by Nitsan Eliraz Comment Closed

 




The Dutch national broadcaster has opened the submission window for Eurovision 2026. Artists and songwriters can submit entries until August 31, with the representative and song to be chosen internally.

Following the announcement by the Dutch national broadcaster AVROTROS that it will once again use an internal selection process to choose the country’s representative for Eurovision 2026, the Netherlands has officially opened the song submission window for artists and songwriters, which will remain open until August 31. 

The Netherlands was the first country to confirm its participation in Eurovision 2026, already doing so in November 2024. The Dutch national broadcaster has expressed satisfaction with the country’s recent achievements in the competition, having reached the final no fewer than 10 times over the past 12 years. As a result, they have decided to continue with the internal selection process.




Submission Window and Song Requirements

The song submission window will close in approximately three months, on August 31. The Dutch national broadcaster has published regulations outlining the criteria that submitted songs must meet:

  • The song must not have been published or performed publicly before September 1, 2025.

  • The song’s duration must not exceed three minutes.

  • Songs may be submitted in any language.

 

Artist Requirements 

There are also specific requirements for artists:

  • Up to six artists are allowed, including backing vocalists or dancers.

  • The artist must be affiliated with a record company or independent label.

  • Stage experience is required.

  • All vocal performances must be live, while all instrumental tracks are pre-recorded.

  • Availability and flexibility are required from December 2025 through May 2026.

  • The artist must be at least 16 years old by April 15, 2026.

Preference will be given to submissions that include both a song and an artist, but it is also possible to submit a song only, in which case a suitable artist will be selected later.




Netherlands at Eurovision 2025

“C’est La Vie” is the title of the song performed by Claude, who represented the Netherlands at Eurovision 2025. The Netherlands qualified for the Grand Final after placing third in the first semi-final with 121 points. In the Grand Final, the Netherlands finished in 12th place with 175 points, with the jury awarding the country fifth place, but the public at home ranking it only 15th.

This year, the Netherlands participated in the Grand Final after two years of missing out. In 2023, Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper failed to qualify from the semi-final, while in 2024, Joost Klein was disqualified after the semi-final due to a violent incident involving the competition’s production team.

 

Source: AVROTROS

Eurovision 2025: This was the Netherlands’ 65th participation in Eurovision. The Netherlands joined the competition in 1956, was one of the seven founding countries, and has won it five times over the years. The Netherlands’ last victory was at Eurovision 2019 with the song “Arcade” performed by singer Duncan Laurence.