16-06-2026

#ICA26 Recap: Top Poster Award, Diverse Panels and Valuable Networking

Our team looks back on a successful participation in the 76th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) in Cape Town, South Africa. We contributed to the conference with several presentations on current research projects, as well as a pre-conference on "The 'Dark Side' of Social Conversations Around Science: Contemporary Challenges and Potential Solutions for Science Communication".

A particular highlight was the Top Poster Award received by Felix Reer, Saïd Unger, and Thorsten Quandt on Sunday. Their poster, “Mapping the Field of Social Scientific Game Studies: A Computational Approach”, was honored during the poster session. The study analyzes more than four decades of social scientific research on digital games and traces the development of key topics within the field. As the jury evaluated the poster presentations on site and made its decision during the session, the award came as a surprise to the team. This made the recognition of their research all the more rewarding.

In addition to the award-winning poster, OCL members presented several other research projects, including work on political communication on TikTok, transnational right-wing populism on social media, online communities, and journalistic communication. A full list of presentations can be found in this news.

Beyond the scientific program, the conference provided valuable opportunities for personal exchange with researchers from around the world. These encounters and discussions offered new perspectives on current research topics and opened up numerous possibilities for future collaborations. Outside the conference program, Cape Town also offered many opportunities to explore its impressive natural surroundings, cultural diversity, and the region’s remarkable attractions.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the ICA organizers, the reviewers, and all participants who contributed to the conference discussions. We are grateful for the opportunity to exchange ideas and connect with the international research community and look forward to future collaborations.

A colorful impression of the conference and our stay in Cape Town can be found in the image gallery.