ACL 2026 Conference Registration Phase 1 Opening April 21

We are pleased to announce that registration for the ACL 2026 Conference in San Diego is scheduled to  officially open on Tuesday, April 21. As we prepare for this year’s event, we want to share important updates from the ACL Board and Business Office regarding registration structure, capacity, and pricing.


Onsite Capacity & Phased Registration

ACL 2026 has a maximum onsite capacity of 3,500 attendees per day due to food & beverage constraints and space limitations for plenary events. Attendance beyond this threshold would significantly increase the cost per participant.

While ACL will do its best to accommodate as many onsite participants as possible, we appreciate your patience and cooperation with our three-phase registration rollout.

This approach ensures that:

  • At least one author per paper can present in person
  • Additional authors may attend as space allows
  • Remaining capacity can be made available to the broader community

Registration Phases

Phase 1 – Presenting Author, Sponsors and Employees of Sponsoring Companies/Institutions Only

Presenting Authors (Main, Findings, CL, TACL, Industry, SRW, DEMOS)

  • Early Registration: April 21 – May 5 
  • Late Registration: May 6 – May 11

ACL 26 Sponsors, Employees of Sponsoring Companies/Institutions Registration  

  • Early Registration: April 21 – May 26 if not sold out.
  • Late Registration: May 27 - June 30th if not sold out. 

This exclusive registration period is reserved for 1 author presenting at the conference (the 1 author applies to papers being presented in Main, Findings, Industry, SRW (Student Research Workshop), Demos and Workshop Papers that have received notification).

It also includes Our Sponsors, Employees of the sponsoring companies/institutions for ACL 2026 listed at https://2026.aclweb.org/sponsors/ in recognition of the essential contribution of our sponsors. 

Current Sponsors are: Bloomberg, Capital One, Alibaba Cloud, Megagon Labs, Appen, Meta, Oracle, Apple, Baidu, Adobe, Translated, NatWest Group, ARC, Bablescape, DATAmundi.ai

All papers must be registered for presentation by May 11.  Note that late registration fees will apply after MAY 5th. Note all finding will be included in the proceeds however if you are not registered by May 11th you could miss presenting in-person due to capacity restrictions. 

Employees of sponsoring companies/institutions who are not presenting authors may also register in Phase 2 below as long as space is still available.

Phase 2 – Workshop Authors, Tutorial Presenters, Additional Main Conference Authors and the broader community (Opens May 12)

  • Early Registration rates: May 12 – May 26  If not sold out.
  • Late Registration rates: Late Registration: May 27 - June 30th If not sold out.
  • Onsite Registration rates: Starting July 1 (unlikely to be available for the main conference; may be possible for workshops and tutorials only)

We will actively monitor capacity and provide updates, but those wishing to attend ACL 2026 in person are strongly encouraged to register as early as possible, as the conference is very likely to sell out quickly. The ACL 2026 venue has a maximum capacity of 3500 attendees in person; ACL 2025 in Vienna had over 5000 attendees in person and the San Diego venue was contracted prior to the recent explosive growth of ACL conference sizes.

ACL 2026 Pricing

Due to continued increases in food & beverage, telecommunications, audiovisual (AV), and union labor costs, registration fees have been adjusted for 2026.

To provide context:

  • Food & beverage costs alone can exceed $800 per full conference attendee
  • Presenter-related costs (AV, internet, labor compliance) have also risen significantly

Despite these increases, ACL remains committed to accessibility:

  • We intentionally subsidize student and academic registrations
  • Pricing is structured such that early registrations alone would result in a loss, balanced by late registrations
  • Supporting networking, collaboration, and community engagement remains a priority

Registration Categories

The ACL Executive Committee has established three registration types:

  • Industrial / Non-Academic
  • Academic / Government 
  • Student

Each category includes:

  • Author Paper Presenter Registration
  • Non-presenting attendee registration (discounted)

This ensures:

  • Presenters cover the core costs of presenting
  • Non-presenting participants can attend at a more accessible rate

Author Registration Requirements

  • At least one author per accepted paper must register as an Author Paper Presenter
  • Additional co-authors must register separately
  • Each registration covers up to 2 papers (additional fees apply beyond this)

Contact: aclinfo@yesevents.com to add up to 2 additional papers

Important:

  • Papers not properly registered will not be included in the program or proceedings (all findings will be in the proceeds however if presenting will not be in the program. 

Exceptions

  • Findings papers not being presented do not require paper registration
  • Workshop shared task papers do not require paper registration

If attending, authors in these categories must still register as attendees (standard rate applies).

What Registration Covers

Main Conference

  • In-person: welcome reception, breaks and social event food and beverage, venue space, AV/poster equipment, content platforms, with access to underline up to 1 month after the event.
  • Virtual: internet, AV, delivery infrastructure, content platforms, with access to underline up to 1 month after the event

Tutorials & Workshops

  • In-person: breaks food and beverage, venue space, AV, content platforms, with access to underline up to 1 month after the event. 
  • Virtual:  internet, AV, content platforms, content platforms, with access to underline up to 1 month after the event. 

All fees align with actual participation costs.

Updated Important Author Deadlines
Main Conference Papers

  • All papers must be registered for presentation by: May 11, 2026

Workshop Papers

  • Register by: May 26, 2026 (end of Early Registration)

Invited Speakers
Invited speakers and panelists will receive a registration code. Additional invited speakers must register as attendees. ACL membership is included.

Subsidies and Regional Waivers

  • D&I subsidies remain available to offset registration and travel costs.
  • D&I Subsidy Application Deadline: May 15, 2026, 23:59 PM (UTC-12:00 AOE)
  • Papers with all authors in regions eligible for free/sliding-scale virtual registration may register under those terms.
  • Student Volunteer Subsidy Application Deadline: May 15, 2026, 23:59 PM (UTC-12:00 AOE)
  • If you have submitted a subsidy application, please select the payment option: “I have applied for a DEI, Volunteer, or Workshop Subsidy” Grant notifications are scheduled by May 26, 2026
  • If you have been notified that your subsidy application was denied, your registration will reflect a balance due. You will be responsible for covering this amount. Please note that all outstanding balances must be paid in full to gain entry to the conference.

ACL Membership Policy (January–December 2026)
 All conference attendees must be current ACL members for 2026. So, in addition to the registration fee, each registration will incur the following fees if not already a paid 2026 member:

  • $100 for Industry, Non-Academic, and Academic attendees
  • $50 for Students

 
 Membership Benefits:

  • Valid for the entire calendar year (Jan–Dec 2026)
  • Access to all ACL conferences in 2026without paying membership again
  • Open access to the ACL Anthology, CL Journal, and TACL Journal
  • Electronic notifications of journal issues, calls, and conference/workshop announcements"

Changes & Cancellation Policy

  • Change Fees:
    • No change fees will be applied through May 27, 2026
    • After May 27, a $25 processing fee will apply for:
    • Switching from in-person to virtual
    • Switching from virtual to in-person (if capacity allows)
  • Cancellation Policy:
    • By June 3, 2026: Full refund less the $50 processing fee
    • By June 10, 2026: $200 fee, or option to switch to virtual
    • After June 17, 2026: No cancellations (registration will be switched to virtual)
    • No-shows: No refund

Code of Ethics
Code of Ethics Policy ACL adopts the ACM Code of Ethics (2018), applied in the ACL context. Violations may result in sanctions, including removal from membership. ACL emphasizes:

  • Open exchange of ideas.
  • Respectful scientific debate.Harassment-free participation for all, regardless of race, gender, age, religion, ability, sexual orientation, or identity.
  • Harassment includes intimidation, degrading comments, stalking, unwelcome contact, or sexual attention. Misuse of complaints is also sanctionable.

Anti-Harassment Policy
CL 2026 strictly follows the ACL Anti-Harassment Policy.

  • Anyone experiencing harassment may contact the ACL Professional Conduct Committee or Jennifer Rachford (available on-site at the registration desk).
  • All concerns will remain confidential, with consultation before actions are taken

 

The paper title will be included in your invitation letter.
The Presenting Author Needs to Register the Paper how the paper will be presented. Presenter attendance and presentation type must be the same.