“Benidorm Fest 2026” will be the selection process for Eurovision 2026.
However, Spain’s participation in Eurovision 2026 is still uncertain.
In case the country competes in Eurovision 2026, It will be the 5th year in a row that the festival is used as the selection method for Eurovision
In June, RTVE announced that the festival will likely take place on February 10th, 12th, and 14th, 2026.
And now, more details are known.
So here’s everything you need to know about the Spanish festival.
The new details were revealed by ESC PLUS
“Benidorm Fest 2026” – Main Details
- The festival will feature 2 semi-finals and a grand final. Currently, the suggested dates are February 10th and 12th, 2026
- The submission window opened 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.
- 16 artists will be selected to compete in the national festival. They will be revealed in October 2025.
- The songs will be released in December 2025, before Christmas.
- 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).
- The dress rehearsals will be open to the public.
Besides this, we got to know to know more about the team behind the fetstival:
- Sergio Jaén was appointed the Artistic Director for the festival.
The Spanish director was involved in several Eurovision-related projects so far, including camera director in “UMK 2025”, as well as staging for Eurovision entries: Ireland 2024, Cyprus 2025, and Austria 2025. Sergio will also be in charge of staging for the Spanish entry for Eurovision 2026 - Borja Rueda (Cyprus Eurovision 2025 choreographer) will be in charge of choreography.
- Finnish Ari Levelä will be the visual director, responsible for lighting and all visual elements. He has been involved in “UMK” and the staging of Finnish Eurovision entries since 2020.
Melody represented Spain in Eurovision 2025.
She performed “Esa Diva” and ended in 24th place with 37 points:
Eurovision 2026 will be held in Vienna, Austria, on May 12th, 14th, and 16th, 2026.
