Last week, the rules for A Dal 2020 revealed that it would no longer be used as Hungary’s method of selecting their forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest entry. Now, local media reports that there seems to be no secondary plan in place and that Hungary will not be present in Rotterdam next May.
The key element of the A Dal 2020 rules, aside from the complete lack of mention of Eurovision, was that songs could have been published as early as March 1st, 2019. This directly contravenes Eurovision rules which state songs must not be published prior to September 1st, 2019 unless in exceptional circumstances.
Winning entry to receive new prizes instead of Eurovision participation
Local media outlets across Hungary have picked up on the situation and have received an explanation as to why A Dal will no longer be Hungary’s Eurovision selection process.
Producers have decided to help Hungarian musicians directly, instead of going to Eurovision. The winning artist will receive promotion on Petőfi Radio, and support for their music production.
Source: blikk.hu
No plan B in place?
Multiple outlets, including
A Dal has selected every Hungarian entry since 2012, with the nation qualifying to the Eurovision final on every occasion with the exception of this year in Tel Aviv. In Israel, Joci Pápai became the first Hungarian non-qualifier since the 2009 contest, a result which caused Hungary’s withdrawal from Eurovision in 2010. Now, all signs point to history repeating itself.
