When academic research meets pop culture and the European media sphere, it is time once again for the Eurovisions Science Slam. As part of the Eurovisions International Conference 2026, Journalism student Luise Poppe from FHWien der WKW presented her bachelor’s thesis. The international conference is dedicated each year to the Eurovision Song Contest as a cultural, media, and social phenomenon.
Under the title “An Analysis of Austrian Media Coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest”, Luise Poppe examines how ESC 2025 was covered on the online platforms of ORF, Kronen Zeitung, and Der Standard. Her research focuses on topics such as diversity, the representation of artists, and the media framing of the Middle East conflict in connection with the competition.
The Science Slam provided what was arguably the most unusual stage of the conference programme: young academics and experienced researchers presented their work in short, creative, and entertaining performances — accessible, sharp-witted, and with a healthy dose of humour. It was a particularly fitting setting for Luise Poppe’s topic, as the Eurovision Song Contest has, according to her, been a personal and media-related passion for many years.
Although she did not win the audience vote this time, her presentation impressively demonstrated how engaging media research can become when academic analysis meets pop-cultural enthusiasm.
The Eurovisions International Conference is regarded as an interdisciplinary platform for research related to the Eurovision Song Contest and brings together researchers from a wide range of academic fields. More about the conference can be found at https://www.eurovisions.eu/