Last night, PBS announced that Malta will hold its national selection just one week after it hosts Junior Eurovision, on November 22nd.
Like previous years, 20 songs will compete in a semi-final, which will narrow down the field to 14 to compete in a final the following evening. However, unlike previous occasions, this process will now happen much earlier, with the published dates of November 21st and 22nd making Malta likely to be the first country to show their hand for the 2015 contest.
The reason for the early selection dates according to PBS is to allow the broadcaster to make the necessary alterations to the song in preparation for the contest in Austria – alterations which may include the songwriters and singer changing the song itself.
Another new aspect of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest involves the application process, which requires not only the submission of an original song to compete, but also a cover version from each singer to allow the judging panel to further assess vocal ability. Once again, the selection is open to international songwriters, but only Maltese citizens may apply to sing the entry.
The national final will be held in Malta Shipbuilding in Marsa – the same venue as the Junior Contest the week before – and further details about the application process can be obtained by emailing [email protected].
