Vienna to Host Eurovision Song Contest 2026

It’s time for another weekly update on Eurovision! National selection season is kicking into gear across Northern Europe. A Eurovision legend has given her final curtain call. The Contest itself is sporting a brand-new look as it prepares to turn 70. Meanwhile, the battle to host Eurovision 2026 is about to reach its climax. Here are this week’s top stories: National Selection Updates: Sweden, Lithuania & Finland 🇸🇪 Sweden: SVT has published the new rules for Melodifestivalen 2026 and opened song submissions on 18 August. The jury will now consist solely of music professionals (previously it included fan and listener representatives), and a new four-member selection team. That team is led by contest producer Karin Gunnarsson. They will internally choose the 30 entries that compete. Project Manager Anders Wistbacka said these changes will make the process “less vulnerable and more transparent,”. With this they hope to yield an even stronger lineup and better connect with the audience. Source:gp.se 🇱🇹 Lithuania: LRT has begun the search for its Eurovision 2026 act by opening registration for the national contest EUROVIZIJA.LT, with song submissions accepted until 11 November 2025. The 2026 selection will feature up to six semi-finals (starting 14 January) and a final scheduled for 27 February 2026 in Vilnius. LRT announced format changes: the final will no longer include a superfinal round. All finalists perform only once. The winner will be decided solely by the public vote. Voting will be conducted via SMS and online. There will be no traditional call-in voting. These steps aim to give viewers a stronger voice in choosing Lithuania’s entry. Source:lrt.lt 🇫🇮 Finland: The Finnish broadcaster Yle has kicked off the UMK 2026 season, officially opening song submissions from 18–24 August 2025. The 15th edition of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu will culminate in a live final on 28 February 2026 at Tampere’s Nokia Arena. Yle also introduced a small but significant rule change. For the first time, entries that aren’t selected for UMK will be allowed to be submitted to other countries’ Eurovision selections, a practice that was previously forbidden. This gives Finnish songwriters a new second chance to reach the Contest. Source:yle.fi 🇫🇮 Katri Helena Retires After 60 Years in Music Katri Helena has officially retired from music after a career spanning over six decades. She is one of Finland’s most beloved singers and a two-time Eurovision entrant (1979 and 1993)The 79-year-old “Sinivalkoinen ääni” (“Blue-and-White Voice” of Finland) bid farewell with a sold-out Jäähyväiset (Farewell) concert at Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium on 16 August 2025, the eve of her 80th birthday. The emotional show featured many of her classic hits and guest appearances by younger artists, celebrating a remarkable 60+ year career. Katri Helena expressed deep gratitude to her audience. She said that when the last song ended, she felt “a great, grateful relief” as she stepped off the stage. Source:yle.fi 🎼 New Eurovision Logo Unveiled for 70th Contest (Image: The Eurovision Song Contest’s refreshed “Chameleon Heart” logo celebrates the upcoming 70th edition.) The Eurovision Song Contest is getting a makeover ahead of its 70th anniversary. The EBU has unveiled a refreshed contest logo and visual identity to mark the 70th Contest in 2026. The iconic heart logo was first introduced in 2004 and refined in 2014. It has been modernized into a cleaner, more colorful design. The logo now contains a smooth new cursive “E” and a custom “Singing Sans” typeface across all platforms. The EBU also introduced the dynamic “Chameleon Heart”, a versatile 3D heart motif that adapts its colors and patterns, with 70 layers marking each year of Eurovision’s history. Viewers will start to see the sparkling new look across Eurovision’s channels as the season unfolds. Source:ebu.ch 🇦🇹 Eurovision 2026 Host City to be Announced Wednesday Morning Austria’s broadcaster ORF has confirmed it will reveal the host city for Eurovision 2026 tomorrow morning, Wednesday 20 August. The choice comes down to the two remaining contenders, Vienna and Innsbruck. ORF plans to announce the winning city around 8:00 CET. That will happen simultaneously on its Ö3 radio breakfast show and the “Guten Morgen Österreich” TV program, as well as via the EBU’s official YouTube stream. Before the public reveal, the mayors of Vienna and Innsbruck will receive early morning phone calls. The chosen city will host the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in May 2026, following Austria’s victory this year. A press conference on Wednesday afternoon will detail the next steps for the host city’s preparations. Stay tuned to EurovisionUniverse.com tomorrow at 8:00 CET for the big reveal! Source:suedtirolnews.it Share