At the closing of the submission window on September 22nd, the Swiss broadcaster (SRF) received 670 submissions for Die Grosse Entscheidungsshow. A new record!
A renewed effort to reach the final
The high number of submissions reflects a new interest in the contest. After not qualifying for the third year in a row, the Swiss broadcaster are not letting disappointment get in their way. Instead, they made changes to their national final and held a songwriting camp to craft successful Eurovision songs. As the Swiss head of delegation, Reto Peritz said, reaching the final for them is ‘a duty’ and it sure looks like they are trying hard.
The song submission period ended on Friday, and Reto is happy with the quality of the 670 songs submitted:
“We are very pleased that the interest in the music producers for the ‘Eurovision Song Contest’ in Switzerland is so great and thank you for all contributions.”
From 670 to 6.
An independent jury of 20 members is now responsible for selecting six songs to compete in the national final. The jury members include music and media professionals as well as Eurovision fans. In order to ensure the best artist-song match, each song will be tested with different artists. The final of Die Grosse Entscheidungsshow will take place on the 4th of February. Switzerland will select their winner using a mix of televoting and the newly introduced international experts jury.
Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest
In the very first Eurovision in 1956, Switzerland won with Lys Assia’s “Refrain” and also won the contest in 1988 with Celine Dion’s “Ne partez pas sans moi.” Since the introduction of the semi-finals, Switzerland only managed to qualify for the grand final on four occasions, most recently in 2014. It also placed last in their semi-final in three occasions. Last year, Timebelle placed 12th, just 5 points shy of the grand final. Will these changes bring good results for Switzerland?
Who would you like to see win the Swiss ticket for Lisbon? Do you think Switzerland will be successful again at Eurovision? What is your favorite Swiss entry so far?
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