Introducing Workshops, Tutorials, and Community Events at COLT 2025!
We are excited to announce a brand-new initiative at the upcoming Conference on Learning Theory (COLT) in Lyon, France. For the first time, COLT will dedicate a day during the main conference program (June 30 - July 4) exclusively to contributed and invited workshops, tutorials, and community-building events. We invite proposals for these in-person events, and further details can be found below.
Our goal is to use this additional programming to enhance the overall conference experience. We hope this initiative will provide a valuable additional avenue, beyond peer review, for community members to participate in shaping the conference’s programming. We are also excited about the opportunities these events will create for exploring enriching topics that may currently be outside the mainstream focus of COLT, increasing interactions among participants, and fostering a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere for all.
Since this initiative is new, we expect that some of the logistics will evolve along the way. We are grateful for your patience, suggestions, and feedback as we figure out the best way to serve our community. We look forward to your proposals, which we ask you to submit by email on or before April 18th AoE, and to welcoming you all to COLT 2025!
Tutorials
We invite proposals for tutorials to be held at COLT 2025. Tutorials provide an opportunity to educate the community about emerging topics of interest or toolkits that merit additional attention from our community. A tutorial is an excellent opportunity to invite colleagues and those new to our community to get excited about a well-defined topic, prepare them to dive into the literature, and guide them to the most exciting developments.
While some logistical details are still being finalized, proposers should plan for tutorials lasting approximately two hours, ideally structured as two one-hour sessions with a break in between. Requests for alternative durations or formats are welcome and will be considered. Tutorials will likely be held on June 30, though the schedule is subject to change.
Tutorial proposals should be approximately 2-3 pages long and include:
- Title of the tutorial
- Names, affiliations, email addresses, and short biographies of the
organizers
- A short abstract (one paragraph)
- A detailed outline of the tutorial schedule, content, and
presenters
- Goals, significance, and timeliness of the tutorial
- Target audience and any prerequisite knowledge
- (Optional) Information on any previous versions of this tutorial. You may include previous tutorial slides as appendices to your proposal.
Tutorial proposals should be emailed to colt2025community@gmail.com with the subject line starting with [COLT 2025 Tutorial Proposal].
Workshops
We invite proposals for technical workshops to be held at COLT 2025. Workshops offer a unique opportunity to gather researchers and practitioners to discuss and explore emerging areas of research in an interactive and informal setting. Workshop activities may include invited talks, contributed talks, panel discussions, poster sessions, or other innovative formats designed to foster dialogue and stimulate new research ideas.
Some logistical details for workshops are still being finalized. However, proposers should plan for workshops lasting up to three hours, including a 30-minute coffee break. Alternative durations and formats can be requested and will be considered. Workshops will likely be held on June 30, though the schedule is subject to change.
Workshop proposals should be approximately 2-3 pages long and include:
- Title of the workshop
- Names, affiliations, email addresses, and short biographies of the
organizers
- A short abstract describing the theme and objectives of the
workshop
- The tentative schedule of the workshop
- If the workshop includes invited speakers, provide a list of
confirmed or tentative invited speakers. We recommend securing
confirmation from at least 50% of the invited keynote speakers prior to
submitting the proposal.
- If the workshop includes contributed content, provide a brief
overview of the reviewing process, including submission and notification
deadlines. We recommend disseminating a call for workshop contributions
by May 1, with submissions due no earlier than May 15 and notifications
sent out no later than June 1.
- (Optional) Information on previous versions of the workshop
Workshop proposals should be emailed to colt2025community@gmail.com with the subject line starting with [COLT 2025 Workshop Proposal].
Community Events
We invite proposals for community events, including affinity workshops, mentoring activities, socials, and other events focused on community-building activities. These events may contain some technical content but their primary goal should be to enhance community engagement, inclusivity, and fostering meaningful interactions between the participants.
Community events can vary significantly in format and length. We will consider proposals for some longer events that are up to three hours, including a 30-minute coffee break. But we expect majority of the proposals will be for events that are significantly shorter, such as socials or panel discussions. Requests for different formats and event lengths are encouraged and will be thoughtfully considered.Longer community events will likely be held on June 30 while shorter events may happen at other times during June 30-July 4. The schedule is still subject to change.
Community event proposals should ideally be 1-3 pages long and include:
- Title of the event
- Names, affiliations, email addresses, and short biographies of the
organizers
- A description of the event’s theme and intended goals
- Intended audience (attendance should generally be open to all COLT
participants)
- Proposed event schedule, including duration
- (Optional) If the event includes invited speakers or panelists, we
recommend securing confirmation from at least 50% of the invited
participants prior to submitting the proposal
- (Optional) Information on previous iterations of the event held at COLT or other venues
Community event proposals should be emailed to colt2025community@gmail.com with the subject line starting with [COLT 2025 Community Event Proposal].