🇸🇪 Submissions for Melodifestivalen 2026 to open on August 18

With the new Eurovision 2026 season around the corner, SVT looks into next year’s competition and has commenced the search for Sweden’s next Eurovision entry, as the submission period for Melodifestivalen 2026 is set to open this Monday, August 18.

Submissions open until September 12

Interested artists who would like to submit an entry can do so from 09:00CET on August 18, until 11:59CET on September 12. Entries to be considered for next year’s competition via bidrag.melodifestivalen.se

About Melodifestivalen

Sweden’s Melodifestivalen, colloquially known as ‘Melfest’ or ‘Mello’ has been running almost every year since the late 1950s to select the nation’s entry for Eurovision. The first winner of the contest was Alice Babs in 1958 with “Lilla stjärna” – and the contest has grown to be one of the most popular shows in the Sweden, with around half of the population tuning in every year.

The current format of Melfest consists of five semi-finals, which consists of six songs each, taking place across five Swedish cities, with two artists from each semi-final reaching the final in Stockholm, which usually takes place on the second Saturday in March. In 2025, they were joined by two artists who qualified via the “Finalkval” system. Melodifestivalen uses a unique voting system that divides voters by age ranges (3-9, 10-15. 16-20. 30-44, 45-59, 60-74, 75+) as well as a telephone vote.

Sweden’s Eurovision Journey

In 1958, Sweden made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest, with Alice Babs representing them with the song “Lilla stjärna” which placed fourth. Since their debut, the Scandinavian nation has managed to win seven times (1974, 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, 2015 and 2023).

In 2025, Sweden were represented by Finnish group KAJ, singing “Bara bada bastu”. At the close of voting in the grand final, they had received 321 points, finishing in 4th place. 126 points were received by the juries, while the trio received 195 points by televoters.

Are you excited for the return of Melodifestivalen in 2026? Who would you like to see represent Sweden at Eurovision in 2026? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik-Tok, Threads and BlueSky as we prepare for Eurovision 2026!

News Source: SVT

Photo Credit: Stina Stjernkvist/SVT for Melodifestivalen 2025