The Icelandic broadcaster RÚV has cancelled Söngvakeppnin after withdrawing from the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
Söngvakeppnin will no longer be held in 2026 after the Icelandic broadcaster withdrew from competing in the Eurovision Song Contest. RÚV has informed those who had submitted songs for the show that it no longer plans to hold the contest this year.
Eva Georgs. Ásudóttir, the Program Director at RÚV explained that:
It is clear that Söngvakeppnin in the format that has existed since we participated in Eurovision will not be held. The prerequisites for a traditional Söngvakeppnin are broken by our not participating in Eurovision, what will be done next has not been decided.
Söngvakeppnin has been organised on and off since 1981, prior to its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1986. The last time a contest was not organised was in 2021, when Daði og Gagnamagnið were given the right to represent Iceland in Rotterdam after the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest was cancelled.
RÚV is one of five broadcasters that have withdrawn from competing in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna, Austria in protest at Israel’s continued participation in the competition. You can read the broadcasters full statement below:
Source: RÚV
Iceland debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1986 and, aside from 2 years of relegation in 1998 and 2002, had participated annually until the 2026 contest. The contest is incredibly popular in Iceland, regularly being one of the most-watched programs of the year. Iceland has yet to win the contest but has finished in 2nd on two occasions. In 1999, Selma missed out on victory in Jerusalem by 17 points, and in 2009 Yohanna became the most successful Icelandic entrant ever finishing 2nd in the final with the song “Is it True?”. She scored 218 points, yet still finished 169 points behind the runaway winner Norway.