The jury of the National Selection of Ukraine for Eurovision 2026 includes five experts.
This was reported by Suspilne Culture.
The judges will include Eurovision 2004 winner Ruslana Lyzhychko, singer and representative of Ukraine at the 2013 contest Zlata Ohnevich, composer and singer Yevhen Filatov, general producer of the TAVR Media media holding Vitaliy Drozdov, and director and choreographer Kostyantyn Tomilchenko.
Previously, the jury consisted of only three experts. Creative producer of the 2026 National Selection Herman Nyonov explained that the new approach allows for a comprehensive evaluation of performances: each jury member is responsible for a separate aspect — song, vocals, performance, authenticity, or media resonance.
The jury has already announced what it will pay attention to. Ruslana Lyzhychko emphasized the importance of musical revolution and drive on stage, Zlata Ohnevich will pay attention to the purity of the performance, Yevhen Filatov — to the structure and arrangement of the song, and Kostyantyn Tomilchenko — to the stage production and balance of all elements of the performance.
The final of the National Selection will take place on February 7. The jury and audience votes will be equal — 50% each. Viewers will be able to cast their votes via the mobile application "Diia" or SMS. The hosts will be Timur Miroshnychenko and Lesya Nikityuk, the pre-show will be hosted by Anna Tuleva.
What is known about Eurovision 2026?
The 70th anniversary Eurovision Song Contest will be held in the Austrian capital of Vienna in 2026. The first semi-final of the contest will take place on May 12, and the second on May 14. The grand final will be held on May 16, 2026 at the Wiener Stadthalle, Austriaʼs largest indoor arena.
Vienna will host the worldʼs largest music competition for the third time. The first time was in 1967, after Udo Jürgens won with the song "Merci Chérie" in 1966. The second time was in 2015, when the city had the honor of hosting the 60th contest thanks to Conchita Wurstʼs victory.
Eurovision 2025 was held in the Swiss city of Basel. Ukraine, represented by the band Ziferblat, took 9th place with a score of 218 points.
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