Yle, the Finnish national broadcaster, have revealed details surrounding the winner of UMK 2026 – their national selection for the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, in Vienna.

Yle have revealed that the winner of UMK 2026 will not be obliged to compete at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, in Vienna. Juha Lahti, Managing Director of Entertainment at Yle, had the following to say:

“The winner will be determined on Saturday, and after that we will move ahead according to what happens. We will discuss the matter with the winner as soon as the contest is over. UMK’s main producer Anssi Autio and I will participate in the discussions. If big decisions have to be made, Jonnu Aho, Editor-in-Chief of Culture for Yle, will come along.

It’s really important to us that we’re with the artists on this journey from start to finish. The contestants know this. When the winner is determined, we will stand by them and discuss everything with them. In no case will the winner be left alone.

The artists have actually asked Yle to tell the rest of the media that they don’t want to talk about these political issues while the contest is in progress. Of course, the organisation of UMK does not have any say in what the participants should think about politics.”

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Author: Richard Taylor

Source: Eurovoix