Gender & Diversity Awards

• Completed or ongoing studies at USTP or at a higher education institution of the E³UDRES² alliance
• A bachelor thesis, master thesis, or dissertation either already assessed (no earlier than May 2024) or submitted for assessment at USTP or at a higher education institution of the E³UDRES² alliance
• The thesis needs to have a clear reference to the topics of gender and/or diversity. Example: The thesis uses gender/diversity dimensions as categories for analysis, or gender/diversity plays a role in the research question, or the thesis contributes to the fight against social injustice, etc.

Applicants are expected to pitch their final thesis in English within the framework of the International Week 2026 at USTP.

• Informal application in German or English including a brief statement explaining why the work is eligible for the award
• Full version of the final thesis in German or English
• Short version of the thesis in German or English on 1 to max. 2 A4 pages (research question, objectives, method, most important results, and information on whether the student independently came up with the thesis’ topic or selected it from topics suggested to them) explaining the work’s reference to gender/diversity dimensions or contribution to equality

An expert jury will select the winners based on a two-stage procedure:

In the summer of 2026, an expert jury will first hold an in-camera session and make a pre-selection of the three best bachelor and master theses written at St. Pölten UAS and the three best final theses written at a higher education institution of the E³UDRES² alliance, respectively. All applicants will subsequently be informed thereof.

In the second step, the candidates nominated by the jury in the pre-selection process will pitch their work in English within the framework of the International Week 2026 at USTP. Based on these presentations, the expert jury will take its final decision on the awards.

The winners’ names will be announced in the reporting on the Gender & Diversity Awards 2026 in USTP’s media. No claims can be derived from either this call for submissions or an application.

USTP – University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten has once more honoured scientific theses related to gender and diversity topics. The Gender & Diversity Awards were given away on 25 November 2025 within the framework of the annual International Week.

The prizes endowed with 600 EUR each were awarded in three categories:

• Best bachelor thesis written at USTP
• Best master thesis written at USTP
• Best final thesis written at a partner university in the E³UDRES² network

Varied Topics and Exciting Pitches

The finalists had a maximum of three minutes to present their theses. The range of topics was wide: from female gaze in film through accessible web design in e-commerce to racial bias in large language models (LLMs).

The presentations impressively demonstrated how gender and diversity perspectives enrich our research.

Keynote: Decolonial Perspectives in Higher Education

Helena Segarra and Lisa Tackie provided insights into structural marginalisation and power structures in higher education. Based on their MOOC “Diversity in the Context of University. Racism-Critical Perspectives into Everyday University Life”, they discussed the question:
Can science truly contribute to overcoming social inequalities – and if yes, how?

The Winners 2025

• Bachelor thesis (Media Technology)
  Rosa Havel: “Die Kunst der Intimität. Die filmische Darstellung von Beziehungen zwischen Frauen durch immersive, nicht lineare Erzähltechniken.”
  (The art of intimacy. The presentation in film of relationships between women through immersive, non-linear storytelling techniques.)
• Master thesis (Digital Marketing & Communication)
  Laura Borovansky: “Wirkung von LGBTQIA+ Darstellungen in Werbeanzeigen in der Online-Werbung auf das Markenimage.”
  (The effect of LGBTQIA+ presentations in online advertising on the brand image.)
• E³UDRES² category (Social Work, Fulda University of Applied Sciences)
  Lilly-Marie Arand: “Politische Partizipation von Transpersonen. Fördermöglichkeiten der Sozialen Arbeit in der Arbeit mit Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen.“
  (Political participation of trans persons. Empowerment possibilities of Social Work with adolescents and young adults.)

• Category Bachelor thesis
  Johanna Weingartner: Auswirkungen von inklusiver Sprache in der Werbung auf das Markenimage
• Category Master thesis
  Barbara Müller: Das weibliche Böse - alt, hässlich, trivial? Analyse der Antagonistinnen in Disney-Animationsfilmen von 1937 bis 2022
• Category E³UDRES²
  Ioana Antonia Tanase: Comparative Analysis of Intuitive Design Perception between Visually Impaired and Sighted Individuals

• Category Bachelor thesis
  Kristofics-Binder Emily: Das Potential von gendersensibler Kinderliteratur hinsichtlich der Vermittlung von Genderrollen: Gesellschaftlich konstruierte Genderrollen an den Kinderfüßen gepackt
• Category Master thesis
  Korn Katharina: Substanzkonsumierende und der Sexarbeit nachgehende Frauen. Empfehlungen zur Gestaltung bedarfsgerechter Angebote in Wien
• Category EU³DRES²
  Van der Vegte Joëlle: Thesis on gender diversity and inclusivity in fashion in the netherlands. Design research on how to make fashion inclusive for people

To learn more about the central contents and results of the award-winning theses, you can listen to two Campus Talk podcasts with Anna Michalski and the winners:

• Category Bachelor thesis
  Viktoria Wiser developed a concept for safe spaces for queer adolescents.
• Category Master thesis
  Viktoria Kasser addressed the question “How can deaf people study at USTP”. A transcript is available for this episode.