Final call for participation in SemEval 2026 Task 9: Detecting Multilingual, Multicultural and Multievent Online Polarization

[Shamsuddeen Muhammad]

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to participate in SemEval 2026 Task 9: Detecting Multilingual, Multicultural and Multievent Online Polarization

Task page: https://lnkd.in/dHg5UGav

Online polarization is the sharp division and hostility between social, political, or identity groups. Online polarization has become a growing concern, as it often precedes hate speech, offensive discourse, and social fragmentation.

In its extreme form, polarization can create a fragmented society where individuals or groups are unable to engage in constructive dialogue, leading to a breakdown in community cohesion and social unity. Thus, detecting and mitigating polarization before it escalates is crucial to ensure safer and more inclusive online spaces.

For the first time, we introduce a polarization task, aimed at detection of online polarization. The task focuses on the identification of multilingual, multicultural and multievent polarization, capturing the complexity of online discourse across diverse contexts. Participants may participate in one or more of the following three sub-tasks: Polarization Detection, Polarization Type Classification and Polarization Manifestation Identification.

𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻:

*  Subtask 1 – 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: https://lnkd.in/eghjuSmP

*  Subtask 2 – 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: https://lnkd.in/eGYFEvxK

*  Subtask 3 – 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: https://lnkd.in/eHd5iZHF

For any questions or issues, contact us via email:
polarization-semev...@googlegroups.com

Join our Discord: https://lnkd.in/efPy8Fg2

Best,

Shamsuddeen Hassan Muhammad

Google DeepMind Academic Fellow

Imperial College London

https://shmuhammadd.github.io/