Call for Essays

An Onward! essay is a thoughtful reflection upon software-related technology. Its goal is to help the reader to share a new insight, engage with an argument, or wrestle with a dilemma.

A successful essay is a clear and compelling piece of writing that explores a topic important to the software community. The subject area should be interpreted broadly, including the relationship of software to human endeavors, or its philosophical, sociological, psychological, historical, or anthropological underpinnings. An essay can be an exploration of its topic, its impact, or the circumstances of its creation; it can present a personal view of what is, explore a terrain, or lead the reader in an act of discovery; it can be a philosophical digression or a deep analysis. It can describe a personal journey, perhaps that by which the author reached an understanding of such a topic.

Regardless of its form or subject, an essay must have "meat." It must must provide some insight or argument (and the reader should be left - perhaps after a bit of reflection - in no doubt what the claimed insight or argument is); it should show a keen mind coming to grips with a tough or intriguing problem; it should leave the reader with a feeling that the encounter was worthwhile.

Accepted essays will be presented at the conference, published in the SPLASH 2010 Proceedings, and will appear in the ACM Digital Library. The author or authors of accepted essays may choose the form of the presentation.

Please also review the author guidelines, important dates and our essays committee members. For additional information, clarification, or questions please contact the essays committee chair, Daniel Steinberg, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it