With only two days left until the submission deadline for “Eesti Laul 2026”, producer Riin Vann reports record interest from artists in Estonia and abroad. Who will perform the next “Espresso Macchiato” in Vienna?
The countdown is on: on October 20th at 11:00 CEST, submissions will officially close for Eesti Laul 2026, Estonia’s national final for Eurovision 2026, which will take place this May in Vienna. According to producer Riin Vann, the submission process has been progressing rapidly:
“as the deadline approaches, we’re seeing more and more songs coming in”.
Vann added that this year’s competition has seen exceptional interest not only from Estonian artists but also from international performers. In fact, the number of foreign submissions is higher than in previous years – highlighting Eesti Laul’s growing reputation as one of Europe’s most innovative and high-quality national finals.
Final Call for Entries – Registration Fees Increase
The final deadline for song submissions is Monday, October 20th, at 11:00 CEST. At this stage, artists are required to pay increased registration fees:
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€150 for songs in Estonian
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€250 for songs in other or multiple languages
Until today (October 18th), registration fees were lower – €50 and €100 respectively.
Songs can be submitted through the website of Estonia’s national broadcaster ERR, along with all required documentation listed in the official rules.
Everything You Need to Know About “Eesti Laul 2026”
- The submitted song must be original, up to three minutes long, and contain no political or commercial content.
- A maximum of six performers are allowed on stage, and no performer or lyric changes are permitted after submission.
- Participants must have been born in May 2010 or earlier.
- Participants may not attempt to represent another country simultaneously.
- Songs may only be published starting from December 4th, 2025, at 20:00 CET.
- Non-Estonian songs must be accompanied by a translation, and international artists are allowed to participate only if partnered with an Estonian performer or songwriter.
- Each performer or songwriter may submit up to five songs.
After October 20th, a jury of at least 25 members – comprising musicians, composers, singers, producers, music journalists, DJs, lecturers, and ordinary citizens across various age groups – will evaluate the entries blindly, without knowing who wrote or performed each song.
The selected participants will be announced by November 7th, and their songs will premiere on December 4th, 2025, at 20:00 CET.
The grand final of Eesti Laul 2026 will take place on February 14th, 2026 and like in last year’s edition, the “Eesti Laul 2026” final will feature 12 songs, four fewer than in 2025. There will be no semi-finals, continuing the format first reintroduced last year since “Eesti Laul 2010”.
The voting process will consist of two rounds: in the first, the top three songs will be chosen through a combination of international jury and audience voting; in the second, public televoting alone will decide which of the three will represent Estonia at Eurovision 2026.
Eesti Laul: Estonia’s Gateway to Europe
Since 2009, “Eesti Laul” has served as Estonia’s gateway to the Eurovision Song Contest, producing some of the country’s most memorable performances of recent years – most notably Tommy Cash’s 2025 entry “Espresso Macchiato”, which finished third at Eurovision and became one of Europe’s most-streamed hits. Who will step into Tommy’s shoes and represent Estonia in Vienna next May? We’ll find out soon.
Estonia at Eurovision 2025
“Espresso Macchiato” is the name of the song performed by the singer Tommy Cash, who represented Estonia in Eurovision 2025. The singer reached third place in the grand final with 356 points. Estonia received 258 points from the televoting, placed second, and 98 more points from the jury vote, placed ninth.
This result is Estonia’s best since their third place in Eurovision 2002, 23 years ago.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Estonia’s 31st participation in Eurovision. Estonia joined the contest in 1994 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2001 when singers Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL, won first place with the song “Everybody”.
