CfP: EUROVISIONS International Conference - Science Slam, 12.–13.05.2026, Wien (Deadline: 31.03.2026)

Are you researching Eurovision—and ready to share your ideas with the world in a fresh, engaging way?

The Eurovisions Science Slam 2026 invites scholars at all stages, especially early-career researchers, to join a dynamic format where academic insight meets creativity, storytelling, and public visibility. The Science Slam is your chance to show how your work contributes to understanding Eurovision’s public value: its role in culture, media, identity, fairness, participation, and community building. We are looking for voices that communicate research clearly, boldly, and accessibly.

Please submit

  • Short bio (max. 100 words)

  • 1–2 photos

  • Abstract of your talk (max. 300 words)

  • After your proposal has been accepted: A 10-minute video introducing yourself, your research, and your personal ESC story

Your video will be featured on our website, YouTube, and social channels—helping you reach a broad international audience. Public voting begins as soon as the videos go live.

What happens on stage

During the conference, you will:

  • Give a 2-minute recap pitch of your research

  • Join a 5-minute conversation with an established ESC scholar

  • Take part in a lively Q&A with our audience, both on-site and online

No slides, no formal presentation - just you, your ideas, and a room full of people excited to hear how your research connects to Eurovision and public value.

Why Participate?

  • Gain international visibility as an emerging voice in Eurovision studies

  • Practice public-facing science communication in a supportive environment

  • Engage with a community deeply invested in culture, media, and music research

  • Compete for the Eurovisions Special Prize for Outstanding Science Communication

  • Have fun, be creative, and inspire others

How to Apply

Send your materials by 31 March 2026 to wolther[at]phonos[dot]de. And if you know any other early career researchers and even students focusing on the Eurovision Song Contest, do not hesitate to spread the word.

About

Seventy years after the first Eurovision Song Contest in Lugano in 1956, the Eurovisions International Conference invites you to join us online or in person in Vienna during Eurovision week to reflect on one of Europe’s most enduring cultural phenomena and the concept that lies at its core: public value.

From pioneering broadcasting technologies and staging innovation to fostering belonging, participation, and representation, the Eurovision Song Contest has long served as a laboratory for technological transformation and been a mirror of societal challenges. 

Public service broadcasting across Europe faces growing political, economic, and structural pressures. What does public value mean in times of fragmentation, digital disruption, and increasing scepticism toward public media? How does the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) respond to these challenges? And how is Eurovision perceived by different stakeholders amid boycotts, contestation and debates on representation, inclusion, creativity, and democracy?

The 2026 conference will address these questions through:

  • Keynotes and scholarly panels on public value, democracy, and media transformation;

  • Discussions on technical innovation: from analogue television to streaming platforms and immersive stage technologies;

  • Reflections on belonging, representation and participation;

  • Debates on the political and societal challenges facing public broadcasters today;

  • Insights into current developments within the EBU and Eurovision’s evolving role in Europe.

 As always, the conference will feature the popular Eurovisions Science Slam, where early career researchers present cutting-edge ESC-related research from diverse disciplinary perspectives: from musicology and media studies to political science, cultural anthropology, data science, and beyond. 

We are particularly delighted to host this edition at the Institut für Kulturmanagement und Gender Studies at mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and we warmly welcome our cooperation with initiatives from other research institutions across Vienna. Their contributions will be highlighted on our website and social media channels in the coming months.

Join us in Vienna as we celebrate 70 years of the Eurovision Song Contest!

Further information can be found here.

CFP, NewsHelene Heuser