The International Institute of Forecasters (IIF) is excited to announce its second annual IIF Forecasting Practice Competition, in VIVES Bruges, Belgium, on March 1st, 2026 immediately prior to the upcoming Foresight Practitioner Conference (FPC) 2026. The winning team of the competition will receive the $10,000 IIF Award for the Impact of Forecasting in Practice that aims to recognize and showcase businesses or institutions that achieve significant impact by applying forecasting, while contributing to the forecasting community.
IIF Practice Competition:
Applications will be evaluated in 5 key areas:
- Impact to the business or institution
- Impact on the forecasting community
- Challenges faced
- Role of forecasting in the solution
- Style/quality of the submission and presentation
Requirements:
- Entrants are companies or institutions, not individuals.
- Each entrant may be represented by a team of up to 5 contributors.
- Finalist teams must attend the Foresight Practitioner Conference in person to participate in the Final Round.
- To enter the competition, you must agree that if you become a finalist your team must submit the details of your methodology and impact for publication in a Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting special issue, according to the timeline requested by the editors. The finalists from the 2025 competition were recently showcased in the Q4 2025 issue.
- Impact statement must be in writing from an executive (typically a VP or above) of the business or institution.
Important dates:
- Call for submissions on October 6, 2025
- Initial application deadline due on December 5, 2025
- Finalists announced by January 9, 2026
- Finalist application deadline January 31, 2026
- Conference and presentations at the Foresight Practitioner Conference on March 1-3, 2026
Visit our website for more details.
Foresight Practitioner Conference 2026:
The FPC 2026, hosted by the IIF and Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting, will be held in VIVES Bruges, Belgium, on March 2 – 3, 2026.
This conference will bring together preeminent forecasting practitioners and business leaders in a single-room setting to network, learn, and explore both fundamental and cutting-edge aspects of forecasting. The theme of the conference is successes and failures in AI forecasting implementations.
Value Proposition Highlights:
- Learn the best practices in forecasting six months before they are published in Foresight.
- Build lasting relationships with leading forecasters and industry experts. Limited size (<100) conference with several opportunities for small group chats.
Speakers will discuss industry challenges and solutions across a range of industries. Talks will be interspersed with breaks and panel discussions to encourage networking and future collaborations. Visit our website for more details.
There will be organized networking activities, coffee breaks to chat, and round-table discussions. The conference is directed by Matthew Schneider and Yves Sagaert, and held on the campus of VIVES Bruges. Please send your sponsorship requests to Matthew.
Register now to take advantage of the early bird rates. Any general and further inquiries, please contact Ying Fry, IIF Business Manager.