In addition to selecting Ukraine’s entrant for Eurovision 2026 Suspilne used the opportunity to raise significant fund for veterans.
1,752,100 UAH raised during Vidbir
In collaboration with the charity Superhumans 1.7 million UAH was raised to provide prosthetics for those who have lost limbs fighting against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a statement on instagram the CEO of Superhumans stated:
“We are sincerely grateful to the National Selection team for their trust and unity of values. As part of this cooperation, we managed to raise UAH 1.7 million. The fundraiser is complete, and all funds will be directed to prosthetics for patients at the Superhumans center. UAH 1.7 million is not just support. These are new opportunities to move, work, live actively, and regain our usual rhythm of life,”
Olga Rudnieva, CEO of Superhumans (machine translate)
What is Vidbir?
Informally known as “Vidbir”, Ukraine’s national selection has been around since 2016, when it picked a Eurovision winner–Jamala’s “1944”–right off the bat. It’s a small selection with generally between six to ten entries competing each year, and is traditionally held in February. Vidbir features a three-person jury panel, and this year an online vote as well.
Ukraine’s Eurovision Journey
Ukraine is one of the most successful countries to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. The country has scored nine top-five placements, with an extra four top-ten finishes. Ukraine won the Contest three times – in 2004, 2016 and 2022 respectively. Ukraine made history for being the first ex-Soviet country to win the Contest more than once.
In 2025, Ziferblat represented Ukraine in Basel with their song “Bird of Pray”. The band finished in 9th place, scoring 218 points – of which 60 points came from the jury, whilst the remaining 158 points came from the televote.
Did you catch this year’s show? 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!
Source: Suspilne
Photo credit: Suspilne
Rory Gannon