Challenge Timeline

Key dates and milestones for the XLPSR Challenge at IEEE ICIP 2026

An Official Grand Challenge at IEEE ICIP 2026

Tampere, Finland • 13–17 September 2026

ICIP Logo
Feb 11, 2026 Current Phase

Official Challenge Launch

Challenge documentation, rules, and registration form go live. Participants can begin the registration process to access the dataset and submission platform.

~ Feb 20, 2026 Dataset Release

Development Set Release

The Development Set with full ground truth labels becomes available to approved registrants. This set includes complete low-resolution video frames and license plate annotations for local model development and validation.

March 10, 2026 Public Leaderboard Opens

Public Validation Set Release

The Public Validation Set (without ground truth) is released on CodaBench. Participants can submit their super-resolution outputs for automated evaluation and public leaderboard ranking. Submissions accepted until April 30, 2026.

April 30, 2026 Public Submissions Close

Public Validation Phase Ends

Deadline for public validation submissions. The leaderboard freezes and the organizing team reviews the top-ranked participants.

May 1–12, 2026 Docker Submission Period

Docker Submission for Top Teams

Top-ranked participants receive invitations to submit their Docker containers with the full model. These submissions will be used for blind evaluation on the hidden test set.

May 13, 2026 Final Deadline

Blind Evaluation & Final Submission

Two components due:

  • Docker containers from invited teams are evaluated on the blind test set
  • 2-page extended abstract submission through ICIP 2026 Ex Ordo system
All participants (not just top teams) must submit their extended abstracts by this date.

May 14–31, 2026

Final Evaluation Period

The organizing team evaluates Docker submissions on the blind test set using the automated scoring protocol, followed by expert panel assessment for final winner selection.

June 10, 2026

Extended Abstract Acceptance Notification

Authors are notified about the acceptance of their two-page extended abstracts for inclusion in the ICIP 2026 Grand Challenge proceedings. Feedback may be provided for camera-ready version preparation.

July 1, 2026

Camera-ready Abstract Submission

Deadline for submitting the final camera-ready version of the two-page extended abstract, incorporating any requested changes from reviewers and following IEEE ICIP 2026 formatting guidelines.

13–17 September 2026 Conference

IEEE ICIP 2026 Conference & Winner Announcement

Grand Challenge results and winners are announced during a special session at IEEE ICIP 2026 in Tampere, Finland. Winning teams will be recognized, invited to present their approaches, and receive awards.

Timeline Summary

~10 Days

Registration Window

From launch to development set release

2.5 Months

Development Period

From dev set to final submission

2.5 Weeks

Evaluation Period

Automated & expert assessment

7+ Months

Total Duration

From launch to conference
Dataset Release Schedule
Development Set

~ Feb 20, 2026

With ground truth for local validation

Public Validation Set

March 10, 2026

For public leaderboard ranking