YLE confirms Finland will compete in Eurovision 2027. UMK27 song submissions open in August 2026, while Mikko Silvennoinen takes over as chief producer.
The Finnish national broadcaster, YLE, has confirmed Finland’s participation in Eurovision 2027, which will take place in Bulgaria. Last year, the Nordic country ranked first in the betting odds for months with the duo Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkonen, but ultimately settled for sixth place with 279 points. Finland will now hope to return to the top of Eurovision – just as it did for the last time in 2006, when it won the contest and brought it to Helsinki. So, who will attempt to bring Finland back to the top in 2027? All the details about the selection process are below.
UMK, short for “Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu” (in English: “New Music Competition”), is the national music contest of Finland and the selection method used to choose the country’s representative for Eurovision since 2012. The competition is open to musicians and creators from Finland and abroad, and registration for UMK27 will open on August 17th and run through August 23rd, 2026. The final will take place on February 20th, 2027, at the Nokia Arena in Tampere.
According to the rules of the competition, at least one of the songwriters and one of the lead vocalists must be Finnish citizens or permanent residents of the country. All artists wishing to participate must be at least 18 years old by May 1st, 2027. The age limit does not apply to songwriters. The song must be original and new, not having been published or performed publicly or commercially in the past. The length of the song must not exceed three minutes, and up to six people may perform on stage. Permanent employees of the national broadcaster are not permitted to participate in the competition as performers.
The winner of the UMK27 final, which will be broadcast live in February 2027, will commit to representing Finland at Eurovision 2027 and adapting the song to all international competition rules of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). With this, Finland sets out on its journey to find its next representative, hoping to replicate the great success of 2006 – when the band Lordi won the contest.
Refreshing Change in the National Selection
Mikko Silvennoinen, known to Finns and many Eurovision fans as the voice of Finnish commentary and coverage for the Eurovision Song Contest, was appointed about a month and a half ago as the new chief producer of the Finnish national selection following the departure of legendary producer Anssi Autio after 15 consecutive years producing the beloved selection. The dramatic announcement of the sudden departure came just weeks after the Eurovision 2026 final, and it is hard not to assume that the timing is directly related to the country’s disappointing result in Vienna – sixth place only – after many were convinced they were on the verge of winning the coveted contest.
Silvennoinen is taking the reins to produce Finland’s highly successful national selection. He is a well-known and beloved figure across Finland, having served as the official commentator for the Finnish national broadcaster, YLE, covering the Finnish national selection and Eurovision itself continuously since 2016. Silvennoinen opens an especially intriguing new chapter in his career by stepping forward to produce the fan-favorite selection moving forward. Finns and Eurovision fans are filled with great anticipation, hoping he will maintain the high quality of the Finnish national selection established over the last decade. He steps into the big shoes of Autio, who held the coveted role since the inception of the current national selection format in 2012.
In his new role, Silvennoinen will be responsible for overseeing and managing the entire production from A to Z – starting from the selection phase of the participating artists and songs to the artistic and stage management of the shows themselves. This key position will give him immense influence over the artistic direction and how Finland presents itself on the Eurovision stage in the coming years.
Will Mikko Leave the Commentator Booth?
The news of his promotion is very exciting for fans of the Finnish selection, but many are now left wondering what will happen to his role as commentator, which he performed with great success for over a decade. Silvennoinen himself addressed the issue, stating that as of now, it is not yet known whether he will continue to commentate on the UMK and Eurovision broadcasts alongside his demanding role as chief producer of the selection. A final decision is expected this autumn, closer to the exciting start of the Eurovision 2027 national selection season.
Experience That Could Help Finland in the Contest
Silvennoinen’s rich experience, combined with his deep understanding of the Eurovision Song Contest as a passionate fan and media professional working with the event, is expected to bring valuable insights and a fresh breeze to the production of the Finnish selection. This could help Finland continue its impressive streak of success in the contest since 2021 with the rock band Blind Channel and their song “Dark Side”, which gave them sixth place after many years without notable success. Since then, Finland has recorded an impressive string of achievements in the contest: consistently qualifying for the Grand Final and securing remarkable results, including Käärijä with the hit “Cha Cha Cha” in 2023, which earned the country a highly respectable second place.
UMK is considered one of the most interesting national selections for Eurovision fans, thanks in part to its short format and the fast pace of the final, alongside the variety of songs and stage productions presented every year. The competition enjoys massive popularity among Eurovision fans across Europe, and for Eurovision news outlets, it has become one of the most anticipated national selections each year. Now, all that remains is to wait and see which songs and artists will attempt to conquer the Finnish stage on the road to Eurovision 2027.
Finland at Eurovision 2026:
“Liekinheitin” is the title of the song that was performed by Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen, who represented Finland at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna. Finland finished 6th at the Grand Final, receiving 279 points.
Eurovision 2027: This will be Finland’s 60th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Finland joined the competition in 1961 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2006, winning the contest with Lordi and their song “Hard Rock Hallelujah”.
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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.
