Austrian singer Cesár Sampson has revealed he’ll be part of the selection committee tasked with picking Austria’s Eurovision 2026 entry, via the national contest Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich?
About the selection
In an interview on Ö3, Sampson said he will work alongside Eberhard Forcher and Peter Schreiber to evaluate submissions, both known figures in Austria’s Eurovision selection process.. He also noted that the pool of applicants includes both established names and relative newcomers.
Twelve acts will compete in the live show, with the winner being chosen through a combination of jury voting and public vote. The show will take place in Vienna, the host city of Eurovision 2026, following JJ’s win for Austria with “Wasted Love“ in Basel.
ORF Program Director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz said:
“The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna is the largest event to be held in Austria next year. Our stated goal is to involve and inspire the entire country. Now that the question of where the Eurovision Song Contest will take place has been clarified, it’s time to decide who will represent Austria. We want to make this decision together with our audience – everyone can have their say, and all artists can apply to participate starting now.”
Artists and composers interested in participating can submit their entries until October 15, 2025. ORF has opened a submission portal for all entries via their official channels.
Rules and eligibility
- Songs must not have been commercially released or publicly performed before September 1, 2025
- Artists must be at least 16 years old
- Songs must not exceed three minutes
- No more than six people are allowed on stage
- Lyrics, performance, and visuals must remain non-political
- Songs must not be created using AI tools
- Only live vocals will be permitted during the show
Austria’s Eurovision Journey
In 1957, Austria made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest, where Bob Martin represented the landlocked nation with the song “Wohin, kleines Pony?”. At the close of voting, it managed to place 10th overall. Since their debut, Austria has participated 56 times (being in the final 49 times), and has won the competition on two occasions in 1966 and 2014.
For 2025, JJ was internally selected to represent Austria with their song “Wasted Love”. In Basel, JJ qualified for the final, where he then went on to win the contest after receiving 436 points from the Juries and Televotes combined.
Who will be the successor of JJ? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News source: eurovoix
Photo credit: AAP
Euan T