The Polish national broadcaster TVP revealed that the participants in “Poland Decides” will be announced on January 14th. One month later, Poland will select its entry for Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria.
Laast Monday, the Polish national broadcaster TVP confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria. Poland is the 32nd country to express interest in taking part in Eurovision 2026. Today (Saturday), TVP has revealed that the contestants and songs for the Polish national final, “Poland Decides”, will be published on January 14th. A month later, on February 14th, Poland’s entry for the upcoming contest will be chosen.
“Poland Decides” Rules:
Last Monday, the Polish national broadcaster TVP officially opened the submission window for “Poland Decides”, thus confirming participation in Eurovision 2026. Creators and artists wishing to submit their songs to the local pre-selection could do so starting November 3rd. The submission window will close on November 24th at 23:59 CET. Songs must be sent to the email address [email protected].
With the opening of the song submission period, TVP published the official rules for “Poland Decides”:
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The song must not exceed the length of 3 minutes.
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The song must not have been published or performed before September 1st, 2025.
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Only a final version recording is permitted (not a demo).
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Permitted languages: Polish (including dialects), Kashubian (a unique Polish language), Polish minority languages, English, Italian, French.
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The song must be a human creation; AI can be used only under full human control of the work.
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The main performer must be at least 16 years old and a Polish citizen at the time of submission.
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Up to 6 persons are permitted on stage.
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No discriminatory, explicit, or political content allowed.
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Participants must maintain political neutrality.
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Stage props must be approved and installable within 30 seconds by up to 4 people.
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“Poland Decides” contestants must participate in promotional activities with the national broadcaster.
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Attendance at all pre-selection rehearsals is mandatory.
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TVP provides travel expenses for the pre-selection; accommodation is at the participants’ own cost.
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Performances must be live vocals, with only a semi-playback allowed; auto-tune is forbidden.
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Representation of any other country while trying representing Poland is forbidden.
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Violation of the rules will result in immediate disqualification.
How Will Poland Choose Its Entry for Eurovision 2026?
As mentioned, at the start of the week, the Polish national broadcaster TVP confirmed Poland’s participation in Eurovision 2026 during the “Pytaniu Na Sniadanie” morning show, coinciding with the opening of the submission window for the song selection process. This window will close exactly three weeks later, on November 24th. Once again, Poland will select its act and song for Eurovision 2026 through a televised national final, “Poland Decides”, where the winning song will be decided exclusively by public vote.
Poland at Eurovision: The Chase for Replicating Its First Success
Poland is often viewed as an unpredictable participant in the Eurovision Song Contest. The country has competed 27 times but has never secured a victory. It has missed the competition four times and withdrew once more in 2020, when Alicja Szemplinska’s song “Empires” was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Poland first joined Eurovision in 1994 and immediately reached the top of the scoreboard when Edyta Górniak and the song “To Nie Ja!” finished second with 166 points — setting a high standard for future entries. The following year, Justyna Steczkowska represented Poland with “Sama”, finishing 18th, though the song marked an early artistic highlight for the nation.
Poland’s points average gradually declined, leading to irregular appearances throughout the 2000s. The introduction of semifinals also proved challenging: between 2005 and 2011, Poland reached the final just once — in 2008, finishing tied in last place with Germany and the United Kingdom.
The country skipped Eurovision in 2000, 2002, 2012, and 2013. Aside from its debut performance in 1994, Poland has reached the Top 10 only twice more: in Eurovision 2003 (7th place) and Eurovision 2016 (8th place).
Since semifinals were introduced in 2004, Poland has qualified for the grand final nine times out of 19 attempts, often experiencing long streaks of non-qualification, in 2005–2007, in 2009–2011, and in 2018–2021. Polish entries tend to perform far better with televoters than with juries, regularly showing wide gaps in scoring between the criticizing juries and the loving televote.
In 2025, Poland set a record for the longest comeback in Eurovision history when Justyna Steczkowska, who competed in 1995, returned to represent Poland again in Eurovision 2025 in Basel, marking a 30-year return to the stage.
Poland in Euorovision 2025
“GAJA” was the name of the song performed by Justyna Steczkowska at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. Poland finished seventh in the first semifinal with 85 points, qualified for the Grand Final, and ultimately achieved 14th place with 156 points.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Poland’s 28th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Poland joined the competition in 1994 and achieved its best result that same year when singer Edyta Górniak reached second place with the song “To nie ja!”.
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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
