San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026

San Marino was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with the song "Superstar", written by Anderz Wrethov, George Alan O'Dowd, Julie Aagaard [sv], John-Emil Johansson, Thomas Stengaard [sv] and Senhit Zadik Zadik, and performed by Senhit herself, with uncredited vocals from O'Dowd under his stage name Boy George.[1] The Sammarinese participating broadcaster, San Marino RTV (SMRTV), organised the national final format San Marino Song Contest to select its entry for the contest.

San Marino in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2026
Eurovision Song Contest 2026
Participating broadcasterSan Marino RTV (SMRTV)
Country San Marino
Selection processSan Marino Song Contest 2026
Selection date6 March 2026
Competing entry
Song"Superstar"
ArtistSenhit
Songwriters
Placement
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (14th)
Participation chronology
◄2025 2026 2027►

Background

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Prior to the 2026 contest, San Marino RTV (SMRTV) had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing San Marino 15 times since its first entry in 2008.[2] Its debut entry, "Complice" performed by Miodio, failed to qualify for the final and placed last in the first semi-final.[2] SMRTV subsequently did not participate in both the 2009 and 2010 contests, citing financial difficulties.[3][4] It returned in 2011 with "Stand By" by Italian singer Senit, which also failed to take the country to the final.[2] From 2012 to 2014, SMRTV sent Valentina Monetta to the contest on three consecutive occasions.[5] Monetta's first two entries failed to qualify to the final, however in 2014, she managed to bring San Marino to the final for the first time with "Maybe", which ultimately placed 24th.[2] Following four consecutive non-qualifying years, San Marino qualified in 2019 with "Say Na Na Na" by Serhat and finished in 19th place.[2] Senit, under her new stage name Senhit, was to return to represent the nation with "Freaky!" at the 2020 contest, however, following the contest's cancelation, SMRTV re-appointed Senhit for 2021.[6] Her 2021 song, "Adrenalina", performed alongside American rapper Flo Rida, qualified for the final, where it placed 22nd.[2] The Sammarinese entries from 2022 to 2024 all failed to qualify, until "Tutta l'Italia" by Gabry Ponte qualified in 2025, ultimately getting last place in the final.[2] SMRTV confirmed its intention to participate in the 2026 contest on 8 September 2025,[7] announcing the following day that it would continue to use the San Marino Song Contest to select its entry.[8]

Before Eurovision

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San Marino Song Contest 2026

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In late October, SMRTV posted the rules and regulations for the fifth edition of San Marino Song Contest to select the Sammarinese entry, and set the date of the final round as March 2026 at the Nuovo de Dogana. In a change from the previous year,[8] the semi-finals were reduced to two instead of eight.

San Marino Song Contest 2026 consisted of two semi-finals and were hosted by Maddalena Corvaglia [it] and Marco Carrara [it], while the 21-participant final round of the event took place on 6 March 2026 and was hosted by Simona Ventura.

Participant selection

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A submission window for interested artists and composers was opened in late October 2026,[9] with a deadline initially set for 20 January 2026, subsequently extended to 25 January.[10] Over 800 applicants from a total of 40 countries were received by the deadline.[11]

The selection of semi-finalists first consisted of an audition phase called Dreaming San Marino Song Contest, with live auditions held at San Marino Outlet Experience in Falciano in four rounds: the first on 20 November 2025, the second from 17 and 20 December 2025, the third on 7 January 2024, and the fourth from 27 January to 1st February 2026. Artists not residing in San Marino, Italy or neighbouring countries were able to attend the auditions online instead of attending in person. In addition to the regular selection process, SMRTV also confirmed a collaboration with Tour Music Fest [it], a Sammarinese music competition for emerging artists, for a second year in a row.[12]

At the end of the auditions, SMRTV selected the 240 artists who qualified for the "Stage & Live Academy" phase, where the 40 artists admitted to the semi-final were selected.

Semi-finals

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The semi-finals took place on 4 and 5 March 2026 at the Teatro Nuovo in Dogana and were hosted by Maddalena Corvaglia [it] and Marco Carrara [it]. The artists who progressed to the semi-finals were publicly announced by SMRTV over two days: the acts for the first semi-final were revealed on 16 February 2026, followed by the artists competing on the second semi-final revealed the next day.[13][14] The shows were filmed on 3 March 2026.

Ahead of the semi-finals two artists (Park and Samuele di Nicolò) subsequently withdrew their planned entries in the contest, which were replaced by two reserves (Yume e Ciro Maddaluno) initially eliminated from the "Stage & Live Academy" phase.[15] The ten finalists were selected by an international jury consisting of Massimo Bonelli [it] (artistic director and record producer), Joseph Cauchi (Maltese executive producer), and Tomislav Štengl (head of the Croatian delegation to the Eurovision Song Contest).[16]

Semi-final 1  4 March 2026[17]
R/O Artist Country of Origin Song Result
1 Alien Cut feat. Tayma  Italy "Ethernia" Eliminated
2 Capabrò  Italy "Lavorare fa schifo" Eliminated
3 Daudia  Italy "Talk About It" Eliminated
4 Erisu  Italy "Ghost of Ninive" Eliminated
5 Giacomo Voli  Italy "Figaro" Eliminated
6 Lorenzo Bonfire  Italy "Ode to Guilt" Eliminated
7 Metiria  Italy "Attention Seeker" Eliminated
8 Mrtina  Italy "My Insanity" Eliminated
9 4Calamano  Italy "Twilight" Eliminated
10 Anna Smith   Switzerland "Bruised" Qualified
11 Myky  Italy "Outta Tune" Qualified
12 N'ice Cream  Italy "Not the Winner" Eliminated
13 Pellegrina Pibigas  Italy "Il giorno che" Qualified
14 Orphy  Czechia "Rise Again" Qualified
15 Sheila  Albania "Zemra e tokës" Eliminated
16 Star Guy  Norway "Star Shadez" Eliminated
17 Stefano  Italy "Pesce rosso" Eliminated
18 Yume  Italy "Paura di amare" Eliminated
19 Ryan Song  Netherlands "Break the Cage" Eliminated
20 Matias Ferreira  Spain "Paura" Qualified
Semi-final 2  5 March 2026[17]
R/O Artist Country of Origin Song Result
1 Atwood  Italy "Midnight Alibi" Eliminated
2 Ciro Maddaluno  Italy "Distratto" Eliminated
3 Deva  Italy "Mi fa male l'America" Eliminated
4 Elysa  Estonia "The Alchemist" Eliminated
5 IlRed  Italy "Playlist in loop" Eliminated
6 Iuna  Italy "Freedom Calling" Qualified
7 Klem  Italy "Ok respira" Qualified
8 Luka  Slovenia "Where It Ends" Eliminated
9 Luka Basi  Slovenia "Chicolo" Qualified
10 Lupi Mannaggia  Italy "Ignorantità" Eliminated
11 Magdalena Tul  Poland "I'll Be Around" Qualified
12 Maraaya  Slovenia "Alu Alu" Eliminated
13 Marco Sbarbati  Italy "Pretty Little Secret" Eliminated
14 Maya Azucena  United States "My Sin" Qualified
15 Nicolò Deori  Italy "Mi ucciderai per sempre" Eliminated
16 NovaBlue  Italy "Muoio di fame" Eliminated
17 Paolo Martini  Italy "Fase REM" Eliminated
18 Sezina Kelsey  Netherlands "You Raise Me High" Eliminated
19 UtopiaTwins and Valerie  Italy "Fake Smile" Eliminated
20 Xannova Xan  United States "Unbreakable" Eliminated

Final

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The final took place on 7 March 2026 at the Teatro Nuovo in Dogana and was hosted by Simona Ventura. It featured ten pre-qualified entries and ten entries that qualified from the semi-finals; an additional finalist was selected through a wildcard reserved for singers holding Sammarinese citizenship.[18] All twenty-one finalists were announced by SMRTV on 26 February 2026, prior to the broadcast of the semi-finals.[16] Guest performances by non-participants included Cristiano Malgioglio,  who received a Lifetime Achievement Award from San Marino Secretary of State Federico Pedini Amati  Elettra Lamborghini and former Eurovision entrants Al Bano (Italy 1976 and 1985 along with Romina Power) and Tommy Cash (Estonia 2025).[19][20]

The winner of the final was "Superstar", written by Anderz Wrethov, George Alan O'Dowd, Julie Aagaard, John-Emil Johansson, Thomas Stengaard and Senhit Zadik Zadik, and performed by the latter with uncredited vocals by Boy George.[21][22] It was selected by a jury consisting of Federica Gentile (television and radio host), Massimo Zanotti (conductor and arranger), Beppe D'Onghia [it] (pianist, composer and conductor), Mario Andrea Ettorre (marketing manager at the Italian Society of Authors and Editors) and Roberto Sergio (SMRTV director).[16]

The final also saw several acts receive special awards from the jury for their participation. These included SMRTV's Ludovido Di Meo Award to Pellegrina Pibigas with "Il giorno che",  awarded by a press jury composed by Renato Tortarolo, Federico Vacalebre, Laura Rio, Loredana Errico, and Francesca Pierleoni[23]  the Critics Award to Dolcenera with "My Love",  awarded by a selection panel composed by Morgan, Red Ronnie [it] and former Eurovision entrant Iva Zanicchi (Italy 1969)[16]  the Dreaming San Marino Award for the Best Emerging artist to Maya Azucena with "My Sin", the Titano Style Award for the Best Look to Rosa Chemical, and, finally, the SIAE Award to Dolcenera.

Final  6 March 2026[24]
R/O Artist Country Song Songwriter(s) Place
1 Pellegrina Pibigas  Italy "Il giorno che" Fabrizio Simoncioni [it]
2 Magdalena Tul  Poland "I'll Be Around" Magdalena Ewa Tul
3 Klem  Italy "Ok respira"
  • Alfredo Bruno
  • Clemente Mezzacapo
4 Molella [it] feat. Maxè  Italy "Fever"
5 Iuna  Italy "Freedom Calling"
  • Andrea Riso
  • Igor Tonso
  • Riccardo Brizi
6 Paolo Belli  Italy "Bellissima"
3
7 Orphy  Czechia "Rise Again"
  • Danyil Muntianu Volodymyrovych
  • Kiril Rohovets Serhiyovich
8 Andreas Habibi feat. Aura  United Arab Emirates "All We Need Is Love"
9 Dolcenera  Italy "My Love"
  • Emanuela Trane
  • Francesco Sighieri
10 Myky  Italy "Outta Tune"
  • Igor Tonso
  • Michele Petillo
11 Kelly Joyce [fr]  France "Oh là là"
2
12 Luka Basi  Slovenia "Chicolo" Aleš "Raay" Vovk
13 Anna Smith   Switzerland "Bruised" Anna Smith
14 Matias Ferreira  Spain "Paura"
  • José Pablo Polo
  • Matias Ferreira
  • Pablo Dazán
  • Samuel Sheinberg
15 Rosa Chemical  Italy "Mammamì [it]"
  • Manuel Franco Rocati
  • Alessandro Pacco
  • Nicola Pittalis
16 Orchestraccia [it]  Italy "Cara madre mia"
17 Senhit[a]  Italy "Superstar"
1
18 Inis Neziri  Albania "In My Head" Inis Neziri 4
19 Edward Maya feat. William Imola  Romania
 Italy
"Balla"
  • Eduard Marian Ilie
  • William Imola
20 Maya Azucena  United States "My Sin" Maya Azucena 4
21 Marco  San Marino "Shine" Marco Cervellini

At Eurovision

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The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 took place at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 12 and 14 May and the final on 16 May 2026. All nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom) were required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progressed to the final. On 12 January 2026, an allocation draw was held to determine which of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show, each country performed in; the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot.[27]

Semi final

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San Marino was allocated for the first semi final, and later, was announced to perform in position Thirteen during the show.[28] Shortly after, the qualification–announcement segment took place, and, at the end of the segment San Marino was not announced as one of the ten qualifiers, therefore, San Marino would not move on onto the final,[29] for the first time since 2024.

Voting

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Points awarded to San Marino

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Points awarded to San Marino (Semi-final 1)[30]
Score Televote Jury
12 points
10 points
8 points
7 points  Greece
6 points  Montenegro
5 points
4 points
3 points
2 points  Israel
1 point

Points awarded by San Marino

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Detailed voting results

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Each participating broadcaster assembles a seven-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent and two of which have to be between 18 and 25 years old. Each jury, and individual jury member, is required to meet a strict set of criteria regarding professional background, as well as diversity in gender and age. No member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently.[32] The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.

The following members comprised the Sammarinese jury:[31]

  • Alberto Carlo Braschi
  • Elia Rinaldi
  • Fabrizio Raggi
  • Martin Minotti
  • Amalia Gozi
  • Sara Raschi
  • Sofia Checcetti
Detailed voting results from San Marino (Semi-final 1)[30]
R/O Country Jury Televote
Juror A Juror B Juror C Juror D Juror E Juror F Juror G Rank Points Rank Points
01  Moldova9116319465210
02  Sweden365961257412
03  Croatia43818685683
04  Greece1118221112101
05  Portugal1212131095131165
06  Georgia78145101479214
07  Finland621124433838
08  Montenegro27463364711
09  Estonia14137111311111374
10  Israel5524512210112
11  Belgium814121211791213
12  Lithuania1099131413141492
13  San Marino
14  Poland114101412101210156
15  Serbia13103778108347
Detailed voting results from San Marino (Final)[31]
R/O Country Jury Televote
Juror A Juror B Juror C Juror D Juror E Juror F Juror G Rank Points Rank Points
01  Denmark123131114132110112
02  Germany151324131819141824
03  Israel9161598107483
04  Belgium162514172324222223
05  Albania341210106765101
06  Greece6846341556112
07  Ukraine222018192423182311
08  Australia1068162110121265
09  Serbia232215212012131915
10  Malta122241311218
11  Czechia2521111551461321
12  Bulgaria496119438210
13  Croatia2451620111651119
14  United Kingdom132419181325202022
15  France11720141922171613
16  Moldova172317961181492
17  Finland141410482099274
18  Poland191221231718252116
19  Lithuania201825252515242414
20  Sweden7152312157161520
21  Cyprus81098125118347
22  Italy213723121038
23  Norway181722242221232517
24  Romania511737224756
25  Austria21195221617191725

Notes

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  1. Features uncredited vocals by Boy George[25][26]

References

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  1. Lombardini, Emanuele (7 March 2026). "Eurovision 2026, Senhit: 'Puntiamo al podio e chissà, anche a vincere'" [Eurovision 2026, Senhit: "We're aiming for the podium and, who knows, maybe even winning"]. Eurofestival News (in Italian). Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "San Marino – Participation history". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  3. Viniker, Barry (18 December 2008). "San Marino leaves Eurovision Song Contest". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  4. Floras, Stella (15 December 2009). "No San Marino either for Eurovision 2010". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  5. "Tonight San Marino present their entry". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 14 March 2014. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  6. Nava, Pablo (16 May 2020). "'See you next year!' – Senhit announces she will represent San Marino at Eurovision 2021". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  7. Jiandani, Sanjay (8 September 2025). "San Marino: SMRTV confirms participation at Eurovision 2026". ESCToday. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  8. 1 2 Granger, Anthony (9 September 2025). "San Marino: San Marino Song Contest Undergoes Format Revamp for 2026". Eurovoix. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  9. Granger, Anthony (24 October 2025). "San Marino: Dreaming San Marino Song Contest Applications Window Opens". Eurovoix. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  10. Granger, Anthony (20 January 2026). "🇸🇲 San Marino: Dreaming San Marino Song Contest Application Deadline Extended". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  11. "Oltre 800 iscritti da 40 paesi del mondo - Dreaming San Marino Song Contest" (in Italian). 13 January 2026. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  12. meiweb (2 December 2025). "Tour Music Fest 2025: ecco i vincitori della 17ª edizione. 9 gli italiani premiati dal contest europeo della musica emergente". MEI - Meeting Degli Indipendenti (in Italian). Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  13. Rtv, San Marino (16 February 2026). "San Marino Song Contest: ecco i primi 20 semifinalisti". San Marino Rtv (in Italian). Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  14. Rtv, San Marino (17 February 2026). "San Marino Song Contest: ecco il secondo gruppo di semifinalisti". San Marino Rtv (in Italian). Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  15. Granger, Anthony (20 February 2026). "San Marino: San Marino Song Contest 2026 Semi-Final Participant Changes". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Rtv, San Marino (26 February 2026). "San Marino Song Contest: tutte le novità dell'edizione 2026, svelati i 10 "big"". San Marino Rtv (in Italian). Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  17. 1 2 Granger, Anthony (20 February 2026). "San Marino: San Marino Song Contest 2026 Semi-Final Participant Changes". Eurovoix. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  18. "San Marino Song Contest, in finale anche l'artista sammarinese Marco" [San Marino Song Contest, San Marinese artist Marco also in the final]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). 5 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  19. "San Marino Song Contest, annunciati i super ospiti della finale: ecco chi sono e dove vederla" [San Marino Song Contest, special guests announced for the final: here's who they are and where to watch it]. Leggo (in Italian). 4 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  20. De Rose, Carmela (6 March 2026). "San Marino Song Contest, Roberto Sergio annuncia Elettra Lamborghini ospite speciale" [San Marino Song Contest, Roberto Sergio announces Elettra Lamborghini as special guest]. Il Messaggero (in Italian). Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  21. "Senhit 'duetta' con Boy George e vola a Vienna" [Senhit "duets" with Boy George and flies to Vienna]. BolognaToday (in Italian). 7 March 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  22. "San Marino Song Contest 2026: vincono Senhit e Boy George" [San Marino Song Contest 2026: Senhit and Boy George win] (in Italian). SMRTV. 7 March 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  23. Granger, Anthony (3 March 2026). "🇸🇲 San Marino: San Marino Song Contest 2026 Guests & Jurors Revealed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  24. Granger, Anthony (26 February 2026). "San Marino: San Marino Song Contest 2026 Big Artists Revealed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  25. "Senhit 'duetta' con Boy George e vola a Vienna" [Senhit "duets" with Boy George and flies to Vienna]. BolognaToday (in Italian). 7 March 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  26. "San Marino Song Contest 2026: vincono Senhit e Boy George" [San Marino Song Contest 2026: Senhit and Boy George win] (in Italian). SMRTV. 7 March 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  27. "The Semi-Final Draw for Vienna 2026: All you need to know". Eurovision.com. EBU. 6 January 2026. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  28. "Vienna 2026: Semi-Final Running Orders revealed". Eurovision Song Contest. 2 April 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  29. "Eurovision 2026: The First Semi-Final Qualifiers". eurovision.com. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  30. 1 2 3 "Voting data". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  31. 1 2 3 "Voting data". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  32. "How the Eurovision Song Contest works". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 May 2024.