Romanian broadcaster TVR has officially unveiled the seven-member panel that will determine which artists and songs move forward in Selecția Națională 2026.
Who’s on the jury
The jurors bring together voices from across Romania’s music, media, and performance landscape. Their diverse backgrounds aim to balance industry insight with creative judgement as Romania returns to Eurovision after a two-year break.
The seven jurors for Selecția Națională 2026 are:
- Andreea Bălan – acclaimed Romanian pop artist and seasoned TV judge.
- Andrei Tudor – composer, conductor and Eurovision veteran (composer of Romania’s 2008 entry Pe-o margine de lume).
- Cristian Marica Rădoi – music journalist and radio editorial leader.
- Cristian Tarcea (Monoir) – internationally successful producer and songwriter.
- Doru Ionescu – veteran music journalist and broadcaster.
- Elena Popa – journalist, digital creator and performer.
- Marius Dia – composer, producer and A&R executive.
About Selecția Națională 2026
- The selection process for Romania’s Eurovision 2026 entry begins with an open registration phase, running from January 14 to February 2 via the official Eurovision Romania website. Solo artists, bands, songwriters, composers and producers — both Romanian and international — are eligible to apply.
- Pre-selections will follow on February 5–6, with semi-final auditions taking place from February 9 to 11.
- A professional jury will then select 10 finalists to compete in the Selecția Națională Final on March 4, where the winner will be chosen by jury vote only. The winning act will represent Romania at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, performing in the first half of Semi-Final 2 on May 14.
Romania’s Eurovision journey
Romania joined the Eurovision family in the Eastern wave of enlargement, making its debut in 1994. Their entry – Dan Bittman’s “Dincolo de nori” – finished in 21st place with a total of 14 points. At the introduction of semi-finals, Romania found their stride and was present in every Eurovision final until 2018. Romania’s best result is third place, scored twice in 2005 and 2010 respectively.
In 2023, Romania was represented by Theodor Andrei with his song “D.G.T. (Off and On)”. Performing at the second semi-final in Liverpool, Romania failed to qualify for the final. At the close of voting in the semi-final, Romania finished joint last, scoring 0 points from the televote.
Are you excited to see who will represent Romania this year? 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: TVR
Photo Credit: TVR
Tetiana Viznytsia 
Tim J 
Euan T