So the first wildcard act for the Sammarinese national selection is now known! Following a nail-biting vote from 11 participating fan clubs, it has been revealed that Finland’s Emma Sandström will receive the first wildcard for the selection.

Over the past week, fan club members from across the globe have been voting for their favourite singers from the submissions, with 70 artists being shortlisted for the fan club vote.

Votes were received from a total of 11 fan clubs which were then combined to determine the winner. The votes came from members from the following countries: Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Malta, Belgium, the Rest of the World and ESC Press.

First wildcard chosen

The votes are in and we now know the first wildcard act for the Sammarinese national selection! Winning the fan club vote with a total of 51 points is Emma Sandström from Finland, becoming the first confirmed artist of the selection for San Marino.

Emma ranked above 2 other bidding artists for Eurovision 2017, with Franklin Calleja from Malta place in second position and Denmark’s Sada Vidoo coming in third.

Eurovision fans may remember Emma from last year’s Finnish national final, UMK, who was named as one of the fan favourites for the country with her entry Circle of light.

Despite this, Emma received a combined total of 106 points in the national final for 2017, finishing in third place and therefore not managing to represent her country at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Emma’s search to compete on the Eurovision stage continues, however, with the singer now attempting to represent the micro-nation of San Marino at the 2018 competition. Will we see Emma in Lisbon?

Two more wildcards to come

With one wildcard being confirmed, Eurovision fans will now await the announcement of the next 2 wildcard acts.

Voting is still open for the second wildcard, in which fans from across the globe are eligible to vote for their favourite artists via the official 1 in 360 website.

The third and final wildcard will be determined by the selection organisers, with the artist being of Sammarinese origin.

A total of 7 other artists will be shortlisted by the competition jury to compete in the forthcoming national selection for San Marino, with the winner and representative set to be determined in February 2018.

What do you think of the first wildcard act? Are you happy with the fan club choice?