Latvia’s national broadcaster LTV confirmed that 124 songs were submitted for Supernova 2026. Will this record number reveal Latvia’s next big European hit?
The submission window for “Supernova 2026“ closed yesterday (Wednesday). A total of 124 songs were submitted to the national broadcaster LTV, all hoping to represent Latvia at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria. This figure marks an increase of 28 compared to last year’s 96 submissions, making it the highest number of entries since 2022.
More Songs = More Genres!
According to Agnese Štrause-Kubliņa, Head of Entertainment and Documentary Content at Latvian television, this reflects Eurovision’s significance for local artists:
“I am glad that musicians value Supernova. There are more songs than last year, which shows that the desire to bring Latvia’s name to the world, to the millions of Eurovision viewers, and the achievements so far, encouraged many to apply. In addition, the variety of genres is very wide – from country music to energetic rock compositions. The audience will be able to enjoy exciting performances. Thank you all for your hard work!”
How Will the Songs Be Selected?
The entries that advance will be chosen by a professional jury of independent music industry experts. They will evaluate originality, arrangement, message, and alignment with contemporary trends. For performers, vocal abilities, international breakthrough potential, and past achievements will be taken into account. For security reasons, the names of the jury members will only be revealed after Eurovision 2026.
How Many Songs Submitted to Supernova Last Editions?
- Supernova 2026 – 124 songs.
- Supernova 2025 – 96 songs.
- Supernova 2024 – 108 songs.
- Supernova 2023 – 121 songs.
- Supernova 2022 – 130 songs.
Supernova 2026 Dates:
- First Semi-Final – Saturday, January 31st, 2026.
- Second Semi-Final – Saturday, February 7th, 2026.
- Grand Final – Saturday, February 14th, 2026.
Ten contestants from the semi-finals are expected to advance to the grand final, with one additional spot reserved for a wild card entry at the broadcaster’s discretion, giving a second chance to a song that did not qualify for the final.
Latvia’s Eurovision Journey
Latvia is considered a relatively struggling country in Eurovision. Of its 25 appearances, it has won once, in its third year, when Marie N brought Latvia its only victory at Eurovision 2002 in Tallinn, Estonia. Latvia has never skipped a Eurovision contest except in 2020, when Samanta Tina’s participation was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite consistent attendance, Latvia has failed to reach the grand final 14 times, finishing last in its semi-final five times, in 2009-2010, 2013, 2017, and 2021.
Since the introduction of semi-finals, Latvia qualified for the final only seven times: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2024, and 2025. Still, Latvia has finished in the top five three times – with one voctory (2002), one third place (2000), and one fifth place (2005). Latvia also achieved sixth place in 2015, when Aminata Savadogo performed “Love Injected” in Vienna.
Latvia at Eurovision 2025
“Bur Man Laimi” (in English: “Song for Happiness”) is the name of the song performed by Tautumeitas, representing Latvia at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. The song is performed in Latvian – the first song in Latvian sent since 2004!
It placed second in the second semi-final with 130 points, reached the grand final, and finished thirteenth with 158 points – Latvia’s second consecutive qualification and highest achievement since Eurovision 2015.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Latvia’s 26th participation. Latvia debuted the contest in 2000 and achieved its best result in 2002, when Marie N won with the song “I Wanna”.
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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.
