Call for Proposals: MakeShift 2026

Digital systems are shaping public life, accelerating the need for community participation and intervention. MakeShift 2026 is an invitation for designers, technologists, researchers, and advocates to reimagine how we design and govern these systems so they are more legible, accountable, and trustworthy in shared and public spaces.

Hosted by Helpful Places, Superbloom Design, and the MFA Interaction Design program at the School of Visual Arts, MakeShift 2026 will take place May 20–21, 2026, in New York City during NYC Design Week, with support from the U.S. National Science Foundation POSE program.

They are now accepting submissions for call for proposals across two tracks:

Track 1 - Propose a Session
They welcome proposals for talks, workshops, roundtables, design sprints, or community gatherings that explore questions around AI accountability, civic technology, digital governance, public infrastructure, and participatory design. Sessions may run up to 90 minutes and should contribute new ideas, practices, or frameworks for designing accountable technology.

Track 2 - Respond to the Design Challenge
Participants may also submit creative projects responding to the Digital Trust for Places & Routines (DTPR) standard—an open-source framework designed to make technologies operating in shared spaces more transparent and understandable.
Projects might include prototypes, research, signage systems, speculative design, installations, or other creative work exploring how design can make digital infrastructure more visible and accountable.
Selected projects will be exhibited during NYC Design Week at the School of Visual Arts and featured as part of the conference program.

Requirements

Who Should Apply?

They welcome submissions from designers, artists, researchers, technologists, civic technologists, digital rights advocates, public-sector innovators, and community organizers working at the intersection of design, technology, governance, and digital justice.

Application Instructions

Submit Your Proposal: The deadline to apply is April 10, 2026

Submission Guide: https://tinyurl.com/makeshiftguide

Apply Here: https://forms.gle/gbVY6rc93JSmPAcU8