The ten “Big Artists” who will compete in the Dreaming San Marino Song Contest 2026 will be revealed on February 26.
The Director General of San Marino RTV has confirmed today that the ten “Big Artists” who will compete in the Dreaming San Marino Song Contest 2026 are set to be announced on February 26. The participants will be revealed at a press conference in Sanremo, during the Festival di Sanremo 2026 being held by Rai.
In addition, it has been confirmed that once again a five-person jury will select the winning act that will go to the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. The jury will be chaired by radio host and songwriter, Federice Gentile, while Red Ronnie has also been confirmed as a juror.
Casting is currently underway and will be used to determine the artists who progress to the ‘Stage & Live Academy’ phase. The ‘Stage & Live Academy’ phase will consist of eight sessions, with 30 singers in each session. To participate in this phase participants must pay a fee of €150.00, unless the participant is from San Marino, then they will pay €50.00. Singers at this phase may only compete with one song. From each session, a jury will select five singers to qualify for the semi-finals of the San Marino Song Contest. They will then compete in two semi-finals on March 2 and 3, consisting of 20 singers each, and five acts from each semi-final will qualify for the final.
The final of the San Marino Song Contest 2026 will be held on March 6. 20 acts will compete, ten from the Dreaming San Marino Song Contest and ten established acts who are prequalified for the final. The winner will be determined by a five-member jury.
Source: San Marino RTV
San Marino debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 alongside Azerbaijan. Miodio represented San Marino on their debut with the song “Complice”, and finished last in their semi-final with just 5 points. San Marino withdrew from the contest before returning again in 2011. Since then, the country has participated annually. San Marino first qualified for the final in 2014 and has gone on to qualify for the final on three further occasions, most recently in 2025.
