[D] Do I have to pay the registration fee if my paper is accepted to a non-archival CVPR workshop?

A viral Reddit post from an undergraduate student has exposed a significant financial hurdle in academic AI conferences. The student submitted a short paper to a CVPR 2024 workshop on the non-archival track, meaning it wouldn't be published in official proceedings. Despite this, the conference rules mandate a $625 (early) to $810 (late) registration fee upon acceptance. The student, who lacks university funding and is geographically distant from the conference location, questioned the tangible consequences of not paying, given the paper's non-archival status. The post has resonated widely, highlighting the often-prohibitive cost of participating in premier AI venues like CVPR, which is co-located with the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition conference.

The discussion has evolved into a broader critique of academic accessibility. Many commenters confirmed that non-payment typically results in the paper being withdrawn from the workshop schedule and any informal online listings, even if it's not formally "published." This creates a paradox where researchers, especially students and those from underfunded institutions or countries, can have their work accepted for presentation but be unable to afford the "pay-to-present" model. The incident underscores a growing tension in the AI community between maintaining high-quality, in-person conferences and ensuring equitable access for all contributors, irrespective of their financial backing.