September 15-17, 2026

Hamburg, Germany 

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to share that the preliminary programme for SEASON 2026 is now available. 

SEASON (the Search Engines and Society Annual Conference) is an interdisciplinary conference series examining search engines as cultural, societal, political, and technical artefacts, and their role in everyday practices.

On behalf of the Search Engines and Society Network, we invite you to join us for the 2026 edition, to be held at HAW Hamburg, Germany, from 15–17 September 2026.

Following the success of SEASON 2025, which brought together an engaged and diverse international community of researchers, practitioners, and students, this year's edition continues SEASON's mission as a dedicated conference series for critical and interdisciplinary research on search engines and their societal implications. 

The three-day programme features keynotes, paper presentations, posters, and interactive sessions, including: 

- Political bias and elections

- Everyday practice and communities

- Literacy and education

- AI overviews and trust

- Health and high-stakes information

- AI answers, podcasts, and behaviour

- Methods and infrastructure

- SEO, GEO, and visibility

- Critical and theoretical perspectives

The programme also includes a poster session, conference dinner, a SEASON community meeting, a film screening, and a dedicated workshop day on 17 September covering tools and methods for search engine research.

Keynote speakers:

- Prof. Dr. Thomas Höppner (Geradin Partners) : "Impact of Search Engines on Society: Lessons from Antitrust Cases"

- Prof. Dr. Katrin Weller (GESIS: Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences & Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf) :"From Regulation to Research: Navigating the Digital Services Act's Article 40 in Search Studies"

Now that the programme is out, registration is open, with early bird rates available until 1 August 2026 (€200 regular / €100 student). From 2 August 2026, standard rates apply (€250 regular / €150 student).

Please find the full programme here: https://easychair.org/smart-program/SEASON2026/

Register for SEASON 2026 via EasyChair: https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=season2026 

SEASON 2026 Website: https://searchenginesandsociety.net/season-2026/

We look forward to welcoming you in Hamburg.

With best regards,

The SEASON 2026 Organizing Team