Dara will represent Bulgaria at Eurovision 2026
Dara will represent Bulgaria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna after winning Natsionalna Selektsiya 2026. The song will be selected on 28 February
Bulgarian broadcaster BNT held the second show of Natsionalna Selektsiya za Evroviziya 2026 to select their artist for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
Broadcast live from BNT, Studio 1 in Sofia, eight artists took the stage hoping to convince a ten-member jury and the public at home that they should be representing Bulgaria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna.
After the eight performances of previously released songs from the artist's back catalogs, the votes were counted: Dara will represent Bulgaria at Eurovision 2026.
Dara's song for Eurovision 2026 will be selected in the third and last show on 28 February. Here, Dara will perform three new songs written specifically for Eurovision. The winning song will be Bulgaria’s official entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
Natsionalna Selektsiya 2026 – Artist: Final
Dara
Dara is a Bulgarian pop artist with an international outlook and an established presence on the contemporary Bulgarian and Balkan music scene. With millions of streams, multiple number-one singles, ongoing international collaborations, and an active live profile, she is part of the current generation shaping modern Bulgarian pop music.
She has worked with producers and songwriters such as Chris Young, known for his work with Rod Stewart and Kylie Minogue, Jungleboi, who has collaborated with artists including ZAYN and Rihanna, as well as Yoad Nevo and Monoir.
Among her recent releases are the songs “Da Ne Mozhem”, “Nito Zvuk”, “Nishto Poveche”, “Samo Moy”, and “Kradec na Mechti”, alongside the collaborative tracks “Barbie & Ken” and “Zmiya”.
Since 2021, Dara has served as a mentor on the talent show The Voice of Bulgaria, where she works with emerging artists. In 2025, she released her most personal project to date, the album ADHDARA, which combines elements of confidence, vulnerability, and experimentation. The project marks a shift from a nationally established pop career towards a more internationally oriented artistic direction with an expanding global presence.
Natsionalna Selektsiya 2026
Natsionalna Selektsiya za Evroviziya 2026 will first select the artist (shows 1 & 2) and then the song (show 3).
Voting in all shows consists of a five-member jury (1–5 points to each artist) combined with online voting (15, 14, 13, …, 1 points).
All three shows are held at BNT Studio 1 in Sofia and hosted by Georgi Lyubenov, Boryana Gramatikova, and Vladimira Ilieva (backstage).
ARTIST: Dara
In the first show, 15 artists performed songs from their back catalogs. Eight artists qualified for show 2, where the finalists will perform additional songs from their back catalogs. The artist who will represent Bulgaria at Eurovision 2026 (Dara) was selected during this show.
SONG:
In the third show, Dara will perform three new songs written specifically for Eurovision. The winning song will be Bulgaria’s official entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest
Bulgaria has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 14 times, but with mixed success. They have a 2nd, 4th, 5th, 11th and 14th place in their Eurovision account, and the other 9 years they didn't qualify for the Grand Final.
The best result was 2017's 2nd place finish (Kristian Kostov - Beautiful Mess), and this was also one of the five times they have qualified for the Grand Final out of 14.
