Austria will pick its Eurovision 2026 act during the national final “Vienna Calling” on February 20th, through combined jury and public votes from 12 finalists.
After the victory of JJ at Eurovision 2025, Austria has begun preparations for choosing its representative for Eurovision 2026, set to take place in its capital, Vienna, on May 16th. The national broadcaster ORF has announced that the show “Vienna Calling – Who Will Sing for Austria?” will be held on February 20th, 2026, and broadcast live on ORF1. The selected act will be decided jointly by the jury and the public, from among 12 chosen candidates who will perform on that evening. The submission window has already opened and will close on October 15th, 2025.
Rules for Participation
According to ORF, the rules governing participation include:
- Songs must not have been commercially released or performed before September 1st, 2025 (including live shows or publication on social media).
- Participants must be at least 16 years old.
- Up to six people are allowed on stage.
- Each performer may only compete for one country.
- All performances must be sung live with half-playback.
- Songs must not exceed three minutes in length.
Additionally, the broadcaster underlined restrictions on artificial intelligence: entries must be original works composed mostly without AI assistance.
“Everyone Has a Voice”
ORF program director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz said:
“Eurovision 2026 in Vienna will be the biggest event taking place in Austria next year […] Our declared goal is to engage the entire country and inspire people. Now that it has been clarified where the Eurovision will be held, the time has come to decide who will represent Austria. We want to make this decision together with the public – everyone has a voice, and every artist is eligible to apply starting now”.
Austria’s Eurovision Journey
Austria first joined the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957, represented by Bob Martin with the song “Wohin, kleines Pony?” (“Where to, Little Pony?”). The song ranked 10th after the voting.
Since its debut, Austria has participated 56 times, reaching the final on 49 occasions. By 2025, the nation had celebrated two previous victories: its first in 1966, and the unforgettable 2014 triumph achieved by Conchita Wurst.
In 2025, ORF internally selected an entry after many years – a rare move. The chosen artist was JJ, performing the song “Wasted Love”. Not only did Austria qualify for the final in Basel, but they also made history: with 436 points, Austria secured its third-ever win, 11 years after its last victory.
Now, as Eurovision 2026 is set to be hosted in Austria for the third time, the country enters the contest with enormous momentum. Many fans are wondering whether Austria can defend its title and achieve the rare feat of back-to-back victories.
Austria at Eurovision 2025
JJ, a 23-year-old opera singer, represented Austria at Eurovision 2025 with the song “Wasted Love“, after being internally selected by the national broadcaster ORF. JJ won Eurovision, finishing in first place with 436 points: 258 from the juries, ranking first, and 178 from the public, ranking fourth. Among these were 8 points from the Israeli public and 6 points from the Israeli jury.
JJ’s victory marks Austria’s third win in Eurovision history, following Udo Jürgens in 1966 with “Merci, Cherie” and Conchita Wurst in 2014 with “Rise Like a Phoenix”.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Austria’s 58th participation in Eurovision. Austria joined the competition in 1957 and has won three times over the years. Austria’s last victory was in Eurovision 2025 with the song “Wasted Love” performed by singer JJ.
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Maor Heumann has been writing about the Eurovision Song Contest and following it for over three decades. He has attended five contests and has found something to appreciate in almost every possible musical genre — from the sugary pop entries that finish last in the semi-finals to the quirky avant-garde pieces that even the competition’s juries struggled to connect with. He usually prefers original languages and songs with depth over Swedish-produced English clones — though he doesn’t promise to stick to that rule.
He grew up on the kibbutz of Sara’le Sharon, who instilled in him a love for music and created his first connection to the contest back in 1993 — before most of the current editorial team was even born.
