Spain: RTVE publishes the rules for Benidorm Fest 2022: submission window open

by Sanjay (Sergio) Jiandani 1,096 views

RTVE, the Spanish national broadcaster has released the rules and regulations for the forthcoming 2022 Spanish national selection, Benidorm Fest.

Benidorm Fest will consist of a total of three live televised shows (2 semi-finals and 1 grand final). A total of 12 acts will battle for the golden ticket to Eurovision 2022. Six acts will compete in each of the two semifinals, the top 3 acts from each semi-final will proceed to the Grand Final of Benidorm Fest. Hence we will see a total of 6 acts battling  for the right to represent Spain at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in the Spanish national final.

RTVE has opened the submission window for Eurovision 2022 from 29 September- 29 October. The Spanish national final is set to be held at the end of January. You can check the online song submission online form here. You can find the rules and regulations for Benidorm Fest 2022 here.

There will be 2 mechanisms used to recruit the participants:

  • via an extended invitation by RTVE
  • via public song submission selection

The Spanish national selection will consist of 4 stages:

  • Stage 1 – Public song submission window opens for everyone/RTVE extends invitation to established singers and acts
  • Stage 2– RTVE will evaluate all submitted entries and shortlist them to twelve entries+ six reserve entries. A special jury will be responsible to select the songs and will release the names of the lucky acts between in November/December 2021. The Spanish broadcaster will include at least 2 songs from the online submission amid the 12 shortlisted entries.
  • Stage 3–  RTVE will hold two live televised shows (semi-finals) with 12 acts competing (6 in each semi-final). The top three from each show will proceed to the Grand Final
  • Stage 4– RTVE will hold a national final in order to determine the 2022 Spanish Eurovision entry and act. A total of 6 acts will battle for the golden ticket to Italy. The 2022 Spanish Eurovision entry will be determined via a mixed jury/public voting deliberation.

The mixed jury will be 60% national/40% international and will include music professionals, journalists, heads of delegation and artists. Whilst the public vote will be made up of 25%  televoting (SMS, phone calls, App, etc) and 25 % (demoscopic jury).

Spain in Eurovision

Spain debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961 and has won the event twice (1968, 1969). We should note that Spain has not missed a contest since its debut in 1961, the country has participated religiously in the competition evey year.

In 2021 Blas Canto represented Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest with his entry ‘Voy a quedarme