Austrian national broadcaster ORF opens song submissions for Eurovision 2027, launching its internal selection process for the upcoming contest.
The Austrian national broadcaster, ORF, has announced the opening of the song submission window and the beginning of the search for its representative for Eurovision 2027. The submission window will remain open until September 18th, 2026. In addition, the national broadcaster also revealed its expectations for the submitting artists and the conditions for participating in the local selection process, which will be conducted internally by the national broadcaster rather than through a national final.
In its official announcement, the national broadcaster detailed the requirements for candidates submitting songs: applicants must submit one or more songs (including demos), alongside details of their previous musical works, documentation of live performances, contact information, and social media links. In addition, in accordance with the update to the minimum age requirement for participating in Eurovision, participation is conditional upon being 18 years of age or older.
Below is the official statement from ORF, which also details the core criteria for selecting the representative:
“Solo singers, bands, and musical projects from all genres who can thrill the international audience with a strong, contemporary, and convincing live performance are wanted. The decisive criteria are artistic quality, a clear personal stamp, and a song with the potential to reach an audience of millions.”
The Eurovision Star Heading the Committee
In a previous announcement, ORF stated that artists and creators interested in competing to represent Austria in the contest could submit their songs until September 20th, 2026, but the submission date has now been changed. After reviewing the submissions, the prominent creators and performers will be selected for the audition stage, which will take place in mid-October. At the end of the process, the final decision will be made by a professional committee comprising senior representatives from ORF alongside international experts from the music industry.
According to unofficial reports, those who will lead the process of identifying Austria’s next representative are Cesár Sampson, who brought Austria an impressive third place at Eurovision 2018 with the song “Nobody But You“, alongside media figure Peter Schreiber.
The two will head the judging panel that will evaluate the songs and artists who submit their applications during the coming autumn. According to the emerging schedule, the identity of the Austrian representative is expected to be revealed during the early months of 2027, as well as presumably the selected song. Despite the estimations, the national broadcaster has not yet announced when the song and artist will be revealed.
Austria at Eurovision 2026
“Tanzschein” (in English: “Dance License”) is the song performed by the singer Cosmo, who represented the host country, Austria, at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna. Cosmo finished the Grand Final in 24th place with only 6 points. The song was written and composed by Cosmo himself, in collaboration with creators Elias Stejskal and Ella Stern. The song is performed entirely in German, for the first time since Eurovision 2004.
Eurovision 2026: This was Austria’s 58th participation in Eurovision. Austria joined the competition in 1957 and has won three times over the years. Austria’s last victory was in Eurovision 2025 with the song “Wasted Love” performed by singer JJ.
