Estonian national broadcaster ERR updates Eesti Laul rules to ban Eurovision 2027 boycotts, introducing cash prizes and language submission fees
The most significant update to this year’s Estonian national selection, “Eesti Laul”, aims to close a loophole previously exploited in various European countries, where artists registered for national selections and subsequently withdrew or threatened boycotts due to political reasons. Starting this year, a strict new rule clarifies that registering for the selection competition and subsequently boycotting Eurovision 2027 is no longer an option.
The Estonian Trap: No Turning Back
The updated regulations explicitly state that the winner of the competition is obligated to represent Estonia at Eurovision 2027. Registration for the selection constitutes a binding contract, meaning artists cannot pull out after securing victory. Songwriters of the winning entry will be required to officially confirm their Eurovision participation in writing no later than February 8th, 2027.
The Estonian national broadcaster ERR has unveiled substantial cash prizes for the first time: the creators of the first-place song will earn €10,000, while second and third places will receive €3,000 and €2,000, respectively. Additionally, the Estonian national broadcaster will grant €3,000 to upgrade the stage performance of the chosen entry at Eurovision itself. Furthermore, the minimum age for participation has been set at 18.
Singing in English? It Will Cost You Extra
The submission window officially opened on September 4th and will close on October 8th, 2026, at 11:00 CET. The Estonian national broadcaster decided to encourage local creation through a financial incentive: artists submitting a song in Estonian will pay an entry fee of €50, whereas a song in English or multiple languages will cost €100. Those waiting until the final deadline (from October 6th onwards) will face increased submission fees of €150 for an Estonian song and €250 for a foreign-language entry.
To guarantee complete fairness, the selection of the 12 songs advancing to the grand final will be conducted via “blind judging” by a panel of at least 25 music industry professionals and fans, who will not know the identities of the artists or creators behind the entries.
Countdown Begins: Key Dates for Eesti Laul 2027
The qualifying artists and creators will be revealed to the public no later than October 29th, 2026, with the songs themselves set for official release on November 27th. The grand final of “Eesti Laul 2027” will air live on January 30th, 2027, from the Unibet Arena.
To guarantee complete fairness, the selection of the 12 songs advancing to the grand final will be conducted via “blind judging” by a panel of at least 25 music industry professionals and fans, who will not know the identities of the artists or creators behind the entries.
Estonia’s decision to take a proactive step against boycott trends signals a clear stance from the Estonian national broadcaster. It aims to keep politics off the musical stage and ensure that anyone entering the national selection does so with full, professional commitment to representing the nation honorably through to the end.
Estonia at Eurovision 2026
“Too Epic To Be True” is the song that was performed by the girl group Vanilla Ninja, which represented Estonia as song number 9 in the first semi final on May 12th, in Vienna, Austria. The song reached 11th place in the semi final with 79 points.
The song was written by Estonian composer Sven Lõhmus, who wrote many songs that represented Estonia at Eurovision in 2005, 2009, 2011, 2017, and also the song that represented Estonia at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2024. The song is performed entirely in English.
Eurovision 2027: This will be Estonia’s 32nd participation in Eurovision. Estonia joined the contest in 1994 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2001 when singers Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL, won first place with the song “Everybody”.
