Created Histories, Creative Tomorrows: Distinct Moments that Shape Media Futures

The 2026 Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change, marking the 20th edition of the program, is guided by the theme “Created Histories, Creative Tomorrows: Distinct Moments that Shape Media Futures.” This milestone year reflects on how key turning points in media history — both technological and cultural — have influenced human societies and continue to inform our evolving media ecologies. In their seminal work Remediation: Understanding New Media, David Bolter and Richard Grusin remind us that every “new” medium emerges as a reimagining of an older one: the play button persists, even as it moves from a reel-to-reel recorder to a touchscreen. Each new medium, then, is both an innovation and a palimpsest — layering new meanings atop old infrastructures, never quite severing its historical roots.

Over the past two decades, the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change has convened more than a thousand emerging leaders, educators, and practitioners to rethink the media's role in democratic life. The 2026 Academy continues this legacy by foregrounding intercultural collaboration, critical reflection, and creative experimentation as essential pedagogies for a rapidly changing world.

Participants will explore the media histories that have shaped their own regions and reimagine how future media systems might promote inclusivity, transparency, and public trust. Through seminars, workshops, and collaborative design labs, the Academy will create an environment where diverse voices meet to build shared understandings — and new vocabularies — for media futures.

Program Details:

In-person convening in Salzburg, Austria:

In-Person Meeting: July 20, 2026 - Aug 4, 2026

The program will start around 16:00 Central European Time on July 20 and it will end on August 4 (this day being departure day only)

More information about the program is available here.

Application Information:

Program Fees: 

The program fee is 5400 USD*. The fee includes program participation, excursions and study trips, stationery, as well as meals and accommodation on a twin sharing basis at Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron or the adjacent Meierhof building.

The fee does not cover travel and visa costs to Salzburg. Participants must make their own arrangements for the same. We can provide participants an invitation letter and confirmation of room & board for visa applications if required.

*A limited number of scholarships are available this year; we strongly encourage all interested applicants to apply. If you would like to be considered for a scholarship, please make sure to indicate this clearly in your application. 

Cancellation Fee:

In case of cancellation, a participant may transfer registration to another member of the participant's organization (city, department, firm, etc.) upon mutual agreement. Alternatively: 

Cancellation more than 60 days before the program: 100% refund 

Cancellation less than 60 days and more than 30 days before the event: 50% refund 

Cancellation less than 30 days, but more than 14 days: 25% refund 

Cancellation less than 14 days: no refund

Application Deadline:

February 20, 2026 (22:00 Central European Time)

If you have any exceptional circumstances that inhibit your application through this online portal, please get in touch with us at vchernysh@salzburgglobal.org AND suryahk@salzburgglobal.org.