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Ukraine: Leléka wins Vidbir 2026

  • Writer: Liv Webster
    Liv Webster
  • 1 hour ago
  • 2 min read

In the early hours of the Australian morning, Leléka has won Ukraine's Eurovision national selection, Vidbir, with her entry Ridnym.

 

Ukraine delivered another spectacular edition of Vidbir, where ten acts performed with the hope of being selected to represent Ukraine in Vienna at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest.


This year's final was a high-quality affair that saw the underdog Leléka win with a harrowing and stunning performance in both English and Ukrainian, and will go on to represent Ukraine in Switzerland.



Whilst Leléka did not go into the contest a favourite, her winning song Ridnym did consistently sit towards the top of fan polls in the lead-up to Vidbir. Leléka took first place in both the Ukrainian televote and first with the Ukrainian jury to come first overall with the combined score of 20 points.


Returning artists and odds favourites Jerry Heil and Monokate fell at the final hurdles, putting in two compelling performances that didn't resonate strongly with both the juries and televote. They placed third and sixth, respectively.


Surprise of the night Laud was rewarded for a tidy stage show with incredible vocals. Laud is no stranger to Vidbir, having entered multiple songs in the past and has knocked on the door for a good result. His Sam Smith-esque power vocals were a delightful highlight moment of the evening.


Final Results


  1. Leléka - Ridnym (20 points)

  2. Laud - Lightkeeper (18 points)

  3. Jerry Heil - Catharticus (16 points)

  4. Mr. Vel - Do or Done (13 points)

  5. Khayat - Hertsy (12 points)

  6. Monokate - Tut (9 points)

  7. The Elliens - Crawling Whispers (6 points)

  8. Molodi - Legends (6 points)

  9. Valeriya Force - Open Our Hearts (6 points)

  10. ShchukaRybа - Moia zemlia (4 points)


The Jury Results


  1. Leléka (10 points)

  2. Laud (9 points)

  3. Jerry Heil (8 points)

  4. Mr. Vel (7 points)

  5. Monokate (6 points)

  6. Khayat (5 points)

  7. Valeriya Force (4 points)

  8. ShchukaRybа (3 points)

  9. Molodi (2 points)

  10. The Elliens (1 point)


The Televote Results


  1. Leléka (10 points)

  2. Laud (9 points)

  3. Jerry Heil (8 points)

  4. Khayat (7 points)

  5. Mr. Vel (6 points)

  6. The Elliens (5 point)

  7. Molodi (4 points)

  8. Monokate (3 points)

  9. Valeriya Force (2 points)

  10. ShchukaRybа (1 point)



The audience was treated to guest performances from Ziferblat (Ukraine 2025), Zlata Ognevich (Ukraine 2013), TVORCHI (Ukraine 2023), Jamala (Ukraine 2016) and Satoshi (Moldova 2026).


OGAE Ukraine also cast a vote for their favourite entry in support of the "eurofans around the world" which was awarded to Jerry Heil with Catharticus.


Jury members included the iconic and much-loved Zlata Ognevich, Ruslana and other industry professionals, Yevhen Filatov, Vitaliy Drozdov and Kostiantyn Tomilchenko, who spoke and gave feedback in the usual Vidbir style post-performance.


The evening went off without a hitch, a welcome reprieve from the sometimes unpredictable, hectic Vidbirs of time gone by. The show wrapped in just 3 and a half hours - a pretty quick production for Vidbir standards!

 

Ukraine will compete in semi-final 2 in the second half of Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria on 14 May 2026 at 21:00 CEST.


For continued updates on all Eurovision Song Contest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram. All the links can be found at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet

 
 
 
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