Greece was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with the song "Ferto", written by Akylas Mytilinaios, Orfeas Nonis, Theofilos Pouzbouris and Thomas Papathanasis, and performed by Akylas himself. The Greek participating broadcaster, the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), organised the national final Sing for Greece 2026 in order to select its entry for the contest.

Background

Akylas in Vienna for Eurovision 2026.

Prior to the 2026 contest, Greece had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 45 times since its debut in 1974.[1] The nation has won the contest once to this point, in 2005 with the song "My Number One" performed by Helena Paparizou. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest, it managed to qualify for the final with each of its entries for several years. Between 2004 and 2013, it achieved nine top ten placements in the final. The first entry to not qualify to the final was "Utopian Land" performed by Argo in 2016. Its 16th-place finish in the semi-final marked its worst placing at the contest and led to its absence from the final for the first time since 2000, when it did not send an entry. In the 2018 contest, it failed to qualify for the second time with "Oniro mou" by Yianna Terzi, finishing 14th in the semi-final, and for the third time in 2023 with "What They Say" by Victor Vernicos. In 2025, "Asteromata" by Klavdia qualified for the final and placed sixth with 231 points.[1]

As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country.[2] ERT's predecessor, the National Radio Television Foundation (EIRT), debuted in the contest in 1974 and then ERT participated from 1975 until 2013, when the broadcaster was shut down by a government directive. It was replaced firstly with the interim Dimosia Tileorasi (DT) and then later by the New Hellenic Radio, Internet and Television (NERIT) broadcaster,[2][3][4][5] before reverting to the ERT name by the new government in June 2015.[6][7] The Greek broadcasters over the years had selected their entries both internally and through the national final format Ellinikós Telikós. ERT confirmed its intention to participate in the 2026 contest on 16 July 2025, and announced on 30 September that a national final would be organised to select its representative.[8][9]

Before Eurovision

Sing for Greece 2026

Sing for Greece 2026 was the national final developed by ERT to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.[10] The competition consisted of three shows that took place between 11 and 15 February 2026 at the Peiraios 260 in Athens, hosted by Giorgos Kapoutzidis, Betty Maggira [el] and Katerina Vrana, with Fokas Evangelinos serving as the artistic director.[11][12] All shows were broadcast on ERT1, ERT World, Second Programme (with commentary by Mikaela Theofilou and Dimitris Meidanis), Voice of Greece and ERT echo, as well as online on ERT's over-the-top media service ERTFLIX.[13][14] The final was also broadcast on RIK 1 in Cyprus and on the Eurovision Song Contest's official YouTube channel.[15][16]

Format

The competition consisted of three shows: two semi-finals on 11 and 13 February 2026 and a final on 15 February 2026. 14 songs competed in each semi-final and the top seven entries qualified to the final. The results for the semi-finals were determined exclusively by public voting, while the results in the final were determined by a combination of public and jury voting.[9][17] Public voting was conducted through SMS and online voting.[18]

Competing entries

On 17 September 2025, ERT opened a submission period where artists and composers were able to submit their entries for consideration by the broadcaster by 2 November 2025.[19] Artists were required to be Greek citizens, be permanent residents in Greece or be of Greek descent. Songwriters could be of any nationality and submit up to three songs, however each song was required to have at least one songwriter that was a Greek citizen or a permanent resident in Greece.[20] 264 songs were received by the submission deadline and a seven-member jury selected 28 entries to participate in the national final.[20][21] The jury consisted of Giorgos Theofanous (composer and producer), Pavlina Voulgaraki [el] (songwriter), Despina Kritikou (radio station director), Monsieur Minimal (songwriter), Giorgos Mouchtaridis (radio producer), Dimitris Rigopoulos (journalist) and Marietta Fafouti (songwriter).[22] The competing entries were revealed on 4 January 2026 during the show Sing for Greece – Ethnikós Telikós Eurovision 2026 – I finalist, broadcast on ERT1 and hosted by Betty Maggira, Kelly Vranaki and Thanos Papahamos.[23] Among the selected competing artists was Koza Mostra, who previously represented Greece in 2013.[24]

Artist Song Songwriter(s)
Akylas "Ferto" (Φέρτο)
Alexandra Sieti "The Other Side"
Basilica "Set Everything on Fire" Vasiliki Maria Polytaridi
D3lta "Mad About It"
  • Anthony Mack
  • Roberto Koustas
Desi G "Aphrodite"
  • Christian Ostmoe
  • Despina Gkioulis
  • Kate Mattson
  • Shai Pinto
Dinamiss "Chaos"
  • Eleni Dina
  • Maria Dina
Evangelia "Parea" (Παρέα)
  • Alessandra Francesca Bregante
  • Evangelia Psarakis
  • Gino "the Ghost" Borri
  • Giorgos Kalogerakos
  • Jay Stolar
  • Jordan Palmer
  • Kyle Buckley
  • Samantha Cámara
  • Vlospa
Garvin "Back in the Game" Georgios Arvanitakis
Good Job Nicky [el] "Dark Side of the Moon"
  • Connor Mullally
  • Nikolas Varthakouris
  • Trey Qua
Kianna "No More Drama"
  • Elke Tiel
  • Konstantina Zerva
Koza Mostra "Bulletproof" Ilias Kozas
Leroybroughtflowers "Sabotage!" Dimitris Daras
Marika "Daughters of the Sun (A, E, I, O, U)"
  • Dionysia Klarnetatzi
  • Marika Papazoglou
Marseaux "Hanomai" (Χάνομαι) Manolis Solidakis
Mikay "Labyrinth"
  • Foti Katsanos
  • Miriam Kavoutzi
Niya "Slipping Away" Niya Omiridis
Panagiotis Tsakalakos "2nd Chance"
  • Christos Ioannidis
  • Panagiotis Tsakalakos
Revery "The Songwriter" Konstantinos Blioumis
Rikki "Agapi" (Αγάπη)
  • Giorgos Poulios
  • Konstantinos Katikaridis
Rosanna Mailan "Alma" (Άλμα)
  • Chris Zantioti
  • Nany Zarikian
  • Rosanna Mailan
Spheyiaa "Hilia kommatia" (Χίλια κομμάτια)
  • Aristotelis Pasialakos
  • Dimitris Varvaresos
  • Fanis Athanasiou
  • Georgia Sfetsiou
  • Nikos Hatzis [el]
  • Polydoros Babouras
Stefi "Europa"
  • Giorgos Dountoulakis
  • Sergios Tzanidis
  • Stefania Gatsakou
Stella Kay "You Are the Fire"
Stylianos "You & I"
  • Adam Wu
  • Stylianos Thomadakis
The Astrolabe "Drop It" Athanasios Yamas
Tianora "Anatello" (Ανατέλλω)
  • Christina Anna Bounia
  • Georgina Antonakaki
  • Pantelis Loupasakis
  • Violetta Tzivra
Victoria Anastasia "Whatcha Doin to Me"
  • Giannis Fousteris
  • Victoria Anastasia
Zaf "Asteio" (Αστείο) Giannis Zafeiriou

Semi-finals

The two semi-finals took place on 11 and 13 February 2026. 14 songs competed in each semi-final, with the top seven proceeding to the final based on a public vote.[25] In addition to the performances of the competing entries, guest performers included Klavdia (who represented Greece in 2025) in the first semi-final, and Tamta (who represented Cyprus in 2019) and Antigoni (who would represent Cyprus in 2026) in the second semi-final.[26]

Semi-final 1 – 11 February 2026
R/O Artist Song Public vote Place
Online SMS Total
1 Alexandra Sieti "The Other Side" 1,239 1,968 3,207 5
2 The Astrolabe "Drop It" 525 712 1,237 9
3 Desi G "Aphrodite" 795 427 1,222 10
4 Akylas "Ferto" 5,550 8,164 13,714 1
5 Evangelia "Parea" 1,420 1,819 3,239 4
6 Panagiotis Tsakalakos "2nd Chance" 222 494 716 14
7 Niya "Slipping Away" 561 192 753 13
8 Marseaux "Hanomai" 1,479 2,760 4,239 2
9 Rosanna Mailan "Alma" 788 1,355 2,143 6
10 Stefi "Europa" 585 1,302 1,887 7
11 Revery "The Songwriter" 423 388 811 12
12 Dinamiss "Chaos" 375 723 1,098 11
13 Stylianos "You & I" 1,581 2,122 3,703 3
14 Spheyiaa "Hilia kommatia" 410 926 1,336 8
Semi-final 2 – 13 February 2026
R/O Artist Song Public vote Place
Online SMS Total
1 Rikki "Agapi" 328 433 761 12
2 Garvin "Back in the Game" 345 367 712 13
3 Mikay "Labyrinth" 760 1,129 1,889 7
4 Marika "Daughters of the Sun (A, E, I, O, U)" 883 1,683 2,566 4
5 D3lta "Mad About It" 1,376 4,085 5,461 2
6 Zaf "Asteio" 1,068 2,028 3,096 3
7 Kianna "No More Drama" 368 858 1,226 9
8 Stella Kay "You Are the Fire" 420 366 786 11
9 Tianora "Anatello" 686 1,010 1,696 8
10 Victoria Anastasia "Whatcha Doin to Me" 564 325 889 10
11 Basilica "Set Everything on Fire" 148 257 405 14
12 Good Job Nicky "Dark Side of the Moon" 2,569 5,101 7,670 1
13 Koza Mostra "Bulletproof" 866 1,605 2,471 5
14 Leroybroughtflowers "Sabotage!" 916 1,301 2,217 6

Final

The final took place on 15 February 2026. Fourteen songs competed and the winner, "Ferto" performed by Akylas, was selected by a combination of public voting (50%), Greek jury voting (25%) and international jury voting (25%).[14][27] The Greek jury consisted of Marina Spanou (songwriter), Giannis Vassilopoulos (radio station director), Maria Iliaki [el] (journalist and presenter), Michalis Marinos [el] (actor) and Hara Kefala (vocal coach and music theatre performer), while the international jury consisted of Benedikt Wiehle (journalist at SWR3), Lasha Kapanadze (head of press for Georgia at Eurovision), Jelena Tomašević (Serbian singer), Ludovic Julien Hurel (head of press for France at Eurovision) and Andrei Zapșa (assistant general director and head of program of TRM). In addition to the performances of the competing entries, the guest performer was Christos Mastoras [el].[28]

Final – 15 February 2026
R/O Artist Song Jury Public vote Total Place
Intl. Greek Online SMS Total Points
1 Stylianos "You & I" 4 8 2,419 2,995 5,414 6 18 7
2 D3lta "Mad About It" 0 5 3,935 13,624 17,559 16 21 6
3 Mikay "Labyrinth" 3 1 1,084 1,473 2,557 0 4 10
4 Marika "Daughters of the Sun (A, E, I, O, U)" 0 0 983 1,759 2,742 0 0 13
5 Marseaux "Hanomai" 8 10 4,279 7,363 11,642 14 32 3
6 Good Job Nicky "Dark Side of the Moon" 6 7 7,029 19,926 26,955 20 33 2
7 Koza Mostra "Bulletproof" 2 3 1,593 2,585 4,178 4 9 9
8 Stefi "Europa" 1 0 1,080 1,997 3,077 0 1 12
9 Rosanna Mailan "Alma" 0 0 1,481 1,957 3,438 2 2 11
10 Evangelia "Parea" 10 2 5,196 5,031 10,227 12 24 4
11 Zaf "Asteio" 7 6 2,640 4,424 7,064 10 23 5
12 Akylas "Ferto" 12 12 24,706 35,128 59,834 24 48 1
13 Leroybroughtflowers "Sabotage!" 0 0 593 1,090 1,683 0 0 13
14 Alexandra Sieti "The Other Side" 5 4 2,252 3,650 5,902 8 17 8

Ratings

Viewing figures by show
Show Air date Viewership
(millions)
Share
(%)
Ref.
Semi-final 1 11 February 2026 1.63 15.3% [29]
Semi-final 2 13 February 2026 1.85 17.9% [30]
Final 15 February 2026 2.664 30.5% [31]

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 took place at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 12 and 14 May and a final on 16 May 2026. All nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom) were required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progressed to the final. On 12 January 2026, an allocation draw was held to determine which of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show, each country performed in; the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot.[32]

Semi final

Greece was allocated for the first semi final, and later, was announced to perform in position four during the show.[33] Shortly after, the qualification–announcement segment took place, and, at the end of the segment Greece was announced as one of the ten qualifiers, therefore, Greece would move on onto the final.[34]

Final

Greece performed in the first half of the final, [35] and finished at the 10th place, with 220 points.

Voting

Points awarded to Greece

Points awarded by Greece

Detailed voting results

Each participating broadcaster assembles a seven-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent and two of which have to be between 18 and 25 years old. Each jury, and individual jury member, is required to meet a strict set of criteria regarding professional background, as well as diversity in gender and age. No member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently.[38] The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.

The following members comprised the Greek jury:[37]

  • Alexis Karakatsanis
  • Dimitrios Meidanis
  • Ioannis Christodoulopoulos
  • Panagiotis Nikolaidis
  • Athina Klimi
  • Christina Kaliakatsou
  • Marina Spanou
Detailed voting results from Greece (Semi-final 1)[36]
R/O Country Jury Televote
Juror A Juror B Juror C Juror D Juror E Juror F Juror G Rank Points Rank Points
01  Moldova1363541216538
02  Sweden1151213641010111
03  Croatia124643145665
04  Greece
05  Portugal9131491214131413
06  Georgia1414981413121392
07  Finland238111364783
08  Montenegro102225933874
09  Estonia51113108278314
10  Israel812431151474210
11  Belgium48111478111112
12  Lithuania1101012911892101
13  San Marino6977131091247
14  Poland715627211256
15  Serbia37111065210112
Detailed voting results from Greece (Final)[37]
R/O Country Jury Televote
Juror A Juror B Juror C Juror D Juror E Juror F Juror G Rank Points Rank Points
01  Denmark13101113718141413
02  Germany15151817181761618
03  Israel167410214211165
04  Belgium17162015516151522
05  Albania86682371210138
06  Greece
07  Ukraine7181212121581317
08  Australia633431374783
09  Serbia122022291196512
10  Malta191713161614162016
11  Czechia21212419619181820
12  Bulgaria34223136456210
13  Croatia5131052210374101
14  United Kingdom242417241920242323
15  France911821353892
16  Moldova4579248138374
17  Finland11816642191211
18  Poland1191811221015
19  Lithuania221919231112172121
20  Sweden141415141522111714
21  Cyprus2217221112112
22  Italy18122118179201947
23  Norway232314211423222219
24  Romania109511105109256
25  Austria202223202024232424

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