Finnish broadcaster Yle have announced a total of 491 submissions received for its upcoming selection UMK26 taking place in Tampere on February 28.
🇫🇮 UMK26 receives record number of song submissions
Once again Yle brings its national selection UMK26 to the Nokia Arena in Tampere. Recently, the Finnish broadcaster announced a record 491 submissions have been received. Over the past few weeks, a professional jury chaired by Tapio Hakanen, have assessed the entries and chosen seven to progress to the live final on February 28.
Next year on January 14, Yle will publicly reveal the lucky seven taking part. In the days after this, from January 15 to January 23, the songs and music videos will be released one per day. The winner of UMK26 will be determined through the combined points total of the jury and public voting and will represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna, Austria next May.
Yle tease selected artists for UMK26
Although the artist announcement is still months away, Yle have dropped some early teasers to keep fans guessing. A series of clues to the seven acts are listed below. Can you work them out?
- A charismatic performer making their debut at UMK.
- An artist representing today’s most current sound.
- An internationally sought-after crowd-pleaser, a pioneer in their own genre.
- A charismatic duo of two unique voices.
- A dramatic pop piece from a singer with a stunning voice.
- A captivating ballad from an artist radiating international appeal.
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Making their Eurovision debut in 1961 with the entry ‘Valoa Ikkunassa’ by Laila Kinnunen, Finland has not always found life in the contest easy. Finland didn’t have a smooth start at Eurovision, placing last three times in the 1960s. Marion Rung was Finland’s first success, placing 6th in 1973 with ‘Tom Tom Tom’ – this remained as Finland’s best result until 2006.
Before the turn of the millennium, Finland placed last a further five times while they placed in the top ten on only three occasions. Finally, their fortunes changed in 2006 when Lordi won the contest in Athens with ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’ – their only victory to this date. Since the revamp to the UMK format the Nordic nation are on a five-year qualification streak and have achieved two top ten results, including runner-up in Liverpool 2023 for Käärijä with, ‘Cha Cha Cha’.
This year it was the turn of Erika Vikman to represent Finland. During the Basel contest, Erika placed 11th and achieved 196 points with, ‘Ich Komme’.
Who should represent Finland 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.
