The Swedish broadcaster SVT received 2630 entries for the national final, Melodifestival 2003. Comparing with last year this is a new record. Last year, approximately 1800 songs reached SVT.

Musicians will listen to all entries to select approximately 500 songs for SVT. A jury will select the 32 songs for the national final. The jury is made up of thirteen people with Christer Björkman as chairman.

The Swedish press said that SVT was surprised by the high number of submitted songs. November 7 was set as date to publish the names of the selected songs, but due to the high number of entries this might be a few weeks later.

Among the entries are three songs from Carola, who represented Sweden in 1983 (third place) and in 1991 (first place), Nina and Kim, ex-members of the group Friends, who represented Sweden in 2001, Jill Johnson, who performed for Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 and Sahlene, who has competed three times. In 1999 she participated as backing vocal for Sweden and in 2000 for Malta. Last year she represented Estonia, ended up at a shared third place.

The Swedish representative for the Eurovision Song Contest will be selected out of 32 songs. These songs will be performed in four pre-selections. The eight best songs will go to the final at March 15, in the Globen Arena in Stockholm.