Austria: Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich artists announced

Earlier this morning in Europe, Austria released the names of the artists competing in their national final to select the act and song to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.

After a decade of internal selections, Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich? (Vienna Calling – Who Will Sing for Austria?) will be their first national final since 2016. The last Austrian national final selected Zoë’s Loin d’ici, which finished in 13^th place.

ORF Programme Director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz outlined the reasons why Austria opted for a national final ahead of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest:

"The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna is the biggest event to be held in Austria next year. Our declared goal is to engage and excite the entire country. Now that it's decided where the Eurovision Song Contest will take place, the focus is on who will represent Austria. We want to make this decision together with our audience and starting now, all artists can apply to participate."

The 12 artists in the running for Austrian national selection are as follows:

• Anna-Sophie – Superhuman

• Bamlak Werner – We Are Not Just One Thing

• Cosmó – Tanzschein (English: Dance certificate)

• David Kurt – Pockets Full of Snow

• Frevd – Riddle

• Julia Steen – Julia

• Kayla Krystin – I brenn (English: I Burn)

• Lena Schaur – Painted Reality

• Nikotin – Unsterblich (English: Immortal)

• Philip Piller – Das Leben ist Kunst (English: Life Is Art)

• Reverend Stomp – Mescalero Ranger

• Tamara Flores – Chingona

The evening will be co-hosted by two familiar names to Eurovision fans: Alice Tumler, a well-known Austrian TV presenter and one of the hosts of Eurovision 2015; and Cesár Sampson, Austria’s Eurovision representative in 2018, finishing in third place with Nobody But You.

Cesár Sampson has also played an early role in Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich? from the outset, acting as one of three talent scouts charged with searching for artists and songs, a process that attracted over 400 submissions.

Broadcast live on ORF 1, the final will take place on Friday, 20 February 2026, at the ORF-Mediencampus in Vienna, Austria. The winner will be determined by a 50:50 split between the public and jury votes, and will go on to represent Austria on home soil in host city Vienna next May at the Wiener Stadthalle.

Austria won the right to host the 70^th edition of Eurovision in 2026 after JJ won the 69^th contest earlier this year with the song Wasted Love.

When and where to watch

Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich? is scheduled for Friday 20 February 2026. For those on CET time, it starts at 8:15pm. In Australia, you can watch at the following times:

• Perth: Saturday 21 February at 3.15am

• Darwin: Saturday 21 February at 4.45am

• Brisbane: Saturday 21 February at 5.15am

• Adelaide: Saturday 21 February at 5.45am

• Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart: Saturday 21 February at 6.15am.

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