Greece is gearing up for the forthcoming 2018 Eurovision Song Contest whilst ERT sets their eyes on Lisbon. Following various reports regarding the 2018 Greek Eurovision national selection, ESCToday decided to investigate further and shed more light on the matter. We bring you a concise report on the latest developments in Greece.

Last month, ERT confirmed to ESCToday its participation at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest followed by an invite to record companies to submit an entry to the national broadcaster for a potential national final.

ERT’s invite and NF details

ERT sent out an invitation letter to major Greek record companies, inviting them to submit an entry for Eurovision 2018 in order to participate in the Greek Eurovision national final. One of the main requirements in the letter was that the submitted entry should be entirely in Greek and have an ethno-Greek influence, showcasing the country’s unique cultural and musical essence.

ESCToday has learned that Greece will be holding its Eurovision 2018 national final at the end of February with a yet to be determined number of entries battling for the golden ticket to Lisbon. More details and information will be disclosed in due course.

How many songs will compete in the NF?

How many entries will compete in the show? This will depend on the special jury, who will whittle down the number of potential entries once all the invited record companies have submitted their respective entries.

There is no limit on the amount of entries a record company can submit in order to compete in the national final. So far a total of 9 acts have submitted a song to the Greek national broadcaster, including 1 by ERT employees. Panik Records is yet to submit its entry/entries to ERT and is expected to do so in due course.

The deadline for submissions has been extended for more one week as some record companies are still preparing their songs and proposals. The initial deadline was set for Friday 20 October and now has been extended until Friday 27 October.

ERT is expecting to receive between 12-15 entries in their quest to find the 2018 Greek Eurovision entry and act.

Who has submitted a song so far?

So far 9 acts have sent an entry to ERT:

• Areti Ketimé
• Stereo Soul
• Panayiotis Tsakalakos
• Vasiliki Stefanou
• Xristina Salti
• Dimitris Kiklis
• Yiannis Moraitis
• Chorostalites
• Duo Fina

Duo Fina consists of  2 mezzo sopranos who work at ERT; if they make it to the national final they will be assisted by ERT’s Musical Ensemble.

Greece in Eurovision

Greece debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with Marinella and has won the event in 2005 with Helena Paparizou‘s My number one, thus bringing the contest for the very first time on Greek soil in 2006.

The country has been one of the most successful countries in the competition in recent years, having not missed a single Grand Final with the exception of 2016 when it didn’t qualify to the Grand Final in Stockholm.

In 2017, Demy was selected internally to represent Greece at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv. She made he nation proud with her entry This is love. Despite an extraordinary performance she placed 19th in the Grand Final.

Who would you like to see represent Greece at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon?