All about UMK, Finland's selection for Eurovision
Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2025 will be the 13th edition of UMK, the competition organised by Finnish broadcaster YLE (Yleisradio Oy) to select the Finnish candidate for Eurovision.
What is the UMK?
Between 1961 and 2011, the aim of the Suomen euroviisukarsinta programme, whose format has evolved over time, was to select a song for Eurovision. However, since 2012, the broadcaster has organised the selection show Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), which focuses on presenting new music, with the winning song being selected as the Finnish song for that year's Eurovision.
Organisation of the UMK and voting system
In order to submit a song during the submission period opened by Yle, it was necessary for at least one of the authors and the lead singer(s) to have Finnish nationality or to live permanently in Finland.
Nine experts appointed by Yle alongside five juries from the public selected seven entries for the competition from 485 received this year. The experts were Tapio Hakanen (head of music at YleX), Aija Puurtinen (professor at the Sibelius Academy and vocal coach at UMK), Amie Borgar (head of music at Yle X3M and Yle Vega), Johan Lindroos (head of music at Yle Radio Suomi ), Katri Norrlin (Music Editor at YleX), Samuli Väänänen (Senior Editor at Spotify), Jani Juntunen (Head of Radio Music at Nelonen Media), Saara Everi (Head of Marketing at PME Records) and Marcus Sjöström (Head of Music at Radio NRJ Finland).
The final results will be determined by the public vote and the vote of an international jury, with a split of 25 % for the international jury and 75 % for the public vote.
Where and when can you see UMK 2025?
UMK 2025 will take place on 8 February 2025, from 20:00 to 22:10 CET, at the Nokia Arena in Tampere. It will be possible to watch the evening in its original version or with commentary in English.
Who are the UMK 2025 artists?
While Finland tends to send joke entries to the Eurovision Song Contest, which end up doing quite well and finishing quite high, this year we thought we'd see One Morning Left win with their offbeat track "...". Puppy" . Unfortunately, they announced a few weeks ago that they had been disqualified due to contractual problems. So the cards for UMK 2025 have been completely reshuffled!
Finland at Eurovision
Finland has made its mark on Eurovision with a number of... daring performances and outstanding artists. Lordi came to mind in 2006 with " Hard Rock Hallelujah "(Michel Drucker still can't believe it), to the now famous " Cha Cha Cha "Käärijä, who finished runner-up to Liverpool against Loreen but first in the hearts of many Eurofans, or even Windows95man last year with her semi-nude performance.
Finland
ESC Ranking History
Avg: 16.7| Year | Artist / Song | Pts | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |
Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkkonen
« Liekinheitin » |
279 | 6 |
| 2025 |
Erika Vikman
« Ich komme » |
196 | 11 |
| 2024 |
Windows95man
« No Rules! » |
38 | 19 |
| 2023 |
Käärijä
« Cha Cha Cha » |
526 | 2 |
| 2022 |
The Rasmus
« Jezebel » |
38 | 21 |
| 2021 |
Blind Channel
« Dark Side » |
301 | 6 |
| (2020) |
Aksel Kankaanranta
« Looking Back » |
- | - |
| 2019 |
Darude feat. Sebastian Rejman
« Look Away » |
- | - |
| 2018 |
Saara Aalto
« Monsters » |
46 | 25 |
| 2017 |
Norma John
« Blackbird » |
- | - |
| 2016 |
Sandhja
« Sing It Away » |
- | - |
| 2015 |
Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät
« Aina Mun Pitää » |
- | - |
| 2014 |
Softengine
« Something Better » |
72 | 11 |
| 2013 |
Krista Siegfrids
« Marry Me » |
13 | 24 |
| 2012 |
Pernilla
« När Jag Blundar » |
- | - |
| 2011 |
Paradise Oskar
« Da Da Dam » |
57 | 21 |
| 2010 |
Kuunkuiskaajat
« Työlki Ellää » |
- | - |
| 2009 |
Waldo's People
« Lose Control » |
22 | 25 |
| 2008 |
Teräsbetoni
« Missä Miehet Ratsastaa » |
35 | 22 |
| 2007 |
Hanna Pakarinen
« Leave Me Alone » |
53 | 17 |
| 2006 |
Lordi
« Hard Rock Hallelujah » |
292 | 1 🏆 |
