Submissions Closed.
Do you have research or have you come across research that should have wider reach because of its importance to the daily lives of people and communities? Are you impressed with high-quality narrative and explainer videos or short documentaries that millions of people online find compelling and share with their communities? Here is your chance to receive funding of up to $10,000 USD and mentorship to support producing your own 15 to 45 minute video exploring a topic relevant to the FAccT community. Your video will be presented as a “Community Keynote” at the ACM FAccT 2022 Hybrid conference.
Building on the successes of the 2021 ACM FAccT conference, the 2022 Chairs are issuing a call for applications to support innovative and highly-produced video content on any topic in the broad area of fairness, accountability and transparency in sociotechnical systems. This call is open to teams from all corners of the FAccT community and beyond. Community Keynote videos can be short documentary films, animated explainers, or video explainers paired with interviews with notable researchers, creators, activists, or community members. This is an experiment; we offer some ideas below, but they are intended only to illustrate the concept—we encourage applicants to submit ideas that we have not anticipated. For these videos, we are looking for more than talking heads with slides. For creative inspiration, we recommend looking at e.g. the style and format of Vox Explainer videos.
The Community Keynotes will be screened during one of the conference plenary sessions, with both a live and a virtual Q&A. They will afford an opportunity to reach the entire FAccT audience and beyond.
The Community Keynotes call is being supported by Professor Barry Lam, the creator of Slate’s Hi-Phi Nation, a highly successful podcast that explores philosophical ideas through narrative journalism. Barry will join the selection committee, and will provide the successful candidates with mentorship and inspiration as they develop their project (General Chairs will also be available for mentorship and guidance).
Eligibility. Anyone can apply—individuals or teams.
Requirements: A short budget detailing how the financial support would be used. Eligible expenses include recording and editing equipment, travel and other recording costs. A 300 word abstract and a 1-2 page pdf (A4/Letter sized, 11pt or greater font, 2cm or greater margins) that includes a link to a video no longer than 5 minutes hosted on any suitable video hosting platform. Your abstract, pdf, and video must address the following.
Topic. What topic in the broad area of fairness, accountability and transparency in sociotechnical systems will your Community Keynote be addressing? This will be the specific question your video will address. For example, “My topic will be how the Spotify algorithm contributed to the uniformity of pop songs and how this constrains new songwriters.”
How Will This Topic Be Presented and Engaged with in the Video? Who will be involved in addressing this topic and how will they do it in the video. For example, “the video will contain a narrator, who will be interviewing a music producer, a person who worked on the Spotify algorithm, and a scholar of popular music in the streaming era.” Or “the video will follow a single songwriter who tries to game the algorithm in her songwriting.”
Other examples (not exhaustive)
Visual Elements. What will be the visual elements in your video (talking heads with slides will not be competitive). Examples include.
Assessment criteria. The selection panel will be looking for potential to pair an innovative and visually interesting aesthetic with relevant substantive content. High production values are not required for the application video. It is more important that your video contain the information we are requesting above, but you may include visual samples if you believe it will be more informative for the selection panel.
DEI focus. We are especially interested in spotlighting voices and concerns that receive inadequate attention, and particularly welcome submissions from members of underrepresented communities in the FAccT area, and in particular from the global South.
Funding conditions. Funds can be paid in one of three formats (and can be split between these formats)
1. An ACM Conference Award of a $10,000 lump sum, subject to US IRS Miscellaneous Income Tax Reporting (Form 1099). Recipient must provide the appropriate tax information to ACM through our tax form collection page. For those receiving payment in the US, a W9 must be completed. For payments made outside the US, a W8 is required. US-based recipients are paid via direct deposit (or check if preferred). Recipients outside the US are paid via wire transfer. Once a speaker submits a payment request, it can take up to 15 business days to receive payment.
2. Reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred, including travel and relevant services, but excluding equipment.
3. Payment to a tax-exempt organisation (such as the host university, for use as research funds). Individuals who wish to donate their honorarium to a 501c3 organization are required to provide an email with the following information and documents: Donation Amount, Banking Information for Wire Transfer, Name of the Organization, Tax ID of the Organization, IRS Determination Letter, W9 for the Organization; or copy of the most recent Form 990 (not more than 15 months old)
Selection panel. The selection panel will be formed by the General Chairs, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chairs, together with expert advice from Professor Barry Lam.
Conflict of Interest Policy. The selection process will abide by the ACM policy stated here:. We are therefore unable to accept submissions from those who stand in one of the following relationships to the selection committee:
Submission management platform. Apply at (select the Community Keynotes Track)
Submission deadline. February 18, AOE. Results expected mid-March.