Latvia’s Supernova 2026: New Format, Fresh Rules, and One Very Lucky Wildcard

Brace yourselves, Eurofans: Supernova is back, and it’s had a glow-up. The Latvian national selection for Eurovision 2026 has been recharged, restructured and—dare we say—revived, as LSM (Latvijas Sabiedriskie Mediji) has unveiled a brand-new format for its most melodic of reality contests.

Gone is the one-shot final; Supernova 2026 is now a three-week saga, complete with two semi-finals (on 31 January and 7 February) and a grand final on Valentine’s Day. How romantic. Over these glittery Thursdays, a total of 10 acts will advance to the final, with LSM keeping one wildcard up their sleeve, presumably for a dark horse or a fan favourite that missed out.

Entry submissions opened on 1 August at 07:00 CEST, and hopefuls have until 1 October at 22:59 CEST to shoot their shot. The lucky few selected by a jury of music and entertainment insiders will be revealed in November, so mark your calendars (and maybe your Spotify playlists).

But before you get too excited and dust off your Latvian-English dictionary: while international songwriters and producers are welcome aboard, there’s a catch. The non-resident share of copyright and related rights in any given song must not exceed 49%. Latvia’s Eurovision dreams must remain at least 51% homegrown, after all.

For full details, one must venture to the official LSM website. Or, you know, wait for the Twitter/X meltdowns once the songs drop.

Source: LSM