The 20th International Rule Challenge is the premier competitive forum of RuleML+RR 2026, dedicated to benchmarking, validating, and comparing innovative rule-oriented tools, systems, and applications. The challenge bridges theory and practice by fostering solutions relevant to research, industry, and government.
Participants are invited to present solutions to complex real-world problems or to propose new open challenges that can drive future research and evaluation in rule-based reasoning.
Submission categories:
Challenge Proposals: Definitions of rigorous benchmarks, industrial bottlenecks, or novel problems requiring rule-based reasoning. Submissions should include task descriptions, datasets, evaluation criteria, and success metrics.
Challenge Solutions: Empirical evaluations of systems (e.g., benchmarking or comparative analyses), rule-based ML evaluations, industrial case studies, or innovative rule- and model-driven applications.
Key themes include (non-exhaustive):
Rule-based and neuro-symbolic machine learning
Rules and Large Language Models (LLMs)
Explainable AI based on rules
Stream reasoning and Complex Event Processing
Business rules and rule standardization
Graph-relational data and knowledge systems
Rules with ontologies and OBDA
ASP, CLP, higher-order and modal rule systems
Distributed, multi-agent, and rule-based systems
Natural language interfaces for rules
Rules and model-driven engineering
Submission & publication:
Paper length: 8–15 pages
Format: CEUR-WS CEURART (1-column variant)
Proceedings: CEUR Workshop Proceedings
Submissions must be original and written in English
Each paper will be reviewed by at least three reviewers
Submissions should address (when applicable):
Clear problem definition, datasets, and evaluation criteria
Innovation and advancement beyond the state of the art
Concrete use cases and experimental results
Accessibility and user experience
Open science aspects (software, data, formats)
Links to demos, repositories, or project websites
Important dates (AoE):
Paper submission: June 5, 2026
Notification of acceptance: July 3, 2026
Submission site:
https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/DAI2026/
(select the Rule Challenge track)
The Rule Challenge is part of RuleML+RR 2026, co-located with Declarative AI 2026 in Vilnius, Lithuania (Aug 24–26, 2026).
More info:
https://2026.declarativeai.net/events/ruleml-rr