“As a magician, I have been fascinated since my youth by how easily people fall for the biggest bullshit, and I have realised that it takes a bit of showmanship to attract attention,” says Eckart von Hirschhausen. For around three decades now, the doctor of medicine has been using precisely these experiences as a cabaret artist, TV presenter and non-fiction author to expose the bullshit in the world through insights from research. His recipe for success: communicating science with a lot of humour and very close to people's everyday reality. “Make it concrete, make it tangible, make it relevant. And don't bore people,” he sums it up.
Science communication as a mission
Heinz Oberhummer (1941–2015) was an Austrian physicist, associate professor and founding member of the science cabaret group “Science Busters”. The award named after him is being presented for the tenth time this year. Eckart von Hirschhausen sees the award as a mission: “Since I had the privilege of knowing Heinz Oberhummer and have been a fan of the Science Busters for decades, it is an honour for me to receive this award and, at the same time, an obligation not to talk rubbish. Because physics still applies to everyone who dropped the subject at school.” This motivation is entirely in line with the inventors' intentions: “The Heinz Oberhummer Award is intended to encourage people to share their fascination with science with a large (theatre) audience. Not least to counter the age of alternative news and the irrational desire for apocalypse with science and enlightenment. And humour. You can't do it much better than Eckart von Hirschhausen,” says Science Buster Martin Puntigam.
Since 2016, the Heinz Oberhummer Award for outstanding science communication has been presented by the Science Busters, together with the University of Graz, the Vienna University of Technology, the Federal Ministry for Women, Science and Research (BMFWF), ORF television and the City of Vienna. Peter Riedler, Rector of the University of Graz, explains his university's commitment to this award: “As an institution for research and teaching, we lay the foundation for educational work. It is one of our tasks to pass on fact-based knowledge, to contribute to overcoming current challenges with ever new insights and to strengthen trust in science. The Oberhummer Award also supports this cause. I am delighted that Eckart von Hirschhausen is receiving this award for his outstanding, humorous and creative communication work!”
After the ceremony planned for June at the University of Graz was cancelled due to the tragic events at a school in Graz, it will now be held on 7 September.
https://www.youtube.com/live/BdqhuOmwdXg
Gala presentation for the Oberhummer Award 2025
Sunday, 7 September 2025, 2 p.m.
Stadtsaal Wien, Mariahilfer Straße 81, 1060 Vienna
Tickets for the event at Stadtsaal Wien