Sanremo 2027 changes the rules: a separate competition will choose Italy’s Eurovision entry

Sanremo 2027 is changing the game. For the first time, winning Italy’s legendary music festival will no longer automatically mean winning the ticket to Eurovision, as a new dedicated competition will decide who represents Italy in Bulgaria.

Italy is changing the way it chooses its Eurovision Song Contest representative, with Sanremo 2027 introducing a separate Eurovision selection as part of a major shake-up of the country’s most famous music festival.

Under new Artistic Director Stefano Deg Martino, the 77th Festival di Sanremo will take place from 16 to 20 February 2027 – and this time, there will effectively be two crowns up for grabs.

One for the winner of Sanremo.

And another for the artist who gets to say those magical words: I’m representing Italy at Eurovision.

Yes babes, things are getting interesting.

For the first time, a dedicated night during Sanremo week will be used to select Italy’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 in Bulgaria, separating the Eurovision ticket from the traditional Sanremo trophy.

And for Eurovision fans, this might just be the biggest Sanremo rule change in years.

Sanremo 2027 Eurovision selection: what’s changing?

Until now, the relationship between Sanremo and Eurovision has been relatively straightforward.

Since Italy returned to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011, the winner of Sanremo has normally been offered the opportunity to represent Italy at Eurovision.

In most cases, they have accepted.

But crucially, Sanremo has never technically been simply an Eurovision national final. It is Italy’s own historic music festival, with its own identity, rules and prestige.

Eurovision came afterwards.

Sanremo 2027 changes that relationship considerably.

One of the five nights will now be specifically dedicated to choosing Italy’s Eurovision entry.

During the special Eurovision night, competing artists will be able to present their Sanremo songs with additional staging, offering viewers a much clearer idea of how each entry could potentially look on the Eurovision stage.

And then comes the important bit.

There will be a vote.

That vote will determine who represents Italy at Eurovision 2027.

It will be completely separate from the vote held during Saturday night’s Sanremo final, which will determine the winner of the Festival itself.

Two competitions.

Two results.

Potentially two completely different winners.

Mama, that’s a plot twist.

Winning Sanremo will no longer guarantee Eurovision

This is perhaps the most significant change.

The winner of Sanremo 2027 will not necessarily represent Italy at Eurovision.

An artist could theoretically win the Eurovision selection during the dedicated night, fail to win Sanremo itself on Saturday and still head to Bulgaria wearing the Italian flag.

Likewise, the eventual Sanremo champion could lift the Festival trophy without ever setting foot on the Eurovision stage.

For the first time, the question “Who will win Sanremo?” and “Who will represent Italy at Eurovision?” will have two genuinely different answers.

And there is a very practical reason why that distinction could prove useful.

The Olly problem – and why Italy is changing the system

The old system occasionally created an awkward situation.

Winning Sanremo did not oblige an artist to accept the Eurovision invitation.

That became particularly visible in 2025.

Olly won Sanremo with Balorda Nostalgia but subsequently declined the opportunity to represent Italy at Eurovision because of his touring commitments.

Rai then offered the place to Sanremo runner-up Lucio Corsi, who accepted and represented Italy in Basel with Volevo essere un duro, eventually finishing fifth.

Nothing particularly disastrous happened – Italy still achieved an excellent result.

But it demonstrated the weakness of a system where the country’s Eurovision representative was effectively decided after Sanremo had already finished.

The new Sanremo 2027 Eurovision selection should remove much of that uncertainty.

Artists will know that they are competing specifically for Eurovision, and Italy will know who its representative is before the Sanremo winner is even crowned.

Very tidy. Very Italian. Surprisingly organised.

We love character development.

A Eurovision night inside Sanremo

The dedicated Eurovision night could also make Sanremo considerably more exciting for international viewers.

Artists will be allowed to add staging elements to their performances, potentially giving the songs a more Eurovision-ready presentation.

That matters because Sanremo performances have traditionally been built around the Festival itself rather than the visual demands of Eurovision.

The Ariston Theatre is iconic, but let’s be real, huns: Eurovision is a completely different beast.

LED screens, cameras flying everywhere, dramatic lighting, wind machines doing the Lord’s work and approximately seventeen seconds to convince millions of Europeans that your song deserves twelve points.

Giving artists an opportunity to demonstrate how their entry might translate onto that stage could therefore change the way voters evaluate the songs.

A beautiful Sanremo performance does not necessarily make a brilliant Eurovision performance.

Now Italy can judge both.

Sanremo Giovani is changing too

Eurovision isn’t the only part of the Sanremo 2027 rules getting a makeover.

Sanremo Giovani, the competition used to discover emerging Italian artists, is also undergoing a significant change.

There will now be one winner, and that artist will receive something considerably more valuable than a separate junior title: direct entry into the main Campioni competition at Sanremo 2027.

The selection begins with applications assessed by the Festival’s Music Commission.

Sixty artists will initially be selected for live auditions.

From those auditions, 15 Sanremo Giovani artists will progress and join 15 performers selected through Area Sanremo, creating a pool of 30 emerging acts.

Further live selections in Sanremo will then reduce the field to six finalists – three from Sanremo Giovani and three from Area Sanremo.

Those six artists will compete in the televised Sanremo Giovani final on Rai 1 on 18 December.

Only one will win.

And that winner goes straight into the main Sanremo 2027 competition alongside Italy’s established stars.

No separate kids’ table, darling.

You’re dining with the grown-ups now.

Goodbye to the traditional Nuove Proposte format

The change effectively moves Sanremo away from the traditional model of maintaining a separate competition for emerging artists during Festival week.

Instead, the winner of Sanremo Giovani earns the right to compete directly against the established Campioni.

It creates a much clearer pathway:

Sanremo Giovani → win → Sanremo Campioni.

For emerging artists, the prize therefore becomes considerably more significant.

Rather than winning a separate category at the Festival, one new artist gets the opportunity to compete for the actual Sanremo crown.

And, thanks to the new Eurovision system, potentially Italy’s Eurovision ticket too.

Now that would be a debut.

Fewer artists could mean a tighter Sanremo

Deg Martino has also indicated that he wants to reduce the number of competing entries.

Sanremo 2026 featured 30 songs, but the new Artistic Director has suggested that a smaller field would allow greater attention to be given to each artist.

For anyone familiar with Sanremo’s legendary running times, the possibility of a slightly leaner Festival may also come as welcome news.

Because we adore Sanremo.

We really do.

But when you’re watching somebody perform at 1.47am while questioning every decision that brought you to this moment, even the most devoted Eurovision fan begins to reconsider their life choices.

A slightly tighter running order?

We won’t complain.

Why the Sanremo 2027 Eurovision change matters

Separating the two competitions could fundamentally change the way artists approach Sanremo.

Until now, Eurovision was essentially a consequence of winning Italy’s biggest music competition.

From 2027, it becomes a prize worth actively competing for in its own right.

That could encourage artists who genuinely want the international exposure Eurovision offers to build performances specifically with the Contest in mind.

It could also prevent another situation where Rai has to work its way down the Sanremo ranking after a winner decides Eurovision isn’t for them.

Most importantly, it acknowledges something Eurovision fans have known for years:

winning Sanremo and being the best choice for Eurovision are not necessarily the same thing.

A song designed to win over the Ariston audience, Italian radio and Sanremo juries may not necessarily be the song best positioned to compete against dozens of countries on Europe’s biggest television stage.

Now Italy can choose accordingly.

Italy is finally treating Eurovision as its own prize

There’s something symbolic about the change too, and I would say: F I N A L L Y , babes!

For years, Italy has enjoyed an unusual relationship with Eurovision.

Sanremo is older, enormously prestigious and culturally important enough that Eurovision has often felt almost secondary to it.

Italy doesn’t need Eurovision to make Sanremo relevant.

If anything, Eurovision owes quite a lot to Sanremo – the Italian festival helped inspire the creation of the European contest in the first place.

But Eurovision has grown enormously since Italy returned in 2011.

Italian artists including Mahmood, Måneskin, Marco Mengoni and others have subsequently used the contest to reach huge international audiences.

Måneskin’s 2021 victory in particular demonstrated just how powerful the Eurovision platform can be for an Italian act with genuine international potential.

Creating a dedicated Sanremo Eurovision selection recognises that value.

Eurovision is no longer simply the bonus prize attached to winning Sanremo.

It now gets a crown of its own.

Two winners, one very different Sanremo

Sanremo 2027 therefore promises to look rather different.

Stefano De Martino takes over as both host and Artistic Director.

Sanremo Giovani gets a new route into the Campioni competition.

The number of established artists could be reduced.

And, most importantly for Eurovision fans, Italy’s representative will be chosen through a dedicated vote rather than automatically following the final Sanremo ranking.

For international fans who already sacrifice an entire week – and a considerable amount of sleep – to follow the Festival, there’s now another reason to stay awake.

By Saturday night, Italy could have two winners.

The artist who conquered Sanremo. And the artist Italy believes can conquer Europe.

Grab the espresso.. or even more than one, you’ll need them, babes! Sanremo week just got even more complicated.