The soon-to-be hosts of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 are already looking ahead to their next representative for the 70th anniversary of Eurovision. Austrian broadcaster ORF will continue to use an internal selection method.
Ten years of internal selections
During a recent interview, ORF’s Program Director, Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz confirmed on the channel that the host broadcaster of Eurovision 2026 will use an internal selection method. Since 2017 Austria have used a combination of internal judging panels and live auditions to choose its Eurovision representatives. Over the ten years, Austria have found increased success with this process. It has resulted in three top 15 results, including a third place in 2018 for Cesar Sampson and of course, victory in 2025 for JJ.
Although submissions are not currently open and more details are still to be finalised, Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz confirmed that the process will involve multiple stages. There will also be public submissions, from which a shortlist will be determined by ORF.
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