Suspilne Ukraine has announced that applications are now being accepted for the National Selection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Applicants aged 9 to 14 can send their forms on the official website junior.eurovision.ua between the 16th of June and 8th of July. Ukraine’s Vidbir process includes three stages.
General preliminary selection
This stage runs from 16 June 2026 to 8 July 2026 inclusive. During this period, anyone wishing to do so may submit entries (including cover versions and original compositions) via the official website junior.eurovision.ua. Based on the results of this stage, Suspilne will compile a longlist of up to 15 participants. The longlist will be announced no later than 29 July 2026.
Star school
Longlist participants take part in live auditions, following which 10 of them are selected for the Star School. Here, the contestants attend masterclasses in singing, dancing, and acting, as well as completing creative tasks. At the end of the training programme, Suspilne compiles a list of 6 finalists.
Vidbir Final
The National Selection’s (Vidbir) final will take place in September 2026: following the publication of the list of finalists on the junior.eurovision.ua website and the preparation of the competition entries, the winner will be decided live on air based on the votes of the jury and the public, using ‘video profiles’ and recordings of live performances.
The singer and songwriter Svitlana Tarabarova has once again been appointed as the music producer for this year’s competition. In addition, Oksana Skibinska, Director of the Special Projects Department at Suspilne and head of the Ukrainian delegation to Eurovision, explained why it is important to support young performers during this time.
“Following yet another round of shelling and destruction, particularly in the cultural sector, we want to bring joy and hope to children. In recent years, the National Selection has become a place of creativity, development, and safety for our talented children. This year, we are preparing even more exciting new features at the National Selection. So we look forward to receiving your applications,” said Oksana Skibinska.
Suspilne Kultura and Radio Promin are the official media partners of Eurovision.
Suspilne Ukraine, a member of the European Broadcasting Union, organises and conducts the selection process for Ukraine’s entry and representative, and ensures Ukraine’s participation in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
Suspilne Ukraine is an independent media company with a strong presence across all platforms: the TV channels Pershyi, Suspilne Kultura, Suspilne Sport, and a national network of local channels; the radio stations Ukrainske Radio, Radio Promin, Radio Kultura, Radiotochka. Find only verified news on suspilne.media, as well as on our national and local digital platforms. We broadcast in minority languages, represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest, develop the children’s platform Brobaks, and train media professionals through the Public Media Academy. Our Suspilne Mediateka platform offers unique video and audio archives dating from the 1920s to today. Defending freedom in Ukraine.
