Israel at Eurovision 2026: National broadcaster “Kan” unveils major updates to song selection process. Songwriter Keren Peles will not be allowed to submit a song to the committee this year.
Israel’s public broadcaster “Kan” continues its preparations for Eurovision 2026, which will be held in Vienna, Austria, publishing a series of significant updates to the mechanism for choosing the song that will represent Israel in the contest. At the same time, the broadcaster’s CEO, Golan Yochpaz, and attorney Ayala Mizrahi, Kan’s representative to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), are expected to attend the organization’s assembly in Geneva tomorrow, where the issue of Israel’s participation will be discussed.
Reform in Israel’s Eurovision Song Selection Process
The broadcaster has recently adopted a series of recommendations formulated by Yoav Ginai – chair of ACUM (The Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel), creator, journalist, and the songwriter of “Diva,” which won Eurovision 1998 with Dana International. Ginai, who previously held senior positions at the Israel Broadcasting Authority and also headed Israel’s Eurovision delegation, was chosen to advise the broadcaster on this matter.
These recommendations were developed following an extensive process that included meetings with producers and musicians, content professionals, creators from various disciplines, and senior broadcaster staff. The move is intended to update the method of song selection, strengthen the professional procedure, and ensure equal opportunities for Israeli songwriters – particularly in light of the success of Yuval Raphael, who finished second in the most recent contest, and the broad protest by creators who criticized the selection of Keren Peles as the songwriter of Israel’s Eurovision entries in 2024 and 2025.
Main Updates to the Song Selection Regulations
Song submission
Any Israeli songwriter legally registered with ACUM will be able to submit a song, in accordance with an open call that will be published in the coming weeks. This marks a change from recent years, when only selected songwriters invited by a Kan-appointed committee were allowed to submit songs.
An internal Kan committee will conduct an initial screening, review all submissions, and select up to 40 works that meet the basic criteria. The committee will also be entitled to approach additional creators at its discretion.
To ensure a fair process, songs must be submitted in a performance that does not identify the creators or via a neutral AI-generated vocal. A creator (composer or lyricist) whose song represents Israel for two consecutive years will not be allowed to submit an additional song in the third year. Consequently, Keren Peles will not be able to submit a song to the committee this year.
Committee composition
The first committee will include music, culture, and entertainment professionals from within Kan, a public representative, and an independent external music expert chosen by the broadcaster. At this stage, there will be no representatives from commercial channel Keshet 12 on this committee.
The shortlisted works from the initial screening will be passed to a final selection committee, which will also include a representative from Keshet, the broadcaster of the show “HaKokhav HaBa” – Israel’s national artist selection for Eurovision 2026.
The full binding procedures will be published in Kan’s official regulations in the coming weeks.
Israel Presents Its Position to the EBU
In parallel with updating the rules, Golan Yochpaz and attorney Ayala Mizrahi will travel to Geneva to present Kan’s position at the EBU assembly. This comes amid international efforts to push for Israel’s disqualification from the contest. The discussion is expected to take place during the assembly tomorrow (Thursday) and on Friday, and will form a key element of Israel’s preparations ahead of the upcoming Eurovision season.
Israel at Eurovision 2025
“New Day Will Rise” is the song performed by Yuval Raphael, who was chosen to represent Israel after winning the 11th season of “HaKokhav HaBa”. Israel advanced to the final after winning the second semi-final with 203 points and finished second overall with 357 points in the grand final. Israel ranked first in the public vote but only 14th with the jury. This marks the third consecutive year that Israel has reached the top five – an unprecedented achievement.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Israel’s 48th participation in Eurovision. Israel joined the contest in 1973 and has won four times. Its most recent victory was at Eurovision 2018 with the song “Toy”, performed by singer Netta Barzilai.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +972-50-9441919
Tal Dahan – Journalist, radio broadcaster, and Eurovision content creator.
Tal Dahan is an Israeli journalist and editor specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest, working with the EuroMix editorial team for four years. Since 2022, she has provided regular on-site coverage of Eurovision from the host city, and from 2023 has also reported directly from the press room—offering the Israeli audience live updates, exclusive interviews, and in-depth commentary.
Tal is a member of the Eurovision tribute and parody band “EuroFalsh,” a radio broadcaster, and a student of political science and communications.
She is considered one of Israel’s leading young Eurovision experts. In addition to covering the main contest, Tal has reported from Eurovision pre-parties and national selection events across Europe (in Thessaloniki, Stockholm, Madrid, and more), been interviewed by major media outlets in Israel and internationally, and presented Eurovision-themed podcasts and radio shows.
