[Call for Participation][ISBI 2026] RIVA CERVICAL CYTOLOGY CHALLENGE | IEEE ISBI 2026 | LONDON, UK

[Emmanuel Iarussi]

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RIVA Cervical Cytology Challenge (RIVA-CCC) 

Cell Detection and Classification in Pap Smear Images

IEEE ISBI 2026 — London, UK
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We are pleased to announce the launch of the RIVA Cervical Cytology Challenge (RIVA-CCC), an international competition organized in the context of the IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI 2026), to be held in London during April 2026. The challenge is aimed at the machine learning and computer vision community interested in the automatic analysis of cervical cytology images.

In this challenge, participants are invited to develop models for cell detection and classification in Pap smear images, with the goal of advancing automated decision-support tools for cervical cancer screening. The challenge is based on the RIVA Dataset, a high-quality open dataset with thousands of independent expert annotations, designed as a benchmark for cell detection and classification in conventional cytology.

CHALLENGE TRACKS

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- Track A: Cell detection and classification into 8 diagnostic categories (Bethesda system).

- Track B: Cell detection across diagnostic categories (without classification).

AWARDS

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- Track A: USD 2,000 (1st place) · USD 1,200 (2nd place).

- Track B: USD 1,200 (1st place) · USD 600 (2nd place).

IMPORTANT DATES

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- Dec 15, 2025  : Official launch & preliminary test set release.

- Feb 13, 2026  : End of preliminary phase / start of final evaluation.

- Feb 20, 2026  : End of final evaluation.

- Feb 26, 2026  : Paper submission deadline (IEEE ISBI format).

- Apr 8–11, 2026: Awards ceremony at IEEE ISBI 2026.

PAPER SUBMISSION & ATTENDANCE
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Participating teams are invited to submit a short paper of up to 4 pages (IEEE ISBI format) describing their methods and results. For winning teams, in-person attendance at IEEE ISBI 2026 is mandatory for paper presentation and prize reception. Acceptance of the award implies a commitment to have at least one team representative attend the conference for an oral and/or poster presentation.

 All information (rules, timeline, evaluation metrics, and resources) is available at: https://lia-ditella.github.io/rivachallenge/

We look forward to your participation!

Best,

RIVA Challenge Organizing Team

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