EUROVISIONS’ tour in Vienna

The 9th edition of the EUROVISIONS International Conference took place in Vienna, at mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts, during Eurovision Song Contest week, marking the 70th anniversary of the competition under the theme “Eurovisions: Celebrating 70 Years of Public Value!”.

Over the course of two days, researchers, media professionals, musicians, students, and fans reflected on Eurovision’s role as a space for technological innovation, participation, cultural representation, and public service media. The keynote speaker focused on the relationships between public value, democracy, and media transformation, as well as on the current challenges faced by European public broadcasters in a context of digital fragmentation and increasing political and economic pressure.

The three roundtables addressed topics such as Eurovision’s technological evolution, questions of belonging, representation, and participation within a constantly changing music industry landscape, the political and social challenges faced by public service media, and the role of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in contemporary Europe.

The conference also once again included its now traditional Science Slam, a dedicated space for researchers in the early stages of their work. In this edition, eight participants presented projects connected to fields such as musicology, media studies, political science, cultural anthropology, and data science, seeking to communicate Eurovision-related research in accessible, creative, and scientifically grounded ways.

The first day of the conference also included the launch of the book “Tourism, Events and Leisure Perspectives on the Eurovision Song Contest”, edited by Vorobjovas-Pinta & Shepherd (2026), a publication featuring a chapter written by the EUROVISIONS organizing team.

Alongside the conference, Sofia Vieira Lopes, integrated researcher at INET-md, participated in the roundtable “Eurovision Song Contest Beyond the Stage: Diplomacy, Culture, and Public Debate”, organized by the Diplomatische Akademie Wien. She also presented the documentary “Festival da Canção – 60 anos” to Musicology students at the University of Vienna and gave a lecture to Portuguese language students at the University of Vienna, in an initiative organized by the Camões Institute and attended by the Ambassador of Portugal to Vienna.