Following the Moldovan national broadcaster’s confirmation in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, TRM has since released the rules and regulations for the national selection which will take place in order to decide the next Moldovan representative.

The 2016 Moldovan national selection, O Melodie Pentru Europa, will consist of 3 televised shows; 2 semi-finals on the 23 and 25 February and a Grand Final which will take place on the 27 February. Each of the semi-finals will include a total of 12 acts in which 8 acts will qualify to the Grand Final (7 acts decided by a 50/50 televote-jury vote and 1 final act decided 100% by televote), therefore a total of 16 artists will compete in the Grand Final on the 27 February. The 2016 Moldovan representative will be decided via a 50/50 televote-jury vote.

O Melodie Pentru Europa 2016 dates

• 23/02: Semi-final 1 (12 competitors, 8 qualifiers)
• 25/02: Semi-final 2 (12 competitors, 8 qualifiers)
• 27/02: Grand Final (16 finalists)

Unlike last year where international acts were permitted to enter the Moldovan national selection, artists looking to compete in O Melodie Pentru Europa 2016 must be a citizen of Moldova, however lyricists and composers can still be international.

Artists and composers wanting to enter the 2016 Moldovan national selection have until the 7 December at 17:00 local time to submit their entries to TRM. A full list of rules and regulations including details on how to submit entries for O Melodie Pentru Europa 2016 can be found at trm.md.

Following the closure of applications, TRM will then enlist a special jury who will then go on to select a total of 50 acts to compete in the live hearing stage which will take place on the 19 December. The live hearing stage will be broadcast live online via trm.md. The jury will then determine which 24 acts will qualify to the televised national selection on the 23, 25 and 27 February.

This year, Eduard Romanyuta was selected to represent Moldova at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest in the host city of Vienna, Austria. With his song I want your love, Eduard competed in the first semi-final where he received a total of 41 points, placing in 11th position.

Stay tuned to esctoday.com for the latest news on Moldova and the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest