Gender & Diversity Awards

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.