NTU, the Ukrainian national broadcaster has confirmed to Esctoday.com that Ukraine will participate at the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhangen, next May. Ukraine will yet again select its Eurovision entry via a national final, which is scheduled to be held in Kiev on December 21. Hence Ukraine will be the 1st country to hold a national final.
NTU has kicked off its national selection process today and artists and composers can submit their entries to the national broadcaster until December 6.
Last July NTU had informed esctoday.com that Ukraine would likely participate at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest. Now we can confirm that Ukraine will indeed participate next year in Copenhagen.
In 2013 NTU organized a national selection in order to select its Eurovision entry. Zlata Ognevich won the Ukrainian national final and represented Ukraine in Malmo with Gravity, achieving an honorable 3rd place in the grand final.
Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, France, Albania, Iceland, Ireland, San Marino, Georgia, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Estonia, Malta, Russia, Germany, Austria, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Belgium, Spain, United Kingdom, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus , Hungary, Ukraine and Israel have all confirmed their participation at the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest next year in Denmark. Whilst Italy, Moldova and Slovenia have said they will most likely be in the competition.
Ukraine debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003 and has the won the event once in 2004 with Ruslana’s Wild Dances bringing the trophy to Ukrainian soil for the very first time. Kiev and NTU sucessfully hosted the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest.
Ukraine is one of the most successful countries in the contest, having qualified to the final every year since their debut and holds a good record in the competition (7 top 10 results out of their 11 contributions). The country placed 1st in 2oo4 with Ruslana, 2nd in 2007 with Verka Serduchka and in 2008 with Ani Lorak, 3rd in 2013 with Zlata Ognevich, 4th in 2011 with Mika Newton, 7th with Tina Karol in 2006 and 10th with Alyosha in 2010.
Stay tuned to esctoday.com for more news on Ukraine and the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest.
