Bulgaria has taken its first competitive step towards the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, with the semifinal of its national selection, Natsionalnata selektsiya 2026, taking place today at the studios of Bulgarian National Television (BNT) in Sofia.
Fifteen artists competed in the show, each performing a previously released song as part of the process to determine Bulgaria’s representative following the country’s return to the contest after a three-year absence. The results were decided by a combination of votes from a five-member professional jury and an online public vote conducted via BNT’s official website.
Under the rules of the competition, the jury ranked the performances, while the public vote awarded points from first to last place. After the votes were combined, seven acts qualified for the next stage of the selection process, with provisions allowing for additional qualifiers in the event of a tie for the final qualifying position.
The broadcast also featured guest performances from former Bulgarian Eurovision representatives, marking the broadcaster’s renewed commitment to the contest. The show was hosted by Georgi Lyubenov and Boryana Gramatikova, with Vladimira Ilieva providing backstage coverage.
The qualifying artists will return on 31 January 2026, when Bulgaria will select the artist who will represent the country at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna. The winning artist will then compete in a separate song selection show scheduled for 28 February 2026, which will determine Bulgaria’s final Eurovision entry.
Dara Innerglow Kerana and Kosmonavtite Mihaela Marinova Molets Mona Preyah Roksana
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