Submissions for next years Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu will open on August 18th.
Finnish broadcaster Yle has announced that the submissions window for UMK 2026 will open on Monday 18th August and will close on Sunday 24th August 2025. Once the submissions window has closed, a jury panel will listen to all submissions and chose which songs will be competing in UMK 2026.
The rules and regulations for UMK 2026 state that:
- Only original songs that have not been released or performed previously can be sumbitted.
- All songs must be submitted digitally, and must clearly include the melody and the singing, as well as audible ideas and guidelines for the final arrangement of the song.
- The singer(s) of the submissions must the final singer(s) of the song.
- Each act can submit a maximium of three songs, although only one song will be eligable to compete. However, songwriters and composers can compete with multiple songs.
- With each submission, at least one songwriter must have Finnish citizenship or permanent residence in Finland.
- If a band/group is submitting an entry, at least one member must have Finnish citizenship or permanent residence in Finland.
The full list of rules for UMK 2026 (in English) can be found here.
UMK 2026 will return to Nokia Arena in Tampere on Saturday 28th February. As in previous years, the winner will be decided by a mix of televoting and jury voting.
Erika Vikman is the most recent winner of UMK, winning this years edition with her song “Ich Komme”. At Eurovision 2025 in Basel, she achieved a fifth consecutive semi final qualification for Finland, finishing in 11th place with 108 points in the final.
Are you excited for the 2026 edition of UMK next year? Which Finnish artists would you like to see participating in UMK? Share your Finnish artists wishlist with us in the comments below!
Photo credit: Corrine Cumming / EBU
