Malta: Call for songs for Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2018

by Stratos Agadellis 1,442 views

The small nation of the Mediterranean, Malta, has made its official announcement on the format which they are using to choose their next representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in the host country of Portugal. The national broadcaster TVM has decided to not make any major changes to their selection process, with the national final MESC set to take place once again in January.

The selection process in detail

The selection rules of MESC are the following:

  • The song, including music and lyrics, must not have been released commercially before 1 November 2017
  • Songs must not exceed three minutes in length
  • Singers must be 16 years old by 1 May 2018
  • Each performance can include no more than six people
  • The winner of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2017 is not eligible to compete
  • All artists must be of Maltese nationality or have dual citizenship; in a group consisting of two or more people, the lead artist must be Maltese or have dual citizenship
  • Authors and composers may be of any nationality

A full set of regulations can be found via TVM’s official website.

The invitation of the broadcaster for songs is already open and will end on 1 September. The candidates have to submit their song accompanied by a fee of 150 Euro, with the selection process including a total of 3 stages.

During the first stage, local juries will shortlist the 60 best songs. After that, the participating songs will be shortlisted by a further half (30) by local and international juries.

When it comes to the Grand Final of the national selection next January, 16 songs will be performed and the winner will be determined via a 100% televoting process. If one artist has two candidate songs, he/she will sing the one of their preference. The composer and lyricist will go on to find another singer for the second entry along with the broadcaster.

Malta at Eurovision

Using the same selection process previously, singer Claudia Faniello was chosen to represent Malta in 2017 with the song Breathlessly. She ended up 16th in the second semi-final with 55 points.

Malta has been taking part at Eurovision since 1971 in Dublin. However, the nation has never brought the trophy home. Their best results so far have been two second places; in 2002 and in 2005.