15 May 2026
"The Futures Fund gave me the chance to make so many connections with broadcasters from across Europe and strike up working relationships"
Callum Rowe
A University of Sunderland graduate has travelled to Austria to broadcast live from what will be his third Eurovision Song Contest.
Callum Rowe, who graduated from BA (Hons) Journalism in 2024, is in Vienna to host The Euro Trip - believed to be the world’s most listened to independent Eurovision podcast.
After graduating, Callum worked as a freelance producer for clients such as LBC and BBC Radio Newcastle, and taught at the University. He is now a Video Digital and Social Journalist for the BBC, and is also a massive Eurovision fan and this week has taken his passion for pop – and journalism – to Austria.
Callum has been in Vienna since Saturday, and as well as all of the fun and excitement there has, of course, been controversy.
In December five countries, Iceland, Ireland, Slovenia, Spain and The Netherlands withdrew from the competition in protest at Israel's continued involvement in Eurovision.
"Those five countries all take Eurovision very seriously, so I can't deny there is a bit of void," Callum said.
"Israel's inclusion is obviously controversial, and their performance was interrupted by protesters, which was always on the cards. But it feels like a lot more of a joyous atmosphere than it did in 2024 and 2025, and I certainly feel there's a lot more positivity around.
"The competition this year is wide open. Finland (Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen with Kiekinheitin) are the bookmakers favourite, and they're my tip too, though if they do win it will be by a very narrow margin, there won't be a runaway winner this year. You can't discount Denmark, or France and my wildcard tip is Moldova - Satoshi with Viva, Moldova!.
"Unfortunately, I don't think the UK will be vying for the win, and I suggest people lower their expectations for Sam Battle (who performs as Look Mum No Computer) winning with his song Eins, Zwei, Dre.
“But the UK have left no stone unturned in terms of performance. It's going to be captivating, engaging, exciting, loud, brash and there is an amazing call and response chant with the audience at the end. I don't know if he'll get the votes, but he's really going to get people fired up and it's going to be one of the most memorable performances of recent times, that's for sure."
Supported by the University’s Futures Fund, a scholarship programme for students to unlock their potential, Callum travelled to Malmö in Sweden to cover the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024 and returned to Switzerland for the 2025 contest.
It is an exciting week in Austria for Callum and his podcast, The Euro Trip, and he has no doubt where it all began.
Callum said: "The Futures Fund gave me the chance to make so many connections with broadcasters from across Europe and strike up working relationships. I was doing reports for BBC News, Sky News, and I was only there because of the Futures Fund."
Eurovision is on BBC1 throughout this week, with the live final on Saturday 16 May.
You can find out more about scholarships and bursaries available at the University of Sunderland here(opens in new tab).