Deadlines in the holidays, parental duties, papers piling up – how much is enough? Doctoral researchers at the Nordmedia2025 pre-conference discussed the realities of academic life while presenting their own work.
The NordMedia pre-conference for doctoral students has become a stepping stone for young scholars to enter the international stage. Bringing together early-career researchers who face similar challenges, yet come from slightly diverse backgrounds, the event provides a space for support, inspiration, and motivation.
Organised as a one-day workshop preceding the main conference, the pre-conference also serves as an ideal introduction to the leading Nordic conference in media and communication research, held biennially since 1973. Participation is free of charge, and participants can also follow the main conference without paying a fee.
This year’s edition brought together 27 participants from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Their papers were reviewed by 23 senior discussants, each invited to share their expertise. Every paper was assigned a commentator from a different Nordic country, creating a valuable opportunity for inter-Nordic cultural exchange.
The workshop created a sense of belonging – highlighting the idea of the “Nordic academic family”.
Although it was a very intensive day, all participants responded in their feedback that they would recommend the pre-conference for other PhD students. The pre-conference “is a safe environment to train yourself in presenting your research in a clear and concise way, responding to feedback, and discussing constructively your work”, one of the participants described.
Beyond presentations and discussions, the workshop created a sense of belonging – highlighting the idea of the “Nordic academic family”, where newcomers are not only colleagues but also part of a collaborative and supportive tradition of growing together. Indeed, participants described the gathering as an important first step in building cross-border connections that will shape their academic journeys in the years to come.
The NordMedia doctoral pre-conference was now organised for the fifth time. Arranged by Nordicom, it was launched at the NordMedia2017 in Tampere, Finland, and will return to the country of a thousand lakes in 2027, when the next conference will be hosted by Helsinki University on 11–13 August.
What did the participants think of the pre-conference?
“If you want to set the scene for being a researcher this is a very helpful conference!”
“Helps you to cope with the uncertainties that you thought you had alone but that are actually experienced virtually by everyone!”
“It was really fruitful to engage with both other PhD students and senior researchers and to get so thorough feedback on my work! Also really appreciate how it was made accessible for everyone, including possibility for bringing kids, and the general positivity and kindness of the organizers”.