A Look Back at the DARIAH Annual Event 2026

The DARIAH Annual Event 2026 in numbers:

• 275 registered participants from 37 countries

• 197 submissions

• 126 accepted submissions

• 7 panel sessions

• 15 paper sessions

• 59 posters and demos

• 11 DARIAH Working Group meetings

This record number of submissions underscores the growing vitality and diversity of the DARIAH community and the wider digital arts and humanities landscape. The breadth of topics and methodologies represented in the accepted contributions reflected the conference's ambitious theme of engaging diverse communities in the development of research infrastructures. The invaluable work of DARIAH-IT in coordinating the event this year was an essential part of its success.

Event Structure and Programme

The 2026 event kicked off with an internal day of DARIAH bodies meetings and Working Groups meetings, providing crucial opportunities for infrastructure partners and community leaders to align on strategic priorities. This was followed by three packed conference days featuring a rich programme of papers, panels, posters and demo sessions, along with presentations from the 11 DARIAH Working Groups showcasing their latest projects and outputs.

An opening round table chaired by Susan Schreibman (Maastricht University) brought together three researchers working at the intersection of digital infrastructure, cultural heritage and public engagement, Jenny Bergenmar (University of Gothenburg), Marianne Ping Huang (Aarhus University) and Sanita Reinsone (University of Latvia). The panel discussed examples of crowdsourcing collaborations and participatory design in the cultural and creative sectors, addressing also questions of sustainability, working with sensitive personal material responsibly, and how to stay engaged in a public sphere that can be hostile to arts and humanities research.

The conference days were also highlighted by a keynote speech from Andreas Fickers on "Transmedia storytelling and the challenges of shared authority in digital public humanities". This keynote captured the essence of the year's theme, addressing how digital infrastructures can facilitate new forms of collaborative knowledge production and public engagement while maintaining scholarly rigor and integrity.

Across the three conference days, the diverse programme of presentations exemplified the current state of digital research in the arts and humanities. Paper sessions addressed cutting-edge research utilizing digital methods, workflows, and computational analysis. Poster and demo sessions showcased innovative tools, platforms, and work-in-progress projects. Panel discussions brought together experts and practitioners to discuss critical issues facing digital research communities.

A selection of pictures from the event are published in this DARIAH Annual Event 2026 Google Photos album.

All 36 posters can be found in this gallery on the annual event website.

Would you like to have a look at the papers and presentations from this event? Check the Book of Abstracts deposited on Zenodo.