The 18 songs that will compete next February to win the Benidorm Fest have been presented, with the 'Golden Mermaid' prize being reinstated

The studios of Spanish Radio and Television (RTVE) in Prado del Rey were the setting this Thursday for the presentation of the 18 songs that will compete next February for the ‘Little Mermaid of Gold’ award and the €150,000 prize: €100,000 for the artist and €50,000 for the composer. This year's prize will be awarded to the winner of Benidorm Fest 2026, an edition for which the City Council, the Generalitat (Valencian regional government), and RTVE “are putting all our efforts into making it, once again, spectacular,” as Mayor Toni Pérez stated.

The mayor participated alongside the Councilor for Events, Jesús Carrobles, and the Head of Communication and Participation at RTVE, María Eizaguirre, in the presentation of these finalist songs, which aspire to continue the list that Chanel opened with its ‘SloMo’ in 2022, followed by Blanca Paloma's ‘Eaea’; 'Zorra' by Nebulossa; and 'Esa Diva' by Melody.

In this fifth edition, the songs that will participate in the Benidorm Fest are 'Turista' by Asha; 'Dopamina' by Atyat; 'Bailándote' by Dani J; 'Rakata' by Dora and Marlon Collins; 'Sobran Gilipo**As' by Funambulista; 'Velita' by Greg Taro; 'Qué vas a hacer' by Izan Llunas; 'Los Ojos No Mienten' by Kenneth; 'El Amor Te Da Miedo' by KITAI; 'No volveré a llorar' by KU Minerva; 'Bomba de Amor' by Luna Ki; 'Las Damas y el Vagabundo' by María León and Julia Medina; 'Tócame' by Mayo; 'Mi mitad' by Mikel Herzog Jr.; 'Despierto amándote' by Miranda! & bailamamá; 'La Mataora' by Rosalinda Galán; 'Tú no me quieres' by The Quinquis; and 'T Amaré' by Tony Grox and Lucycalys.

The song presentations were streamed live on RTVE Play, thus beginning the countdown to what the mayor described as a "fantastic edition." Pérez also noted that the City Council and representatives of the public broadcaster continue working on preparations for this "fully established" event, which "carries the name of Benidorm around the world" and "has already developed its own identity and is a benchmark for its support and promotion of artists and music made in our country."

Awards

In addition to bringing back the "Little Golden Mermaid" award this year and the previously announced €150,000 prize for first place, RTVE has announced an agreement with Univision. Through this partnership, one of the participating artists will travel to Miami to record a single with an international producer and promote it in the Latin market. Another artist will travel to Stockholm to record at the Spotify Singles studio. Spotify, the streaming platform, has become a strategic partner of Benidorm Fest and is offering this prize, which is independent of the competition's outcome.

In just a few weeks, the Palau d’Esports l’Illa de Benidorm will begin setting up the stages and other spaces for the event. The semifinals will be held on Tuesday, February 10th, and Thursday, February 12th, and the finalists will be selected to compete in the Grand Final on Saturday, February 14th.