In response to public criticism, the Cypriot national broadcaster outlines the detailed selection process for Eurovision 2026, in which singer Antigoni was chosen to represent Cyprus
On Thursday, Antigoni was officially announced as the Cypriot entrant for Eurovision 2026, making her the first confirmed participant for the contest set to take place in Vienna, Austria.
This announcement followed conflicting reports from Greece and Cyprus indicating that the two finalists considered to represent Cyprus were Josephine and Giorgos Perris. The national broadcaster, CyBC, has now responded with an explanation of the selection process.
Dual-Phase Selection Structure
Yesterday (Monday), the CyBC released an official statement detailing that the selection process for Cyprus’ Eurovision 2026 representative consisted of two stages.
According to the statement, the first phase involved a panel of five music experts, each tasked with ranking nine potential artists with scores from 1 to 9, correlating to the total number of candidates.
All nine candidates were proposed by Greek record labels. The second phase included a public online poll organized by the broadcaster, allowing the public to voice their preferences on both the style and identity of Cyprus’ song and performer.
Selection Results and Public Input
The statement concluded that Antigoni achieved the highest overall score, thereby earning the opportunity to represent Cyprus at Eurovision 2026, which will take place in Vienna, Austria.
How Will the Cypriot Song Sound?
The song Antigoni will perform in Vienna has not yet been revealed. In the interview, she expressed her hopes for it: “I’d really love to have Cypriot words in the song, something danceable, something that suits me and reflects our culture. That’s what I want to show at Eurovision. My goal is to make Cyprus proud”. The song is expected to be released in early 2026.
Who Is Antigoni?
Antigoni, originally from Cyprus, recently joined the international tour of Marina Satti, Greece’s Eurovision 2024 representative. In various interviews and social media posts, she has often voiced her wish to represent her home country at Eurovision.
She began writing songs as a teenager and studied at London’s BRIT School, which has produced artists such as Adele and Amy Winehouse. In her early twenties, she signed with Island Records and began developing her unique sound—a mix of pop and R&B infused with Mediterranean influences and Greek instruments.
Her music often features bilingual lyrics in Greek and English, reflecting her dual British and Cypriot identity.
Antigoni became widely recognized after participating in the eighth season of the British reality show Love Island in 2022, which boosted her visibility across both the UK and Cyprus. Despite her television fame, she continues to focus primarily on her musical career.
Cyprus in Eurovision 2025
“Shh” is the song performed by Theo Evan, who represented Cyprus at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. The song, performed in English, finished 11th in the first semi-final with 44 points and did not qualify for the final – marking the first non-qualification for Cyprus since Eurovision 2022.
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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.
