Spanish broadcaster RTVE approved “Benidorm Fest 2026” as the selection process for Eurovision 2026. It will be the 5th year in a row that the festival is used as the selection method for Eurovision
“Benidorm Fest 2026” – Main Details
- The festival will feature 2 semi-finals and a grand final. The shows will be held around January-February 2026.
- The submission window will open on June 5th, 2025, and will close on September 24th, 2025. The long submission window is meant to give artists the time to prepare their entries.
- RTVE might directly invite some established composers, singers, and lyricists to submit songs.
- The voting system will be changed compared to 2025. The results will be based on a 50% national jury, a 25% demoscopic jury, and a 25% public vote. Which means, the weight of the public vote decreased.
- 8 artists will qualify for the final, 4 from each semi-final.
- A professional committee will shortlist the submitted entries.
- RTVE might request a live audition to validate the performer’s vocal abilities.
- The intention is to shortlist 16 artists to participate in the festival. However, up to 20 artists may compete in the festival, depending on the level of the songs.
- For the first time, the Benidorm Fest will have its creative direction. It will be led by an expert in the performing arts field, responsible for designing, coordinating, and supervising the visual proposal for each performance.
- Artists must have Spanish nationality or permanent residence, and in the case of groups, at least 50% of their members must meet this requirement.
- Foreign writers and composers will be allowed, as long as at least one of them have Spanish nationality or permanent residence
- At least 60% of the lyrics must be in one of Spain’s official languages. The song’s length must be between 2:30 and 3 minutes.
- The winning entry at Benidorm Fest 2026 will receive a cash prize of €150,000 gross, divided into €100,000 for the artist or group and €50,000 for the songwriter(s).
Melody represented Spain in Eurovision 2025.
She performed “Esa Diva” and ended in 24th place with 37 points:
Eurovision 2026 will be held in Austria in May 2026