Bulgaria’s “Natsionalna Selektsiya 2026” concludes tonight at 20:00 CET. Watch as DARA performs three songs to decide Bulgaria’s Eurovision entry.
The third and final stage of Bulgaria’s “Natsionalna Selektsiya 2026” will take place tonight, determining the country’s entry for the upcoming contest. This stage follows two previous rounds in which the competing artists were revealed. At the end of the second phase, DARA was chosen to represent Bulgaria at Eurovision 2026, which will be held in Vienna, Austria on May 12th, 14th and 16th.
The broadcast will begin at 20:00 CET and is expected to last approximately one hour, ending around 21:00.
Watch Bulgaria’s National Song Selection for Eurovision Here!
Hosts and Show Format
Tonight’s live broadcast will be aired from Studio 1 of the Bulgarian national broadcaster (BNT) in Sofia. The show will be hosted by Georgi Lyubenov and Boryana Gramatikova, joined by Vladimira Ilieva, who will report from behind the scenes.
During the one-hour live show, Bulgaria’s chosen representative DARA will take the stage to premiere three entirely new songs, written specifically for the competition. After her live performances, the winning song will be determined based on an equal mix of jury and online voting.
Voting and Selection Process
A professional jury panel of ten members will award 1, 2, and 3 points to the songs, while viewers participating in the online vote will also give 1, 2, and 3 points. The song achieving the highest combined total will officially become Bulgaria’s entry for Eurovision 2026.
DARA – Who Are You?
DARA, whose full name is Dara Nikolaeva Yotova, is one of the most prominent pop singers of her generation in Bulgaria. She rose to public attention in late 2015 after reaching the final of the Bulgarian version of The X Factor. Since then, she has established herself as a leading figure in the national pop scene.
She launched her solo career in 2016 with the hit “K’vo ne chu“, which topped the Bulgarian charts and later received an international English-language version titled “Onto You“. In the years that followed, she released a series of successful singles, appeared on major television productions such as the Bulgarian edition of “Dancing with the Stars”, and became widely recognized beyond music audiences.
Since 2021, she has served as a mentor on The Voice of Bulgaria, where she has guided contestants to victory on two occasions.
Bulgaria at Eurovision 2022
For Eurovision 2022, Bulgaria sent Intelligent Music Project with their song “Intention”, which interrupted Bulgaria’s streak of successes as they failed to qualify for the final for the first time since Eurovision 2013. The band finished sixteenth out of seventeen countries in the first semi-final held in Turin, Italy, receiving a total of 29 points, split to 11 points from juries and an additional 18 points from public voting. Following this participation, drummer Stoyan Yankoulov became the first artist to represent Bulgaria three times at Eurovision after participating in both Eurovision 2007 and Eurovision 2013.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Bulgaria’s 15th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Bulgaria joined the competition in 2005 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2017 when the singer Kristian Kostov finished in second place with the song “Beautiful Mess”.
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Noy Yehoyada is an Israeli journalist and content creator at the EuroMix team since 2024, bringing a personal, feminine, and LGBTQ+ voice into the Eurovision sphere. A devoted Eurovision fan since the age of 16, she plays an active role in covering the contest—including on-site reporting at Eurovision 2025 in Basel and across European pre-party events. Alongside her writing and commentary, Noy plans the editorial schedule for the website, closely tracks national selections and song reveals, participates in live broadcasts, and creates digital content focusing on representation, musical diversity, and emotional connections.
Beyond her work at EuroMix, Noy has over six years of experience in the cosmetics and pharma industries, with a background in sales, personal consulting, and managing beauty departments. She enjoys pop, rap, contemporary art, and traveling in Europe—and especially loves songs that make her want to dance, as well as those that tell a story.
