National selection-2026: how European fans evaluate Ukrainian participants

For the first time in its history, the Ukrainian National Selection for Eurovision 2026 opened its doors not only to the show’s professional team, but also to representatives of Europe’s leading fan communities. Eurofans were given a unique opportunity to listen to the longlist of participants and give their own assessments – and their verdict turned out to be unexpected.

This is reported by Public Eurovision.

Representatives of the largest Eurovision fan clubs were invited to the audition. They worked side by side with the creative team of the National Selection – Jamala (music producer), German Nenov (creative producer), and the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Oksana Skybinska.

Everyone was given the opportunity to rate the competition songs on a 15-point scale. These ratings formed an independent fan rating, which became an important indicator of how future hits might “work” on the European stage.

“Eurofans are the most devoted viewers of the contest. They have a good feel for the format and actively vote in the final. Therefore, it was important for us to hear from them now,” Skybinska emphasized.

The informal ranking was led by LELÉKA, an artist for whom participation in the National Selection will be her debut. She was followed by Monokate, better known to the general audience as Kateryna Pavlenko, the soloist of the band Go_A, which represented Ukraine at Eurovision 2021.

Another detail was no less noticeable: despite her enormous experience and popularity, Jerry Heil did not make it into the top three.

Fan rating of the National Selection-2026

LELÉKA

Monokate

Mr. Vel

Jerry Heil

MY FIA

YOUNG

LAUD

PikeFish

Karyotype

The Elliens

ANSTAY

KHAYAT

OKS

Valeriya Force

Marta Adamchuk

All songs are still undergoing refinements: arrangements, lyrics, and stage performances are being changed. Organizers note that the fans’ opinion does not influence the official selection, but provides an important cross-section of the European audience’s expectations before the grand finale.

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