Test-of-Time Papers Process

This document outlines the ACL ToT paper award process, timeline, and steps. It assumes ACL is in summer, between mid June and end of August. The process should start approximately 6 months and a half prior to the ACL.

Please refer to the Test-of-Time motion (February 24, 2020) under #Awards; the relevant components, in particular membership of the two committees, are included at the end of this timeline.

6 months ½ before conference (approximately beginning of January): at the request of the conference officer, and with his/her help, the ACL exec names chair(s) of the award committee; award chairs + conference officer: decide which ACL fellows to ask to serve on award committee

2 weeks later [6 months before conference]: conference officer: email award committee members; conference officer or award committee chairs: ask ACL fellows chosen above; first call to membership for TOT paper nominations

2 weeks later [5 months 1/2]: award committee in place (some may have recused themselves, conference officer finds substitutes), second call to membership for TOT paper nominations. Conference officer: choose expert committee chairs among expert committee members; conference officer and expert committee chairs decide which ACL fellows to ask; conference officer: email expert committee members, and ACL fellows

2 weeks later [5 months]: nominations collected from membership and from award committee members; expert committee in place (some may have recused themselves, conference officer finds substitutes); expert committee chairs decide if more experts are needed, choose them and contact them

3 weeks later [4 months 1 week]: award committee passes short list of nominated papers to expert committee

3 weeks later [3 months 1/2]: expert committee picks winners, its chairs inform ACL exec

1 week later [3 months 1 week]: ACL president informs winners

At conference: formal announcement, award ceremony.

Committee composition (from the ToT motion Feb 24, 2020):

Who nominates: Award committee. It will have two co-chairs, who may be nominated by the ACL exec outside of the categories mentioned below; and will be composed of editors of CL and TACL; the chapter presidents/chairs (other than ACL president); the presidents of all the SIGs, which had a workshop either 25 or 10 years earlier, and are still active; program and general chairs of the relevant conferences (ie ACL 25 and 10 years earlier, and any other relevant chapter conferences / EMNLP); 5 ACL fellows

Who judges: Expert committee, composed of: all ACL conferences’ general chairs, program chairs and ACL presidents in the interval ([current year-5]- [current year-1]); plus 5 ACL fellows. The committee will have two co-chairs. The co-chairs at their discretion can add ad hoc experts to cover specific areas not represented on the committee. Preferably those ad hoc experts would be chosen among ACL fellows.