High Accolade: Celina Jahn, a former student in the Communication Design program, has been nominated for the prestigious ARD/ZDF “Women in Media Technology” Award 2026 for her bachelor’s thesis, “Stepping into History: Uncovering Hidden Narratives.” This makes her one of only ten people nationwide whose final projects were selected this year by a panel of experts as particularly forward-looking. Celina Jahn had previously won the DDC Award 2025, which is also highly regarded in the industry, for her work.
The “Women in Media Technology” award, presented annually since 2009, honors outstanding theses from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland that address current technical issues related to audiovisual and digital media. The goal is to support talented women in the media industry and help them gain entry into a professional network within public broadcasting.
“The nomination is a tremendous recognition of Celina Jahn’s academic work and, at the same time, a testament to the high quality of our education in the field of media technology. We are happy that a former student from Hof University of Applied Sciences ranks among the best submissions nationwide with her innovative bachelor’s thesis.”
Prof. Michael Zöllner
A total of ten theses from ten different colleges and universities were nominated for the competition. The spectrum ranges from bachelor’s and master’s theses to dissertations and covers topics such as artificial intelligence, accessibility, IT security, sound engineering, and facial motion capture. Celina Jahn’s thesis explores innovative approaches to bringing hidden historical narratives to life using modern media technologies.
Award Ceremony in August
Following another round of judging, the three winners will be announced in late August 2026. The prizes are endowed with a total of 10,000 euros. The awards ceremony will take place on October 22, 2026, as part of the Medientage München. The competition is organized by the ARD.ZDF medienakademie, and this year’s patron is WDR Director General Dr. Katrin Vernau.
The university extends its warmest congratulations to Celina Jahn on this special achievement and is keeping its fingers crossed for her in the final round of judging.
