ERR the Estonian national broadcaster, have announced that Eesti Laul 2026 will return in the new year to select the act that will represent the Baltic nation in Vienna, Austria for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Once again the national final will be a one-off live show taking place on February 14.
🇪🇪 Submission window for Eesti Laul 2026 opens
The Estonian broadcaster ERR has confirmed the return of Eesti Laul as the selection format to choose the act that will perform on the Eurovision 2026 stage next May. Already potential candidates can submit their songs to ERR. The submission window closes at noon on October 20. Up to five songs per act can be submitted. This can include songs in Estonian or other languages. However, the fee for Estonian songs is 50 euros and for foreign language/multi language songs, the fee is doubled to 100 euros. Late submissions in the days leading up to the deadline, will see this fee upped to 100 euros and 200 euros respectively.
Songwriters and groups of songwriters, as well as performers, can consist of native Estonians, foreign residents of Estonia or non-residents. However, at least one resident or citizen of Estonia must be involved.
“In the year of ETV’s anniversary, we celebrate music in all its genres, from classics to pop. The last winner of Eesti Laul, Tommy Cash, successfully proved that music has no borders and made all of Europe sing and dance along in addition to Estonia. We believe that this year’s competition will surprise everyone again, and for that, we now look forward to the songwriters and artists boldly presenting their creations in front of the biggest audience.”
Karmel Killandi, (Head of Entertainment Programming, ERR)
Artists, composers and song titles will be released by ERR in November. The chosen songs will be officially released by December 4. Artists are forbidden from revealing their entries before this date. Twelve entries will be selected by a pre-jury who will remain anonymous until after selection and will listen to the songs blind, with no knowledge of names involved or song titles. In the event that a competing entry does not comply with the regulations, two back-up songs will be selected in reserve.
Eesti Laul 2026 format
Since 2009 Estonia has used the Eesti Laul national final to select its representatives. This year, ERR will continue with a traditional one-show, winner takes all, Grand Final that will feature twelve acts in total.
The Grand Final will take place on February 14 2026 and will retain the usual structure. During the live Final there will be two rounds of voting. The first round will determine the acts in the ‘Super Final’ and is decided by the combination of 50% jury voting and 50% public voting. During the Super Final, the winner of Eesti Laul 2026 and Estonian representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is chosen by 100% televoting.
Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Back in 1994 Estonia made their Eurovision debut in Dublin with Silvi Vrait and the entry, ‘Nagu merelaine‘. During the contest the Baltic nation placed 24th with just 2 points. Despite the early setback, Estonia have achieved eleven top ten results in total. Their best result came with Estonia’s only win in 2001. In Copenhagen the collective of Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL scored victory with 198 points for ‘Everybody‘.
Last year the Estonian public chose Tommy Cash through Eesti Laul 2025. During the Basel contest, they scored a total of 356, resulting in third place. Thus, achieving Estonia’s best result since 2002 and extending their qualification streak to four years.
Who should represent Estonia at Eurovision 2026? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra.bsky.social on Bluesky, @escxtra on Instagram, @escxtra on TikTok and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify for the latest music from your favourite Eurovision acts. As well as YouTube to see interviews and reactions to the latest Eurovision news.
