Artificial Intelligence continues to be one of the fastest-growing research fields in the world. Every year, thousands of researchers submit papers to top AI conferences to present breakthroughs in machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, robotics, and computer vision. If you are planning to publish your work in 2026, knowing the best AI conferences and their submission deadlines is essential.
In this guide we list the top academic AI conferences where researchers regularly submit their work — with key details on deadlines, acceptance rates, and indexing status. We also maintain a live, regularly updated directory of upcoming AI conferences accepting submissions right now.
Academic conferences are one of the most important platforms for sharing new research in artificial intelligence. Unlike journals, which can take months or years to publish, conferences provide a faster path to disseminating ideas — and in fast-moving fields like AI, speed matters enormously.
Publishing a paper in a respected AI conference can help you:
Many leading AI conferences are indexed in Scopus, IEEE Xplore, DBLP, and Google Scholar, making publications visible globally and contributing to your citation record. Understanding which conferences carry the most weight in your specific sub-field — whether that is computer vision, NLP, robotics, or reinforcement learning — is the first step to building a strong publication record.
The following conferences are consistently regarded as the most prestigious venues for publishing AI and machine learning research. Each entry includes typical submission windows — note that exact 2026 dates are announced annually by each conference and should be verified on their official websites.
NeurIPS is widely regarded as the most prestigious AI research conference in the world. Attracting over 15,000 submissions annually, it covers the full breadth of machine learning, deep learning, probabilistic models, and AI theory. A NeurIPS paper is a significant career marker in both academia and industry research labs. The conference typically takes place in December.
ICML is one of the oldest and most influential machine learning conferences. Established in 1980, it has a long tradition of publishing groundbreaking algorithmic and theoretical advances. ICML is particularly strong in ML theory, optimization, and learning algorithms, and is widely cited by both academic and applied researchers. Held annually, typically in July.
ICLR focuses specifically on deep learning and representation learning — the theoretical and practical foundations of modern AI. It is known for its pioneering open peer review system, where reviewer comments and author responses are publicly visible. This transparency makes ICLR reviews particularly valuable for improving your paper before the final decision. Held in May.
AAAI is one of the longest-running AI conferences, organized by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence since 1980. It covers a broad range of AI topics including knowledge representation, planning, robotics, computer vision, and natural language processing. AAAI attracts both academic researchers and industry professionals, making it a strong networking venue. Held in February.
IJCAI is a major global conference covering all branches of artificial intelligence. First held in 1969, it is one of the oldest AI conferences and remains highly influential. IJCAI places particular emphasis on applied AI and international reach, rotating venues across different countries annually. Papers are indexed in Scopus and DBLP, with strong recognition across both academic and applied research communities.
Deadline note: All deadlines listed are typical windows based on past years. Always verify exact 2026 dates on each conference's official website before submitting, as dates can shift by several weeks year to year.
| Conference | Focus Area | Typical Deadline | Acceptance Rate | Scopus Indexed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NeurIPS | ML & AI (broad) | May–June | ~20–25% | Yes |
| ICML | ML Theory & Algorithms | Jan–Feb | ~21% | Yes |
| ICLR | Deep Learning | Sep–Oct | ~30% | Yes |
| AAAI | AI Systems, Robotics, NLP | August | ~15–20% | Yes |
| IJCAI | All AI Branches | January | ~20% | Yes |
| CVPR | Computer Vision | November | ~25% | Yes (IEEE) |
| ACL | Natural Language Processing | January–Feb | ~25% | Yes (ACL Anthology) |
Beyond the flagship conferences above, ConferenceSked tracks hundreds of AI and machine learning conferences accepting submissions in 2026 across all sub-fields and regions. Use the filters below to find conferences matching your research area.
With dozens of quality AI conferences to choose from, selecting the right one for your paper requires careful consideration. A paper submitted to the wrong venue — even if accepted — may reach a smaller audience than you need.
AI research is highly specialized. A paper on computer vision should target CVPR, ICCV, or ECCV rather than a general AI conference. A paper on NLP belongs at ACL, EMNLP, or NAACL. Sending your paper to a conference well-known for your specific area ensures reviewers are domain experts and your paper reaches the researchers who will most benefit from your work.
Lower acceptance rates indicate higher competition but also greater prestige. If your paper is a strong contribution, submit to the top venue in your sub-field. If you need a faster or more certain publication path, consider workshops at top conferences or strong second-tier conferences — these still carry significant academic value.
Verify that the conference proceedings are indexed in Scopus, IEEE Xplore, DBLP, or Google Scholar. This determines how discoverable and citable your paper will be. All the top-tier conferences listed in this guide are indexed in multiple databases.
Map out submission deadlines against your own research timeline. Rushing a paper to meet a deadline often produces weaker work. It's better to miss one cycle and submit a polished paper to the next than to submit prematurely and receive a rejection that could have been an acceptance.
Most major conferences host workshops alongside the main program. Workshop papers are often easier to get accepted and still provide significant visibility, especially for early-stage research or position papers. Workshop proceedings are sometimes published in the same proceedings as main track papers.
Best practice: Before submitting to any conference, read 5–10 recent accepted papers from that venue. This tells you the expected writing style, experimental depth, and the kind of contributions that venue rewards. Reviewers are drawn from the same pool as authors at that conference.
Getting a paper accepted at a top AI conference is genuinely challenging — rejection rates above 70% are common at the top venues. These are the factors that most consistently differentiate accepted papers from rejected ones:
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