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Austria will return to a public national selection show in February 2026 to choose its Eurovision entry – the first time since 2016 that the country has done so. ORF confirmed the news via Ö3 Wecker today, alongside hints that about ten acts will compete, with both a professional jury and the Austrian public deciding the winner.
A national final returns
After nearly a decade of internal selections, Austria is turning up the volume with a televised event to showcase home-grown and emerging talent. The last public selection occurred in February 2016, when Zoë was chosen to represent Austria with “Loin d’ici” and went on to place 13th in Stockholm.
ORF’s programming director, Stefanie Groiss‑Horowitz, revealed that a pool of artists will be pre‑selected internally, and around ten finalists will be invited to perform on live television in a show that echoes Eurovision’s format—jury meets viewer votes.
Why the change?
The shift reflects Austria’s recent Eurovision success in Basel, fuelling public enthusiasm and prompting ORF to bring back a public format. It also offers a platform for fresh faces and established acts to shine before a national audience—and European viewers beyond.
Since 2017, ORF relied on writing camps and record companies to feed them with something suitably Eurovision-ish. behind closed doors. After storming to a win in Basel, ORF claims to have been inundated with interest from both new artists and known names. There’s that and the fact hosting the show will generate viewer buzz, so they might as well cash in.
What’s next?
- Submission phase – ORF is inviting artists, bands, and songwriters to express interest, likely with an application or audition round.
- Final line‑up – roughly ten acts will be selected to compete in the televised show in February 2026.
- Voting – a mix of jury and public televote—details on the weighting are yet to be confirmed.
- Location – ORF is deciding between Vienna and Innsbruck as the host city. Probs whoever doesn’t get the Big Show gets this as a kiss-off.
