Following its return to the Eurovision Song Contest, Bulgarian broadcaster BNT has unveiled the full regulations of its Eurovision 2026 national selection, with the winning song set to be chosen on 28 February.
A three-show format
The selection will feature 15 artists competing across three televised shows, spread across January and February, with the artist chosen in the second show and the song selected in a dedicated final.
Show One – 24 January (21:00 EET)
The first show will see 15 artists perform a song from their existing catalogue.
- Five jury members will award 1 to 5 points to each artist
- The public will vote online via the BNT website
- The public favourite will receive 15 points, with points decreasing down to 1 point
- The maximum score per artist is 40 points
At the end of the show, the top seven artists will qualify for the next phase.
If multiple artists are tied for seventh place, all tied acts will advance.
Show Two – 31 January (21:00 EET)
In the second show, the seven qualified artists will once again perform a song from their back catalogue.
- A new jury panel will award 1 to 5 points per artist
- The public will vote again via the BNT website
- Public voting will award 7 points to the most voted artist, decreasing to 1 point
The artist with the highest combined jury and public score will be selected as Bulgaria’s representative for Eurovision 2026 and will move on to the final stage.
In case of a tie, the televote will act as the tie-breaker.
Final – 28 February (21:00 EET)
The third and final show will determine which song Bulgaria will send to Eurovision.
- The selected artist will perform three original songs, written specifically for Eurovision
- A jury of 10 members will vote alongside the public
- Each juror will award 3, 2 and 1 point to the songs
- Jury scores will be converted to 3 points for first place, 2 for second and 1 for third
- The public vote will be converted in the same way
The song with the highest combined total will represent Bulgaria at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, with the televote breaking any ties.
Bulgaria’s Eurovision journey
Bulgaria debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2005 with the song “Lorraine” sung by Kaffe; the song came 19th in the semi final scoring 49 points. Bulgaria’s best ever result came in 2017 with “Beautiful Mess” by Kristian Kostov, the song placed 2nd in the Grand Final that year scoring 615 points.
In 2022, Bulgaria was represented by the Intelligent Music Project in Turin, where they sang the song “Intention”, placing 16th in the Semi-Final with 29 points.
The country will return after a 3-year-pause for Vienna’s 2026 edition.
What you think of Bulgaria’s national final? 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: BNT
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
George Oiko 
Euan T