Back in early October, RCTG confirmed that Montenegro will return to the Eurovision Song Contest after a two-year absence. Unlike their past two entries, their comeback will be selected internally via a points-based system. The submission period ran until 10 December, and now RTCG has revealed that they have received 30 submissions.
The selection method
While the number of submitted entries may not seem that high to some fans, especially compared to e.g. 150 submissions for neighbouring country Serbia, this is actually the highest number of entries that Montenegro has received in a decade! This shows the interest of Montengrin musicians in returning to Eurovision, which is hopeful news following the country’s 2 year absence.
Songwriters regardless of nationality were invited to compete in the selection process with up to two songs. Singers, however, must have Montenegrin citizenship. Songs released prior to October 1st are not eligible to compete, despite the EBU requirement being September 1.
Now that the deadline has been reached, a jury will assess all of the entries based on the following criteria:
- Song – 50 points available
- Lyrics – 30 points available
- Productional potential of the piece – 20 points available
The maximum number of points an entry can receive is 100 points, with the highest scoring entry winning the ticket to Turin.
Montenegro’s return to Eurovision
The Balkan country had a 2 year absence, not competing in the contest in 2021 and 2020. Already in 2021, Montenegrin artists called for a return to the contest.
Their latest entry came in 2019, where group D-Mol failed to qualify with their song ‘Heaven’. The country missed out on the 2020 and 2021 contests, but is set to return in 2022!
Shortly after the announcement, Ivan Maksimović, the Head of Entertainment at RTCG, confirmed that Montevizija will not be used to select the Montenegrin act for Eurovision 2022 due to financial constraints on the broadcaster and the uncertainty of the pandemic.
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