YLE, the Finnish national broadcaster, has confirmed that the country’s national final, Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2017, is set to take place on the 28 January 2017.

Following 2 non-qualifications in the 2015 and 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, YLE has decided to make some changes to the format of the upcoming edition of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) 2017, one of the many changes made to the selection process since its introduction in 2012.

No semi-finals?

In a bid to take Finland back to the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, YLE has taken the decision to seemingly shorten the selection process for the 2017 competition by removing the 3 semi-final stages of the contest.

Hosted at the Espoo Metro Areena in the city of Espoo, a total of 10 acts will be shortlisted to compete for the right to represent their country at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, set to be determined via a combined 50/50 public-jury vote.

The UMK 2017 participants are set to be revealed on the 23 November.

Sandhja was previously selected to represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest with her entry Sing it away through the selection UMK 2016. Opening the first semi-final, Finland received a total of 51 points and finished in 15th position, therefore failing to qualify to the Grand Final.