co-authors on a publication is AO-covered, then you will not need to pay the APC for any APC-eligible publication (see below).
Depending on the country you live and work in, you may be eligible to receive a 50%/100% auto-waiver from ACM (see list).
Your institution may have allocated funds to cover your APC; please ask.
If you are still not covered by the above, your conference/SIG will try to cover your APC for APC-eligible articles published in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: For a publication date of 2026, how do I determine whether I need to pay for my publication at a conference, and how much?
A: For 2026, the short answer is hopefully $0. But there are multiple steps to take and questions to ask before getting to that number.
First check whether your contribution is APC-eligible (see below). The answer is not always straightforward; you may need to communicate with your conference Technical Program Chairs (TPCs) to find out.
If your contribution is APC-eligible, then an APC needs to be covered by you and/or one of your co-authors.
Determine whether any of the authors is AO-covered, and if not, then the minimum amount that needs to be covered.
Is any author from an AO institution? See list. https://libraries.acm.org/acmopen/open-participants
Is any author eligible for a waiver? See list.
If no author is from an AO institution, is an author able to cover the APC from their institution? There are many institutions who have made the explicit choice to cover APCs for their authors but not subscribe to AO.
Depending on the answer to the above questions, the SIG and conferences will work to cover the remainder of the APC, as needed.
Q2: Are the APCs stated above likely to change for 2026?
A: No. These are the charges the ACM Council has voted on.
Q3: What happens in 2027?
A: As we gather more data on our conferences and publication numbers, and based on our financial standing, as well as coordinating with other SIGs, we will determine our approach for 2027. We will also wait to hear ACM’s approach for this second year of the transition.
Q4: Is my contribution APC-eligible?
A: This question is easier to answer for certain categories of contributions. For example, research articles are always APC-eligible. Short papers are a more nebulous category, and you may need to check with the Technical Program Chairs or journal Editors-in-Chief. For particular types of conference contributions, the conference may reserve the right to decide what is or is not APC-eligible. See list.
Q5: Is the above equally applicable for conferences, journals (TOCHI), and magazines (Interactions)?
A: No. Conferences (as well as PACM) will have different APC pricing than journals (which have a higher APC for both members and non-members). And magazines (such as Interactions) will have no APC, because ACM considers most contributions to these as being invitation-driven. This has been approved by ACM Council at least until the end of 2026.
Q6: Who decides on waivers? ACM or the SIG?
A: Waivers will be offered as indicated in the ACM Open plan. SIGs will not have the option to issue waivers. However, SIGs and/or conferences can try to cover the cost of APCs for authors whose institutions are not yet AO-covered.
Q7: For the APC, does it matter who serves as corresponding author?
A: No. As long as any author is AO-covered, the contribution will not be charged an APC.
Q8: Why does ACM want to do this?
A: ACM is doing this as a response to its author community who petitioned for open access ~5 years ago. ACM supports a fully open access future — open access papers get 2–3x more downloads and 70% more citations.
Q9: Does it not defeat the purpose of moving to open access if the SIG covers the costs?
A: Yes and no. We understand that transition to a radically different model of publishing will take time, and there will be unanticipated hurdles to confront along the way. We also expect that some details around implementation will evolve with time, as we see the community transition. At the same time, we hope that authors will be willing to encourage their institutions to sign up for AO coverage.
Q10: Are not authors likely to game the system by, e.g., collaborating with authors for their AO status, by virtue of their institution or country that is covered?
A: This is a possibility, and we note that this will be a violation of ACM’s publication policy if this AO-covered author is not an actual contributor.
Q11: How will this impact my favorite conference?
A: We do not know, but plan to stay in close touch with conferences, and provide whatever support we can in terms of planning. Reducing financial risk is high on our priorities in general.
Q12: Who do I reach out to with more questions?
A: Please write to us, or reach out to your conference chairs.
Q13: I am a conference General/Program Chair. How can I help spread the word?
A: Please add the block of text below to your Call for Papers and other author-facing communications as relevant. Please also share this slide in your opening remarks.