171 Song Submitted for Eesti Laul 2026 – Eurovoix

ERR, the Estonian national broadcaster, has revealed that 171 songs were submitted for Eesti Laul 2026.

After the song submission window closed yesterday, ERR revealed that 171 songs were submitted for Eesti Laul 2026, a decrease of just four songs from last year. Of the songs submitted, 77 are in Estonian and 94 are in foreign languages. Songs were submitted by songwriters and artists from 20 countries, including Brazil and Australia.

Karmel Killandi, Editor-in-Chief of live broadcasts at ERR stated that both experienced and new artists submitted songs for Eesti Laul 2026:

“I am very glad that Tommy Cash did not scare the artists away with his great success, but instead spurred them on.”

Riin Vann, the producer of Eesti Laul, added that although Eesti Laul has become more and more international, domestic authors and artists still predominate.

“Communication with our musicians shows how important a platform Eesti Laul is. The upcoming season promises to be full of excitement and surprises.

The line-up of artists and composers who submitted songs to the competition is impressive, and considering that there are only 12 places in the final, we can expect exceptionally tight competition.”

A total 12 songs will compete in the Eesti Laul 2026 final, which will be held on February 14 in the Unibet Arena in Tallinn. As in previous years, the winner will be determined in two rounds. In the first round, three songs will be selected through a combination of jury voting and televote. In the superfinal, the winner will be chosen solely by televote. The jury for the final will consist of at least seven members, including international music experts actively involved in the making, publishing, or teaching of pop music.

The 12 competing songs will be selected by a jury of experts, including music professionals and ordinary people of various ages. In total, at least 25 members will evaluate the songs blindly, without knowing the names of the writers or artists. The final list of acts performing at Eesti Laul will be announced no later than November 7, with the songs released by December 4 at the latest.

Estonia finished 3rd in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, the country’s best result since the 2002 contest in Tallinn. Tommy Cash performed “Espresso Macchiato” scoring 356 points, including 12 points from the public in Armenia, Croatia, Latvia, Malta and Serbia.

Image source: Alma Bengtsson/EBU | Source: ERR

Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest

Estonia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 alongside six other countries. At the contest in Dublin, they were represented by Silvi Vrait, who finished second last, scoring just 2 points. In 2001, Estonia won the Eurovision Song Contest for the only time to date. They were represented by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL, who performed the song “Everybody” and took a surprise victory in Copenhagen. After the success of the late-90s and early 00s, Estonia failed to qualify for the final from 2004-2008. In 2009, Estonia launched a new selection show, Eesti Laul, and has since qualified for the final on nine out of fourteen attempts.

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