Details for the 2026 Dataharvest conference can now be revealed! We’re returning to Mechelen between 28-31 May next year, and as always we look forward to being reunited with our community of Dataharvest veterans, as well as many new faces.
We’ve been busy working on Europe’s flagship investigative and data journalism conference since the spring, and we have some exciting announcements. Here, we’ve collected all the important information you need to know in one place.
In this blog you can find:
- All important dates and milestones
- Info on the call for proposals
- Details on ticket releases
- Info on Climate Arena 2026 at Dataharvest
So read on to find out about the latest news on Dataharvest — and Climate Arena, too — in 2026. And if you know someone who needs this information too, why not send it to them?
Call for proposals
Our call for proposals is now open. Earlier this week we launched our call out for pitches, seeking presentations about your investigations and methods, workshops on cross-border collaborations, and demonstrations of your best, nerdiest data skills you’d like to share with the Dataharvest community.
So, what are we looking for in a pitch? Find out at the Dataharvest blog, here.
And when you’re ready to send us your proposals, you can do so via this form.
Deadline: 18 January 2026 (Sunday, 23:59 CET). We will do our best to notify you about the results by mid-February.
Tickets
Dataharvest has a reputation for selling out early! So, we listened to your feedback and this year we’ve decided to release the tickets in two tranches.
The first lot of tickets will be released on December 1st, so if you’re ready, you can get in early and grab your ticket very soon. Sign up to the Arena newsletter and the Dataharvest newsletter, as well as our social media — Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Mastodon — for an announcement when tickets go live.
The second tranche will be released once we’ve started working on the programme in February. This allows people who pitched during the call for proposals, but weren’t accepted and didn’t receive a speaker ticket, to still buy one.
So watch out for the second ticket release by the end of February, too.
Climate Arena at Dataharvest 2026
Investigative journalism in Europe is facing challenges, particularly when it comes to funding and resources. Arena’s activities have also been affected by these broader trends we witness in the overall ecosystem. This led us to make some strategic decisions for 2026.
Next year, the 5th edition of the annual Climate Arena conference will be hosted at Dataharvest. We know how important both our in-person gatherings are for the European journalism community, and it’s a priority for us to continue to provide these spaces for sharing tools and methods, exploring new collaborations, and connecting with fellow journalists, scientists, and researchers.
We will take advantage of this opportunity to combine strengths and build on the success of past editions of our Climate conference.
This will look like a strong climate track at Dataharvest, with dedicated sessions on pressing environment and climate topics, techniques and methodologies useful for environmental investigations, and inspiring presentations of cross-border climate investigations. There will be networking sessions for journalists covering climate and environmental topics, and two of our three masterclasses this year will have a strong climate focus.
As a result, we are particularly encouraging climate pitches for Dataharvest this year, as outlined in our ‘What we’re looking for’ blog. This year, we will also have participation grants for journalists from low-income countries and journalists in exile.
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So, we look ahead to some significant changes this year, but no less of an exciting, dynamic conference. Don’t forget to sign up to the Arena newsletter and the Dataharvest newsletter, as well as our social media — Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Mastodon — to hear more about updates as they arrive.
See you in Mechelen!