Thank you!
First of all, a big thank you to ...
... our sponsors and partners
for their support and trust in a young and aspiring open-source conference such as PyCon Austria. Without your contributions, this event would not have been possible.
That's why we are very grateful to:
- EuroPython Society (silver sponsor)
- Bitpanda, Python Software Verband e.V., Sentry, and Zyte (bronze sponsors)
- JetBrains and Siisurit (iron sponsors)
- Dr. Ralf Schlatterbeck — Open Source Consulting, PyCon Togo, Python User Group Graz, Spielend programmieren, and the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland (partners)
... our guests and speakers
- We are honored that over 170 guests attended PyCon Austria to connect with other attendees, listen to talks, and participate in workshops.
- The people who fill every conference with life, of course, are the speakers. We are proud and very happy to have welcomed 50 speakers from all over Europe, and even from Asia and the United States. Guys, you rock!
... our organizing team and our host
Once again, the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland was an excellent host. In particular, we would like to thank:
- Professor Robert Matzinger and the university staff
- the kitchen team, who made our get-togethers at the university cafeteria so enjoyable
- special thanks to our young volunteers and Pythonistas of tomorrow, Anna and Lukas
Voices and photos from our community
Haim Michael delivered three talks at PyCon Austria 2026. Capturing the essence of the event, he wrote in his his blog post:
Looking back, PyCon Austria 2026 was more than just a conference. It was a combination of great content, meaningful conversations, and a journey that required persistence to even begin. Experiences like this remind me why I value this community so much, and why I keep showing up.
Speaker Cheuk Ting Ho interviewed attendees at PyCon Austria:
Anna, who volunteered at PyCon Austria, shared her experience:
This year I had the opportunity to visit PyCon Austria 2026 for the first time, and it was a really great experience. I am 15 years old and I helped out at the conference during the event. My day started with a small breakfast before I went to help at the registration desk, where I handed out name tags and sold conference T-shirts. At first I was a little nervous ,but after only a short time I noticed how friendly and welcoming the people were.
One of the things I enjoyed most was meeting people from all around the world. It was interesting to see how everyone was connected through the same interest in Python and technology. My friend and I spent a lot of time walking around, talking to people, listening to conversations and enjoying the experience.
And a very nice lady named Check Ting Ho even posted a video of me and other visitors, in which she interviewed us, on YouTube.
Another thing I really liked about the conference was the program. There were many interesting talks and workshops about different topics related to Python and technology. So there was something for everyone.
I would definitely recommend visiting this conference to anyone interested in Python, programming, or technology in general. Personally I had a really great time there and enjoyed myself. For me it was a memorable experience and I already hope I can attend again next year.
Oswald from Vienna writes:
Hi, greetings from Wien, I thoroughly enjoyed the PyCon Austria 26.
Enclosed are some photos from Eisenstadt and from the presentation about Mechanical Calculators of the Past.
John Rooney shared his feedback on LinkedIn:
What a couple of days! 🐍
I just wrapped up two fantastic days at PyCon Austria 2026 in Eisenstadt, and I'm leaving genuinely inspired.
For those who don't know it — PyCon Austria is a free, volunteer-run community conference held at the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland. That fact alone says a lot about the spirit of the event: it exists purely because people care enough to make it happen.
The talks covered a brilliant range of topics, the hallway conversations were just as valuable as the sessions, and the whole atmosphere felt welcoming from the first moment to the last. I particularly enjoyed talking web scraping and Scrapy with a few like minded people! And hearing about DuckDB
A huge thank you to the organisers and volunteers who put this together. Running a conference of this quality — for free, as a community effort — is no small feat, and it clearly shows the dedication and passion behind it.
If you've never been to a PyCon Austria, put it on your list for next year.
Feedback and photos from Carol Chen:
Greetings from Tampere, Finland. This was my first PyCon Austria and I enjoyed every minute of it, even though I could only attend the first day. Everyone I chatted with was so welcoming, and the organizers were wonderfully supportive and helpful. I've organized events large and small and know the challenges involved in creating a successful event. Kudos to Horst, Thomas, and the team!
For those who attended the Docling workshop (or for those who missed it and would like to learn more), I've compiled info from the workshop and discussions in this HackMD note. Feel free to connect with me on Mastodon or LinkedIn (please mention PyCon Austria as I get spam invites frequently).
Much appreciation to my brilliant co-presenter Mingxuan Zhao who's a joy to work with. There's so much amazing collaboration with open source projects and communities, and I look forward to future PyCon Austria or related events where I can continue learning and interacting with all of you. Here are some photos to keep the great memories in the meantime!
Recap and photo from Sudipta Kumar Hazra:
I just got back from my first PyCon in Eisenstadt, and what a week it was. I'm back in Dublin now, but I've brought back a lot more than just souvenirs.
Two things really stood out for me and they're both going straight into my workflow: the power of pre-commit hooks for keeping code clean, and how much pointblank simplifies data validation.
Helga from Lower Austria writes:
A Hello from Lower Austria!
We stumbled across PyCon 2026 in Eisenstadt almost by accident—and decided, why not give it a try? Good spontaneous decision! As soon as we arrived at Hochschule Burgenland, everything was smooth and easy. A friendly welcome, clear directions to registration, and no guessing where the talks, workshops, or the all‑important cafeteria were.
What I enjoyed most was the opportunity to chat with the speakers even after their talks. Those relaxed, inspiring conversations became for me the highlight of the conference.
Stephan Adamek shared his feedback in German:
Ich war das erste Mal auf einer PyCon und habe einen überwiegend sehr positiven Eindruck gewinnen können. Als eher noch im Stadium des "Tales der Verzweiflung" befindlichen (gemäß Definition aus dem Talk "Programmierer-Weisheiten" von Denis Knauf) habe ich etliche sehr gut Einsichten gewinnen können. Es gab einige gut Vorträge, besonders hervorheben möchte ich aber den Talk "Debug smarter, not harder - all you need to know about debugging in Python" von Cheuk Ting Ho.
Our lessons for PyCon Austria 2027
To improve next year's PyCon Austria, speakers and attendees offered precious feedback:
A frequent feedback was that there were too many talks regarding LLMs / AI. Next year, we will strive for a wider range of topics in talks and workshops.
Another attendee suggestion: indicate target audience for talks and workshops, e.g., beginner / intermediate / advanced.
Finally, one more helpful note from our guests: improve schedule updates when speakers don't show up. We agree: no one wants to wait for speakers who never arrive. If it happens, next year we will try to let you know sooner.
So long, we'll see you next year at PyCon Austria!