On May 5, the FH Salzburg Teaching Award 2026 was presented in a festive ceremony. With this award, the university recognizes outstanding achievements in teaching and puts innovative didactic concepts center stage. The winners impressed with courses that placed students at the heart of the learning process and fostered personal growth.
The Teaching Award has been presented annually since 2023 and highlights lecturers who contribute to the quality of higher education through exceptional commitment, creative methods, and a strong student-centred approach. A key feature of the award is that nominations are made directly by students via course evaluations.
“With the Teaching Award, we make visible the high standards of teaching quality at FH Salzburg and how intensively our lecturers work to continuously develop education,” said FH Rector Dominik Engel about the “Oscar of Teaching” at FH Salzburg.
In her keynote, Eva Werner, President of AQ Austria, addressed the new challenges for teaching, particularly those posed by AI, with the central and provocative question of why lecturers are still needed in an age of chatbots, AI agents, and avatars. The conclusion: precisely because of technological developments, there is a need for human teaching that reflects, encourages, discusses, builds, and fosters trust.
The winners of the FH Teaching Award 2026 are:
1st place: Julia Hager for her course “Profession-related Project” in the Orthoptics program. In the jury’s view, the course was consistently project- and action-oriented. At its core was the planning of a realistic conference, which the students had to develop independently.
2nd place: Anna-Maria Wegenkittl for the course “Tourism Fundamentals” in the Innovation & Management in Tourism program. Nearly 90% of students recommended Wegenkittl’s course. For the jury, the course includes many enriching elements of student-centered learning: concepts and ideas originate from the students and must withstand real-world testing at various stages of the project.
3rd place: Lukas Sommerauer for the lecture “Biorefinery” in the master’s program Wood Technology & Timber Construction. The jury particularly praised the idea of role change—from lecturer to coach—and the excellent integration of theory and practice.
This year’s Recognition Award was presented to Tina Gsenger from the International Office, whose course “Inside Austria: Exploring a New Culture” connects international exchange students with regular students and brings culture to life. According to the jury, her course succeeds not only in conveying culture but in making it a shared experience that fosters a sense of community—whether reaching a mountain summit or yodeling, it creates experiences far beyond the lecture hall.
The award-winning courses impressed the jury especially through their clearly structured design, innovative teaching and learning formats, and a particularly strong focus on student-centeredness. The integration of theory and practice, as well as research-based approaches, also played a central role in the evaluation.
In previous years, it has already become evident that the award-winning concepts contribute significantly to sustainably enhancing students’ learning experiences and provide impulses for the entire university. The Teaching Award not only strengthens teaching quality but also promotes exchange on innovative didactic approaches within the university. In addition, all lecturers at FH Salzburg have access each year to a comprehensive higher education teaching development program. The aim is to offer students practice-oriented, future-focused education at the cutting edge.
The Award Ceremony in Pictures
Pictures: © FH Salzburg/wildbild
