We invite proposals for the topic and organizing committee of the 2027 IEEE Video and Image Processing Cup (VIP Cup).

The VIP Cup provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to form teams and collaboratively solve a challenging, real‑world problem in video and image processing. The competition culminates in the selection of three finalist teams, who will present their solutions during a dedicated session at ICIP 2027 and compete for the US $5,000 grand prize.

Click here for competition information. 

Proposal Requirements

Proposals must be submitted by a member of the IEEE Signal Processing Society and should include the following components:

• Topic Description: Formulate a challenging, real‑world problem that is suitable for undergraduate student teams to solve using video and image processing techniques.
• Assessment Criteria: Describe the evaluation methodology, including scoring criteria, procedures for ranking participants’ results, and measures that ensure fairness and reproducibility.
• Dataset: If applicable, specify the datasets required for the task, including details about data sources, format, and any preprocessing considerations.

Note: All proposals must be endorsed by a relevant SPS Technical Committee upon submission. A list of Technical Committees and their contact information can be found here.

How to Submit

Submit your proposal via the SPS Competitions - Proposals Submission Form

All submissions must be received by the proposal due date of 18 December 2026.

Selection of the successful VIP Cup proposal

All submitted proposals will be evaluated by the Chairs of Technical Committees and Technical Working Groups during a voting period, coordinated by the Student Services Committee. 

Webpage and call for participation

Organizers of the selected VIP Cup proposal must develop a dedicated competition webpage by the corresponding due date, ensuring that all relevant information, including datasets, task details, and development resources, is available by that date. Organizers must also work with SPS Staff to finalize the Official Document, which includes the full problem description, evaluation criteria, eligibility rules, and all other competition details. This document is to be used for launching the call for participation, to encourage team formation and participation in the VIP Cup.

All details about the Call for Proposals are provided in the Official Document. Please, consult with it before starting your proposal preparation. 

Important Dates 

➢ Proposal Submission due date: 18 December 2026 (Submit to SPS Competitions - Proposals Submission Form)

➢ Voting Period: 4-15 January 2027

➢ Selection of successful VIP Cup Proposal: 18 January 2027

➢ Webpage Development due date: 25 January 2027

➢ Official Document Completion due date: 1 February 2027

➢ Publicizing Competition /Call for Participation: 15 February - 12 March 2027

Contacts and Resources

• Email address for questions: sp-competitions@listserv.ieee.org
• Having trouble obtaining endorsement from a Technical Committee? Reach out to the Director-Student Services, Lucas Thomaz at lucas.thomaz@ieee.org.
• You can view past competitions here SP Cup / VIP Cup