We would like to announce a new paper category, the Competition Section. Competitions between AI systems are now well established in AI, for example in speech and language, planning, auctions, games, to name a few. The scientific contributions associated with the systems entered in these competitions are routinely submitted as research papers to conferences and journals, and we continue to welcome the submissions to AIJ of such papers. However, it has been more difficult to find suitable venues for papers summarizing the objectives, results, and major innovations of a competition. The new section tries to fill this void.
Competition Section papers will describe the competition, its criteria, why it is interesting to the AI research community, the results (including how they compare to previous rounds, if applicable), and give a summary of the main technical contributions to the field manifested in systems participating in the competition. The exposition should be accessible to a broad AI audience. Papers may be supplemented by online appendices giving details of participants, problem statements, test scores, and even competition-related software. An example of the kind of paper that might be published in this new section is [1]. The paper submission process is the same as for all other AIJ articles. If you have questions or suggestions, feel free to contact Gerhard Lakemeyer, who serves as the first Competition Section Editor.
Of course, the success of this new paper category depends on how it is received and filled with life by the community. Hence, we especially ask those among you who are involved with competitions to spread the word. We are very much looking forward to your submissions!