ORF, the Austrian national broadcaster and the Austrian Government have launched a Schools Contest, ahead of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, in Vienna.

Following on from similar community initiatives in Liverpool (2023) and Basel (2025), ORF and the Austrian Government have launched ‘United by Music’ School Contest. The Contest is open to secondary school children across Austria who are over the age of 14. Students can create new songs, perform covers of existing songs or even perform poetry set to music according to the contest rules.

Applications must be between 2 and 5 minutes long, which must be submitted HERE via the Ministry of Education – no later than Friday 27th March. A jury will select one entry from each of the States of Austria to go through to participate in an afternoon preview show at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. The best three entries will get the opportunity to perform at an event on Tuesday 12th May.

Let us know what you think about Austria and the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest – either in the comments below or on our FACEBOOK, BLUESKY, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK pages.

The Eurovision Community, which Eurovision Ireland are a part of, celebrates diversity through music. Please keep your comments respectful. We will not tolerate racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, body-shaming or any other derogatory or hostile language.

Author: Richard Taylor

Source: Eurovoix