More Details on Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich? – Eurovoix

The Austrian broadcaster ORF has shared some additional details regarding their national final for Eurovision 2026.

With the deadline to submit an entry to Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich? approaching, ORF has shared some information and insight behind the national final.

Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich? (Vienna Calling – Who will sing for Austria?) will take place on February 20 and will be broadcast live on ORF 1 and hosted by Alice Tumler. A total of 12 artists will compete in the live final, who will be chosen following a long and thorough process.

After the deadline expires on Wednesday this week, a panel of experts will listen to all the songs that have been submitted to the broadcaster. This panel includes Cesar Sampson, who represented Austria in 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal, and finished third in the Grand Final. Sampson says it’s important to reflect the diversity of local music.

A jury will then invite and evaluate 24 singers and groups to audition in November. After this, half of the 24 singers and groups will advance to the main evening show on February 20. During the show, a combination of a national jury, an international jury, and public voting will determine who will represent Austria on home ground in Vienna.

Eberhard Forcher, who is part of a three person scouting team for Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich?, has confirmed that 80 songs had been submitted up to October 3rd for the Austrian selection. He expects at least another 30 songs to be submitted before the deadline passes.

In addition to this, the Austrian Newspaper Kleine Zeitung has reported on 10 artists and groups that have either submitted songs or shown an interest in competing in Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich?:

The Mountain Crew – Lederhosen band that wants to bring a fun song to Vienna
Kayla Krystin – Has had radio plays internationally and is now performing in the Tyrolean dialect, she is reported to have made it to the final round of the internal selection for Eurovision 2025
Lena Schaur – Winner of Soundcheck which was held earlier this year, and is highly regarded as a potential Eurovision acts
Die Südsteirer – Humorous and fun band that combines folk and party music
Krystof – Has submitted a song composed with Christof Straub, who wrote “Loin d’ici”, the Austrian entry for Eurovision 2016
Berenice – Submitted an English language power ballad
Visions of Atlantis – Symphonic metal band, and are reported to have been in two previous internal selections
Candlelight Ficus – Funk band that also made it through to the final round of an internal selection
Egon7 – Styrian pop band
Lydia Kelovitz – Previously competed in Deutschland sucht den Superstar
Polkagott – In discussions regarding participating in the selection process

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will be held in Vienna following the victory of JJ with “Wasted Love”. Austria won the Eurovision Song Contest for a third time, having previously won the 1966 and 2014 editions of the contest. Austria received 12 points from eight juries; Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Image Source: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU | Source: ORF

Austria debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957. Bob Martin represented the country on their debut but finished in last place, scoring just 3 points. Austria has won the contest three times, the first being in 1966 when Udo Jürgens performed “Merci, Chérie”. It was 48 years later when Austria won again in 2014, when Conchita Wurst performed “Rise Like a Phoenix”, scoring a total of 290 points. Austria’s third win came in 2025, when JJ sang “Wasted Love” and scored 436 points.

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