INVITATION

AcadeMeet at SoundTrack_Cologne 23

Dear colleagues, IMMSANE members, and AcadeMeet participants,

We are pleased to invite you -industry professionals, academic peers, and students- to join us for the 23rd edition of SoundTrack_Cologne, taking place from 14 to 17 July 2026.

This year’s programme offers an engaging mix of industry events, a focus on AI, insightful panel discussions, networking opportunities, and outstanding film music concerts.

AcadeMeet Programme

Wednesday, 15 July 2026

· AcadeMeet and IMMSANE Europe Meeting (by invitation only), 10:00–11:30, COMEDIA Theater (Die Drei).
· AcadeMeet Café, sponsored by IMMSANE (open to the public), 12:00–13:00, COMEDIA Theater (Halle - Ground Floor).

Thursday, 16 July 2026

· Student Matchmaking (open to the public with prior registration), 12:00–13:00, COMEDIA Theater (Halle - Ground Floor).
· Panel: From College to Real World, 14.30-15:30, COMEDIA Theater (Die Eins).
· Emerging Composers Showcase, sponsored by IMMSANE (open to the public), 16:00–17:00, COMEDIA Theater (Halle - Ground Floor).

We warmly invite you and your institution to contribute to the AcadeMeet programme or the AcadeMeet Café. We welcome presentations of research, new academic programmes, and other pedagogical topics related to media music and sound arts. Please contact AcadeMeet director Dr. Yati Durant at academeet@soundtrackcologne.de by 2 July 2026 to submit your proposal.

IMMSANE members can find further information about submissions to the Emerging Composers Showcase on the IMMSANE Blackboard. If you would like to receive updates about Student Matchmaking, please send an email to matchmaking@soundtrackcologne.de and you will be informed as soon as registration opens.

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Accreditation

If you are an active member of IMMSANE, you are eligible for a special Union Pass at a reduced price. Instead of the standard 125 Euros, the Union Pass is available for 85 Euros, if purchased before 15th of June, 2026, as part of the Regular Price offer.  

To claim this discount, you will need to enter the waiver code IMMSANE@STC23 when selecting the UNION PASS on our accreditation website: https://www.soundtrackcologne.de/mystc/mystc-home/accreditation/?type=union

A discount available to all educational institutions is the Student Group Accreditation:

Educational institutions can take advantage of the Student Group Accreditation, which allows students and teaching staff to attend at a discounted rate of 40 Euro per person. This offer is valid for groups of at least five participants, including teaching staff. 

We highly recommend this group accreditation option, as it provides the most affordable rate for both students and educators. If you are interested in arranging the accreditation for yourself and your students, please reach out to us at: akkreditierung@televisor.de

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European Talent Competition

We are excited to share with you the details of this year's European Talent Competition and encourage you to inform your students and fellow sound design professors about this opportunity. In particular, we are focused on increasing the applications of this competition by sound design students, and we would be thankful for you to promote this among your students and school.

The competition is open to aspiring composers and sound designers, providing them with a chance to showcase their talent and gain valuable industry experience. Participants will have the opportunity to create original music and/or sound designs for a given animation film and have their work evaluated by a professional jury. 

The winner of the European Talent Award Sound Design will receive a 5.1 cinematic mix down in the prestigious sound mixing studio Torus Post. Entry to the competition is free.

Please forward either the link (https://soundtrackcologne.de/competitions/european-talent-competition/) or the email regarding this year’s European Talent Competition to all your colleagues, fellow professors in the sound design department and students, if you have not already done so. Closing deadline for the ETC is May 20th, 2026.