Alicja Szemplińska to Represent Poland at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna

Alicja Szemplińska Triumphs in National Selection

Alicja Szemplińska with her song "Pray" will represent Poland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna. The results of the Polish national selection were announced on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 10:00 AM during a live broadcast of "Pytanie na śniadanie" on TVP2. The 23-year-old singer's victory concluded a weeks-long national qualifying stage that sparked great excitement in Poland.

Close Competition, Minimal Margin

The national selection result proved surprisingly close. Szemplińska secured 19.5% of the vote, while 17-year-old Stasiek Kukulski with his song "This Too Shall Pass" finished just 0.1 percentage points behind her, with 19.4%. This is one of the tightest finishes in the history of Polish Eurovision qualifications. The difference was so small that many fans and online commentators didn't believe the result was final until this morning.

The final of the "National Selection Final," broadcast on March 7, 2026, on TVP1 and TVP Polonia (recorded on March 1 at the TVP studio in Warsaw), featured eight artists: Alicja, Anastazja, Basia Giewont, Jeremi Sikorski, Karolina Szczurowska, Ola Antoniak, Piotr Pręgowski, and Stasiek Kukulski. Voting was conducted from February 28 via the TVP VOD application (up to three votes free of charge) and paid SMS messages, with lines closing at midnight on March 8.

"Pray" – A Song with Soul

The track "Pray," with which Szemplińska will travel to Vienna, is a multi-layered composition combining elements of gospel, soul, and R&B music. The song was written by the artist together with Weronika Gabryelczyk (music and lyrics) and Malcolm Sinclair (lyrics). Experts emphasize that "Pray" gives the vocalist space to showcase her strong, recognizable voice – and it is with her vocals that Szemplińska has been winning the hearts of the Polish public for years.

A Return After Six Years – A Story of an Unfulfilled Dream

Szemplińska's selection has a particularly symbolic dimension. The artist already won the Polish Eurovision national selection in 2020, but the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She is the only Polish representative who won the national qualification but never stood on the Eurovision stage. After six years, she returns with a new song and – as she admits herself – a completely new artistic maturity.

Szemplińska is the winner of three Polish talent shows: Hit, Hit, Hurra! (2016), The Voice of Poland (2019), and Szansa na sukces. Eurowizja 2020 (2020). Her return to the Eurovision national selection generated great interest from the media and fans from the very beginning.

Road to Vienna: May 2026

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place in Vienna. Poland has qualified for the first semi-final, scheduled for May 12. The grand final will take place on May 16, 2026. Szemplińska will have several weeks to refine the stage scenario and visual setting of her performance.

The announcement of the result on "Pytanie na śniadanie" electrified Eurovision fans throughout Poland and sparked a heated discussion on social media. Many music commentators believe that "Pray" – with its combination of emotional message and strong vocals – is one of the strongest proposals that Poland has sent to Eurovision in many years.