General Information

The European Symposium on Algorithms (ESA) covers research in efficient algorithms and data structures in computer science, discrete applied mathematics, operations research and mathematical programming. Starting from 2002, the symposium has two tracks:

  • Design and Analysis Track Design and mathematical analysis of algorithms
  • Engineering and Application Track Real-world applications, engineering and experimental analysis of algorithms
  • New in 2022: Simplicity Track Proofs or algorithms that show already known results in a much more simple and elegant way

Each track has its own program committee. Papers are submitted to a particular track, but the committees have the right to move papers between tracks. The program committees selects best papers as well as best student papers. In 2014, the ESA community decided to start an ESA Test-of-Time Award to recognize paper(s) from ESA Proceedings from 19-21 years ago which are still influential and stimulating for the field today.

News

  • The ESA Test-of-Time Award 2022 goes to the following two papers
    • Marianne Durand, Philippe Flajolet: Loglog Counting of Large Cardinalities (Extended Abstract). In ESA 2003, pp. 605-617.

    • Ulrik Brandes, Marco Gaertler, Dorothea Wagner: Experiments on Graph Clustering Algorithms. In ESA 2003, pp. 568-579.

    Please see the full citation here.
  • Since 2021 ESA has a Track S (for Simplicity) inviting contributions that simplify algorithmic results. We want to expand the community around simplification of algorithmic results, encourage and reward research towards simplification and clarity. We find that simpler algorithms are easier to implement, bridging the gap between theory and practice, and we find that new simple or elegant proofs are easier to understand and to teach, and may contain interesting new insights whose relevance only the future will reveal. Track S submissions will primarily be judged on the simplicity and elegance of their proofs or algorithms, and the clarity of their presentation. Submissions that improve on the state of the art from a theoretical or practical viewpoint should instead be submitted to tracks A or B.

ESA conferences

For information about past and future editions of ESA, please see ESA Symposia.