The Serbian broadcaster (RTS) confirmed their participation at Eurovision 2023 last month. Last week, RTS released the application form and rules for those looking to submit for the selection.
Having not originally confirmed any details of their selection method, it is now confirmed that their 2023 entry will be selected via a national final.* Since 2018, Serbia has used a national final to select their entry. Formerly Beovizija, following a dispute, Pesma za Evroviziju (“A Song For Eurovision”) was used in 2022.
In addition to the standard eligibility rules are the following:
- Songs must be in an official language of the Republic of Serbia (Serbian, Hungarian, Bosnian, Romani, Slovak, Albanian, Romanian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian or Rusyn)
- The submission must include the name of the song, lyrics, complete information about the author, singer, contact details, social networks, email, etc.
The closing date for submissions is November 15.
The shortlisted entries for the selection will be chosen by a special committee of RTS music editors. The committee will choose the songs based solely on the musical, interpretive and artistic quality. In the national final, a combination of a professional jury (50%) and public voting (50%).
*Notably, if none of the submissions meet the required musical quality, RTS has the right to independently choose one of the submissions to represent Serbia at Eurovision 2023.
Serbia at the Eurovision Song Contest
Serbia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest as an independent country since 2007, following the nation’s split from Montenegro. They achieved a debut victory on their first attempt as Serbia, with Marija Šerifović’s “Molitva”, and the country subsequently hosted the 2008 contest in Belgrade. Since then, aside from withdrawing once in 2014, they have remained a consistent presence at Eurovision, qualifiying for 11 out of 14 finals.
In 2022, they selected the singer-songwriter Konstrakta through Pesma za Evroviziju to represent them in Turin with “In corpore sano”. Attracting attention for her avant-garde song and a striking performance that included hand-washing and subtitles to deliver the song’s pointed lyrical message, including critiques of the Serbian healthcare system and mass media, she placed 5th in the Grand Final. With 312 points, this was Serbia’s best result since 2012.
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