Cesár Sampson joins the team selecting participants for the 2026 Austrian national selection. what kind of songs is he looking for?
Austria is preparing to host Eurovision 2026 in Vienna: the Austrian national broadcaster ORF will hold, for the first time in a decade, an open national final to determine the country’s entry for the contest. The broadcaster has enlisted Cesár Sampson to assist with the complex mission of finding participants for “Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich” (in English: Vienna Calling – Who Will Sing for Austria?), from which one act will earn the honor of representing Austria on home soil in Vienna.
Cesár Sampson Will Choose Austria’s National Selection Participants
Cesár Sampson, who represented Austria in Eurovision 2018 and secured third place with “Nobody But You”, revealed in an interview with Austrian station Ö3 that he will help select the songs competing for the right to represent Austria at Eurovision 2026. Sampson will work alongside television hosts Eberhard Forcher and Peter Schreiber in identifying the artists who will compete in the Austrian national selection. He confirmed in the interview that both established musicians and newcomers have already submitted entries. The submission window is now open and will close on October 15th, in just over two weeks.
What Is Cesár Expecting This Year?
Sampson promised in the interview that he will listen to all songs submitted to the national broadcaster before the deadline. He explained that he is looking for very special songs – entries that will truly shine on the big Eurovision stage:
“There are simply a few realities that still need to be considered in Eurovision, and I always try to communicate them in my feedback”.
Beyond his involvement in selecting songs, Sampson added that he hopes to appear on the Eurovision stage in Vienna – this time as part of the artistic show:
“I want to be part of this experience as much as possible. The last time, in 2015, I wasn’t at Eurovision at all. I wasn’t even in Vienna then, and this will be my first time at home”.
When Will the Austrian National Selection Take Place?
Austria’s national selection will be held on February 20th and broadcast live on ORF 1. A total of 12 artists will compete. The winner – chosen through a combination of jury votes and televoting – will represent Austria on home ground in Vienna.
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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Neta Geffen is a respected journalist at Euromix, Israel’s leading news site for Eurovision coverage. Since 2010, Neta has been closely following the Eurovision Song Contest, bringing with him extensive experience, profound knowledge, and a broad understanding of the history, politics, and cultural influences that shape the event every year.
Neta publishes articles, analyses, and up-to-date reviews on all Eurovision developments, including musical trends, format changes, political influences, and audience reactions across Europe and Israel. Thanks to a deep connection to the contest’s history, Neta provides readers with wide-ranging context—from the impact of political events on results, to in-depth analyses of songs and languages within the competition. Neta specializes particularly in the Eurovision rock genre, Balkan ballads, and native language entries, with a special focus on Italian and Greek songs.
