RTP are now accepting entries to take part in the upcoming Portuguese national final. Festival da Canção 2009 will have 12 songs competing for the ticket to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow.
Those interestedin taking part in the national selection can send their songs to the national broadcaster until Until 12th January. The process is only open to Portuguese citizens.After the deadline,a jury of six people will narrow the submitted entries from 20 to 24 songs that will be put online on RTP's website.
People will then have the opportunity to vote for their favourites from 19th to 30th January. The 12 songs with the most voteswill feature on Festival da Cancao 2009. Thefinalist demo songs will be finalised with the help of two music producers, Ramón Galarza and Fernando Martins, who havebeen in previousPortuguese selections.
On the national final a 50/50mix of jury and televote will beused to select the successor of Vânia Fernandes. The jury vote willcomefrom20 groups ofjuries spread across Portugal. Thesum of the voteswill then be turn intoEurovison-like voting. The song with themost votes will get 12 points, the second place will get 10 points and so forth. To these voteswill be added the televote result in the same style.
This is the first time since RTP brought Festival da Canção back in 2006 that a national call for songs is used. In Belgrade, Vânia Fernandes singing Senhora do Marcame 13th place in the final.
