Bulgaria Returns to Eurovision: BNT Sets Rules for Selecting Performers

BNT and PROPHON have signed a cooperation agreement to streamline the selection of Bulgaria’s entrant for next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. The partnership aims to establish clear and objective criteria for choosing participants for the national selection.

Bulgaria returns to Europe’s largest music stage for the 70th anniversary edition of the contest.

"The BNT team has been working intensively for several weeks on the rules and criteria for the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, which next year will celebrate its 70th anniversary in Austria. That’s why the agreement with PROPHON is extremely important for us, as it provides a clear criterion to invite the best and most commercially viable Bulgarian artists to the national selection, rather than relying on personal impressions or subjective choices," said Anton Andonov, member of the BNT Board.

PROPHON will provide BNT with information on the top 40 most broadcasted Bulgarian artists over the past eight months on radio and television. This data will serve as the criterion for inviting performers to participate in the national selection in January, eliminating subjectivity from the process of choosing participants for Bulgaria’s Eurovision final.

"For many years, PROPHON has conducted media monitoring in Bulgaria in collaboration with a Spanish company. We are pleased to be able to support Bulgaria’s Eurovision participation by providing the information necessary for an objective and precise selection of participants," said Viktor Kasamov, Chair of PROPHON.

Next year, the Eurovision Song Contest will celebrate its 70th edition in Vienna. The two semi-finals of Eurovision 2026 will take place on 12 and 14 May, with the grand final scheduled for 16 May.