Anssi Autio has announced he is to step back from UMK, the Finnish Eurovision selection show, having been part of the show since its formation in 2011.
Anssi Autio, who held the role of Executive Producer of UMK, has announced through LinkedIn that he is stepping away from the competition. Anssi had been part of UMK since it was founded in 2011 to replace Euroviisut. In recent years, the show has revived the fortunes of Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest, with three top five finishes since 2021 and a string of well-known singers selected to represent the nation at the contest.
Anssi commented:
โI am grateful for my role and for having been able to build UMK into a competition and entertainment program that has become one of the most prestigious singing competitionsโ
Yle has not commented on who will take over as the Executive Producer of UMK. UMK 2027 will take place on February 20 in Nokia Arena in Tampere. This will be the fourth year in a row that UMK will take place in Nokia Arena. Application for artists opens on August 17 and will end on August 23 via yle.fi/umk where details of competition rules can also be found.
Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen represented Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with โLiekinheitinโ and finished 6th in the final with 279 points. Finland received 12 points from the juries and televote in Estonia and Sweden.
Source: Yle
Finland first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961. They debuted alongside Spain and Yugoslavia. Finland has finished last in the contest on 10 occasions and has received โnul pointsโ three times. It wasnโt until 2006 that Finland won the Eurovision Song Contest. Lordi represented the country in Athens with the song โHard Rock Hallelujahโ scoring 292 points, a record total at the time.
