Organizers of the premiere conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques have canceled the 2020 edition, set for July 19-23 in Washington, D.C., due to the COVID-19 pandemic; details of move to virtual conference format will be released in near future.
Organizers of SIGGRAPH 2020 have just announced the cancelation of their upcoming conference, set for July 19-23, in Washington, D.C. The world’s premiere conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques will instead move online as a virtual conference; details of the digital event will be released as soon as available.
Here is the full statement released on the conference website:
HEALTH AND SAFETY
The safety and well-being of conference participants is our top priority. Please bookmark this page for updates that pertain to health and safety at SIGGRAPH 2020.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
24 April 2020: Concerns about the health and safety of conference participants as well as recent news that the Walter E. Washington Convention Center has been designated a future alternate care site during the COVID-19 pandemic make it impossible to host SIGGRAPH 2020 in Washington, D.C. as planned. With this development, we have decided to move to a virtual conference format.
Our conference theme, Think Beyond, will take on new meaning as we move to a virtual footprint. In collaboration with our hundreds of contributors, we look forward to letting our outstanding content shine in our new digital venue. We are confident that we will deliver a strong SIGGRAPH 2020 that celebrates this year’s advancements and achievements in computer graphics and interactive techniques. Additionally, we are optimistic that this new format will allow more of our global community to come together and participate.
As details of this experience become clear, our SIGGRAPH community will be the first to hear.
SIGGRAPH 2020 is the latest is a growing list of animation, VFX, and gaming-related events to cancel or otherwise postpone their 2020 editions, including Comic-Con, Annecy, FMX, ITFS, MIPTV, and GDC. Many, including Annecy, ITFS, and now SIGGRAPH, are quickly pivoting to online editions, with the hopes of bringing some degree of continuity, community, and collaboration in lieu of a physical gathering. AWN will share more details about these and other key event when available.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
