ERR the national broadcaster of Estonia has confirmed that a total of 171 songs have been submitted for Eesti Laul 2026, taking place on February 14.
🇪🇪 Submission window for Eesti Laul 2026 closes
Following the closure of the submission window, ERR has teased what we can expect from next years’ national selection, Eesti Laul 2026. Among the 171 submissions competing to represent Estonia next May in Vienna, Austria are; 77 entries in Estonian and 94 entries in foreign languages. 20 countries are represented within the submissions, including Brazil and Australia. Many famous names have applied, as well as some newcomers to the Estonian music scene.
So far, Clicherik & Mäx, JANEK and Mari-Leen ja Sass are rumoured to have submitted entries for Eesti Laul 2026.
“The line-up of artists and composers who submitted songs is impressive, and considering there are only 12 places in the final, the competition will be exceptionally tight. Our communication with musicians shows how important a platform Eesti Laul is. The coming season promises to be full of excitement and surprises.”
Riin Vann, (Eesti Laul Producer)
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‘.
Earlier this year the Estonian public chose Tommy Cash through Eesti Laul 2025. During the Basel contest, Tommy 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.
