Croatian national broadcaster, HRT officially announced that 251 songs were submitted for “Dora 2026″, which will determine its entry for Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria.
Croatian national broadcaster HRT revealed that a total of 251 songs were submitted for “Dora 2026”, which, through the Croatian entry for Eurovision 2026, will be chosen. The number of songs that have been submitted this year is the highest since the return of “Dora” in 2019!
As we know, the song submission window was open from September 23rd to November 23rd. In recent years, Croatia has recorded an increase in the number of songs submitted to compete for the right to represent the country at the contest. This year, Croatia noted an impressive rise of 30 songs compared to the number of submissions last year .
The number of submissions for “Dora 2026” in recent years:
- Dora 2021: 140 songs
- Dora 2022: 184 songs
- Dora 2023: 196 songs
- Dora 2024: 200 songs
- Dora2025: 221 songs
- Dora 2026: 251 Songs
How will Croatia’s entry for Eurovision 2026 be chosen?
A professional jury will select 24 songs from the 291 entries submitted during the submission period to compete in the national pre-selection. Four additional songs will be chosen as backups, in case a participant withdraws or is disqualified. It’s worth noting that Baby Lasagna’s song, which represented Croatia at Eurovision 2024, was surprisingly selected as one of the backup songs and only made it to the competition after one of the contestants withdrew.
The Croatian national selection will take place in February and will be broadcast live on the HTV channel, the HRTi platform, and the HRT website. The winner of the national contest will earn the right to represent Croatia at Eurovision 2026, which will be held in Vienna, Austria. The Croatian broadcaster HRT will cover the travel and accommodation costs and will determine the format of the Croatian performance in Vienna.
“Dora 2026” regulations:
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Songs must be original, with a maximum length of three minutes.
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Up to six performers may appear on stage; animals are strictly prohibited.
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Contestants must be at least 16 years old and Croatian citizens.
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The use of autotune during the competition is strictly forbidden.
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The 24 selected participants must submit a promotional package (official photograph, biography, and music video) by January 5th, 2026.
Dora 2026 will take place in February and will be broadcast live on HTV, the HRTi platform, and the HRT website. The winner will represent Croatia at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna. The broadcaster HRT will cover travel and accommodation costs and retain the right to determine the stage performance.
The history of Croatia at Eurovision:
Croatia has participated in Eurovision 30 times but has never won. Twice, it did not take part in the contest, and in 2020, it was supposed to compete with Damir Kedžo and his song “Divlji Vjetre”, but participation was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In its first appearance in 1993, Croatia sent the group Put with the song “Don’t Ever Cry” and finished in 15th place out of 25 countries. Since then, Croatia has achieved several notable results, including twice reaching fourth place: the first in 1996 with Maja Blagdan and her song “Sveta Ljubav” . Until 2021, Blagdan held the record for the highest note ever sung in Eurovision history – a record that was later surpassed by Eden Alene by half a tone.
The second time Croatia reached fourth place was in 1999, with the singer Doris Dragović and her song “Maria Magdalena”. Croatia’s best achievement, however, belongs to the beloved Croatian performer Baby Lasagna, who represented Croatia at Eurovision 2024 with his song “Rim Tim Dagi Dim”. He won the public vote and finished in second place overall.
Croatia at Eurovision 2025
“Poison Cake” was the title of the song performed by Marko Bošnjak in the first semi-final of Eurovision 2025. Croatia failed to qualify for the grand final, breaking the country’s recent streak of success. The song finished 12th out of 15 entries in its semi-final, receiving a total of 28 points.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Croatia’s 31st participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Croatia joined the competition in 1993 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2024 by finishing in second place with the song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” performed by the singer Baby Lasagna.
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A writer and content creator in the field of Eurovision, a commentator with extensive expertise in the modern era of the contest. Adiel’s vast knowledge and familiarity with Eurovision are reflected in every article, ensuring professional and up-to-date content. He closely follows song releases and various Eurovision pre-events. Adiel has a fondness for cultures and new languages, which he discovered through his love of Eurovision. In his writing, he places great emphasis on professional commentary and a diversity of opinions.
