Finland’s biggest music show, the Contest for New Music (UMK) will bring the house down at Tampere’s Nokia Arena on 28 February, 2026. Tickets for the evening show and dress rehearsal will become available simultaneously on Thursday 2 October at 9 AM. Once again, a record number of songs (491) were submitted to UMK, and according to the juries, this year’s selection of artists and songs was of the expected high quality.
Finland’s largest music show, UMK, has established a strong position in Finnish pop culture as a showcase for exciting musical phenomena, a platform for new music, and a creator of stars. Each year, about two million Finns watch UMK on television, and approximately 20,000 fans from Finland and abroad are expected to attend the UMK event at Nokia Arena.
This year, as in previous years, UMK will feature seven competition performances as well as opening and interval acts from Finland’s top artists. In addition, there will be pre- and after-parties on three floors at Nokia Arena, continuing until 3 AM. The afternoon dress rehearsal will present the evening’s show for the first time, and based on these performances, the international jury will award their points.
UMK’s executive producer Anssi Autio comments:
“UMK, now organized at arena scale for the third time, is one of the most respected national selections in the Eurovision world, attracting visitors from afar to admire its visuals, spectacle, and communal atmosphere. At last year’s Nokia Arena event, guests arrived from 20 different countries — the longest journeys were made from America and Asia. The UMK event is a unique experience that is absolutely worth experiencing live.”
Show and dress rehearsal tickets for the UMK26 event will be available from Thursday 2 October at 9 AM at lippu.fi/umk.
Record Number of Song submissions – here are first artist and song clues!
Over the past decade, UMK has become one of the most closely followed national competitions in the Eurovision world. In Finland, UMK has solidified its place as a springboard for new artists and songs, and many of the participating songs have become major hits both in Finland and abroad.
Interest from artists in UMK grows year by year — this year, a record number of 491 songs was submitted. The artists participating in UMK will be revealed in a live TV broadcast on Wednesday 14 January 2026, and the songs with their music videos will be released one per weekday from 15–23 January.
The selection of artists and songs for UMK was, as last year, carried out by several juries. The most influential was a jury of music professionals, chaired by Yle Music’s Managing Editor Tapio Hakanen. In addition to the professional jury, five public juries were involved in the selection process, consisting of a diverse group of representatives from various fields. The jury reform introduced last year was a success and has continued this year.
From a large pool, seven UMK contestants and songs have now been selected.
Tapio Hakanen, chair of the professional jury:
“This season’s artist and song lineup includes a charismatic performer making their debut at UMK, an artist representing today’s most current sound, an internationally sought-after crowd-pleaser, a pioneer in their own genre, a charismatic duo of two unique voices, a dramatic pop piece from a singer with a stunning voice, and a captivating ballad from an artist radiating international appeal.”
Source: YLE
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