Cronologia:  Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Albania will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song “Ktheju tokës”, performed by Jonida Maliqi. The Albanian broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) organised the national final Festivali i Këngës 57 in order to select the Albanian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Before Eurovision: On May 16th, 2018 RTSH made a open call for songs to take part in Festivali i Këngës 57. The submission process closed on June 30th, 2018.

Competing entries:  The list of competing artists and songs were revealed on 17 October 2018.

^{[nb 1]} On 3 December 2018, it was announced that Vikena Kamenica would withdraw from Festivali i Këngës 57. Artemisa Mithi and Febi Shkurti replaced her. 

Semi-finals: Festivali i Këngës 57 featured a change with the semi-finals: all the acts would perform twice in the semi-finals. On 20 December 2018 they performed with the RTSH Symphonic Orchestra, while on 21 December 2018 they performed the final version of their entries.

Night 1 – 20 December 2018

Night 2 – 21 December 2018

Final: The final took place on 22 December 2018. From the semi-finals, a total of 14 entries qualified.

• ^{[nb 1]} Marko Strazimiri & Imbro had to perform again after all the performances, due to technical issues during their performance.
• ^{[nb 2]} Eranda Libohova had to perform again after all the performances, due to technical issues during her performance

Jury:  1.Hajg Zaharian, 2.Arta Marku, 3.Rona Nishliu, 4.Agim Krajka, 5.Pali Kuke, 6.Olsa Toqi, 7.Rovena Dilo, 8.Shpëtim Kushta, 9.Dorian Çene.

At Eurovision: According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the “Big 5” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final.

Semi-Final: Albania will perform in the second half of the second semi-final.

Voting: Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation’s jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song’s composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation’s televoting results will be released shortly after the grand final.

Cronologia:  Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Competing entries: Armenia will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song “Walking Out”, performed by Srbuk. Srbuk was internally selected by the Armenia broadcaster Public Television of Armenia (AMPTV) on 30 November 2018 to represent the nation at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Background: Armenia will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. Srbuk was internally selected by the Armenia broadcaster Public Television of Armenia (AMPTV) on 30 November 2018 to sing the entry that will represent the nation at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Before Eurovision:

Internal selection: On 30 November 2018, AMPTV announced Srbuk as the Armenian entrant at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. AMPTV also opened the song submission period for composers to send their entries until 10 January 2019.

At Eurovision: According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the “Big 5” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final.

Semi-final: Armenia will perform in the first half of the second semi-final.

Voting: Armenia will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song “Walking Out”, performed by Srbuk. Srbuk was internally selected by the Armenia broadcaster Public Television of Armenia (AMPTV) on 30 November 2018 to represent the nation at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Cronologia:  Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Australia will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel. The Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) will be represented by the song “Zero Gravity” performed by Kate Miller-Heidke, which was chosen in the national final Eurovision – Australia Decides.

Background: Australia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2015 by invitation from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) as a “one-off” special guest to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Eurovision. On 17 November 2015, the EBU announced that SBS had been invited to participate in the 2016 contest and that Australia would once again take part. In 2015, Australia was guaranteed a spot in the final of the contest and was allowed to vote during both semi-finals and the final; however, for the 2016 contest, Australia would have to qualify to the final from one of two semi-finals and could only vote in the semi-final in which the nation was allocated to compete. In 2018, Australia was represented by Jessica Mauboy and the song “We Got Love”. The country ended in twentieth place in the grand final with 99 points.

Before Eurovision:

Eurovision – Australia Decides: On 14 October 2018, SBS announced that for the first time, they would hold a national final to select the Australian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel. The Eurovision – Australia Decides national final took place at the Gold CoastConvention and Exhibition Centre on 8 and 9 February 2019, with a jury preview show, matinee preview show and live TV final, hosted by Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey. The winner was determined via the combination of a public televote (50%) and the votes of a professional jury panel (50%).

Competing entries: On 14 October 2018, SBS announced an open submission for interested songwriters to submit their songs. The submission period lasted until 4 November 2018. Over seven hundred entries were submitted to SBS before the deadline expired. SBS announced the first set of participants for the national final on 2 December 2018 the second set on 18 December and the third and final set on 18 January 2019.

Voting Format:

The Jury’s Vote: The Jury voted based on the performance of each act from a special preview show, which occurred the night prior to the main broadcast. The five jurors voted by ranking each act in the style of the Final Eurovision Competition – with 12 points being given to the juror’s favourite act, 10 points to the second favourite, 8 to the third favourite and so on to the least favourite receiving 1 point. This resulted in 58 points being allocated by each juror and 290 being allocated by the jury as a whole. 

Australia’s Vote: Australia total votes cast by the Australia public was divided by 290 to determine the number of votes that would equal 1 point. The vote total of each act was divided by this value to determine and be rounded up to the nearest whole number to determine the points received by each act. This rounding could result in slightly more than 290 points being awarded by the public.

Tie-Break Procedure: In the event that there is a tie in point totals, the tie will break in favour of the act with the higher number of votes from Australia’s vote. In the unlikely event the vote number from Australia’s Vote be identical, the Jury’s vote is used as the further tie-breaker. 

Results: 

At Eurovision: According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the “Big 5” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. Australia will participate in the first semi-final in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Semi-final: Australia will perform in the second half of the first semi final.

Voting: Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation’s jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song’s composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation’s televoting results will be released shortly after the grand final. 

Cronologia:  Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Austria will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. Paenda was internally selected by the Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) on 29 January 2019 to perform the song that will represent the nation at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Background: Prior to the 2019 contest, Austria had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 51 times since its first entry in 1957. The nation had won the contest on two occasions: in 1966 with the song “Merci, Chérie” performed by Udo Jürgens and in 2014 with the song “Rise Like a Phoenix” performed by Conchita Wurst. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004, Austria had featured in five finals. Austria’s least successful result has been last place, which they have achieved on eight occasions, most recently in the 2012. Austria has also received nul points on four occasions; in 1962, 1988, 1991 and 2015.

The Austrian national broadcaster, Österreichischer Rundfunk (ÖRF), broadcasts the event within Austria and organises the selection process for the nation’s entry. ORF confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest on 21 September 2018. From 2011 to 2013, ÖRF had set up national finals with several artists to choose both the song and performer to compete at Eurovision for Austria, with both the public and a panel of jury members involved in the selection. For the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest, ORF held an internal selection to choose the artist and song to represent Austria at the contest. In 2015 and 2016, the broadcaster returned to selecting the Austrian entry through a national final. For the 2017 and 2018 contests, ORF opted for an internal selection to select their artist and song.

On 21 November 2018, ORF announced that they would opt for an internal selection again in order to select their act and entry for the 2019 Contest. 

Before Eurovision:

Internal selection: On 29 January 2019, ÖRF announced Paenda as the Austrian entrant at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 during radio show Ö3-Wecker, aired on Ö3. Her song “Limits” was released on 8 March 2019.

At Eurovision: The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 will take place at Expo Tel Aviv in Tel Aviv, Israel and will consist of two semi-finals on 14 and 16 May and the final on 18 May 2019. According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the “Big 5” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final.

Austria was drawn to participate in the first half of the second semi-final in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Semi-final: Austria will perform in the first half of the second semi-final.

Voting: Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation’s jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song’s composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation’s televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.

Cronologia:  Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Azerbaijan will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song “Truth” performed by Chingiz.

Background: Prior to the 2019 Contest, Azerbaijan had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest eleven times since its first entry in 2008. Azerbaijan had won the contest on one occasion in 2011with the song “Running Scared” performed by Ell/Nikki. Since their debut in 2008, Azerbaijan has had a string of successful results, qualifying to the final and placing in the top ten each year until 2014, including a third-place result in 2009 with the song “Always” performed by AySel and Arash and a second-place result in 2013 with the song “Hold Me” performed by Farid Mammadov. However, in 2018, Azerbaijan placed eleventh in the semi-final with the song “X My Heart” performed by Aisel, making it the first occasion that Azerbaijan did not participate in a Eurovision final since their debut in 2008.

Before Eurovision: 

Internal selection: On 20 November 2018, İTV organised an internal audition round in order to select the Azerbaijani representative for 2019. As of February 7, over 350 songs were received and 4 artists qualified to the final selection: Tofig Hajiyev, Chingiz Mustafayev, Leman Dadashova and Samira Efendi (Tofiq Hacıyev, Çingiz Mustafayev, Ləman Dadaşova or Samirə Əfəndi). iTV also announced that the selected entrant will be announced on 8 March, after the final decision of the national jury.

At Eurovision: According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the “Big 5” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final.

Semi-final: Azerbaijan will perform in the second half of the second semi-final.

Voting: Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation’s jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song’s composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation’s televoting results will be released shortly after the grand final. 

Cronologia:  Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Belgium will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. Eliot was selected internally by the Belgian broadcaster Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF) to represent Belgium in Tel Aviv with the song “Wake Up”. The song is written by Pierre Dumoulin and was released on 28 February 2019.

Background: Prior to the 2019 contest, Belgium had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixty times since its debut as one of seven countries to take part in 1956. Since then, the country has won the contest on one occasion in 1986 with the song “J’aime la vie” performed by Sandra Kim. Following the introduction of semi-finals for 2004, Belgium had been featured in only six finals. In 2018, Sennek represented the country with the song “A Matter of Time”, but failed to qualify for the final, finishing in 12th place.

The Belgian broadcaster for the 2019 Contest, who broadcasts the event in Belgium and organises the selection process for its entry, was Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF). The Belgian participation in the contest alternates between two broadcasters: the Walloon RTBF and the Flemish Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). Both broadcasters have selected the Belgian entry using national finals and internal selections in the past.

Before Eurovision: Belgium will perform in the second half of the second semi-final.

Internal selection: On 14 January 2019, RTBF confirmed that Eliot Vassamillet would be representing Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. His song, “Wake Up”, was officially released on 28 February 2019.

At Eurovision: According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the “Big 5″ (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final.

Semi-final: Belgium will perform in the second half of the first semi-final.

Voting: Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation’s jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song’s composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation’s televoting results will be released shortly after the grand final.

Cronologia:  Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Belarus will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC) will be represented by the song “Like It” performed by ZENA, which was chosen in the national final Nationalny Otbor.

Background: Prior to the 2019 Contest, Belarus had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifteen times since its first entry in 2004. The nation’s best placing in the contest was sixth, which it achieved in 2007 with the song “Work Your Magic” performed by Dmitry Koldun. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004, Belarus had managed to qualify to the final five times. In 2017, Belarus managed to qualify to the final with the song “Historyja majho žyccia(Story of My Life)” performed by Naviband. In 2018, Belarus failed to qualify to the final with the song “Forever” performed by Alekseev ending in the 16th place with 65 points.

The Belarusian national broadcaster, National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC), broadcasts the event within Belarus and organises the selection process for the nation’s entry. The broadcaster has used both internal selections and national finals to select the Belarusian entry for Eurovision in the past. Since 2012, BTRC has organised a national final in order to choose Belarus’ entry, a selection procedure that will continue for their 2019 entry.

Before Eurovision: 

National Final: 

Competing entries: On the 1st of February it was announced that 113 songs had been submitted for the national final. 73 participating songs were performed during an audition on 4 February 2019. From this, an expert jury chose the 10 finalists that would compete in the televised national final.

Final: The final will take place on 7 March 2019. The winner will be decided exclusively by a professional jury panel. Each jury member will be able to award every song from 0 to 10 points. In case of a tie, the winner will be decided by a second vote.

At Eurovision: The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 will take place at the Expo Tel Aviv in Tel Aviv, Israel and will be consisted of two semi-finals on 14 and 16 May and the final on 18 May 2019. According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the “Big 5” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) will be required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progressed to the final.

Semi-final: Belarus will perform in the first half of the first semi-final.

Voting: Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation’s jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song’s composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation’s televoting results will be released shortly after the grand final.

Cronologia:  Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Cyprus will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song “Replay” written by Alex Papaconstantinou, Teddy Sky, Viktor Svensson, Albin Nedler, and Kristoffer Fogelmark. The song will be performed by the Georgian-Greek singer Tamta.

Background: Prior to the 2019 contest, Cyprus had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest thirty-five times since the island country made its debut in the 1981 iteration. Its best placing was second, in 2018 with the song “Fuego” performed by Eleni Foureira. Cyprus’ least successful result was in the 1986 iteration when it placed last with the song “Tora Zo” by Elpida, receiving only four points in total. However, its worst finish in terms of points received was when it placed second to last in the 1999 contest with “Tha’nai Erotas” by Marlain Angelidou, receiving only two points. After returning to the contest in 2015 following their one-year withdrawal from the 2014 edition due to the 2012–13 Cypriot financial crisis and the broadcaster’s budget restrictions, Cyprus has managed to qualify for the final in all of the contests it has participated in.

The Cypriot national broadcaster, Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC), broadcasts the event within Cyprus and organises the selection process for the nation’s entry. CyBC confirmed their intentions to participate at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 on 22 August 2017. Cyprus has used various methods to select the Cypriot entry in the past, such as internal selections and televised national finals to choose the performer, song or both to compete at Eurovision. In 2015, the broadcaster organised the national final Eurovision Song Project, which featured 54 songs competing in a nine-week-long process resulting in the selection of the Cypriot entry through the combination of public televoting and the votes from an expert jury. However, since 2016, CyBC has opted to select the artist and song via an internal selection.

Before Eurovision:

Internal selection: On 21 December 2018, it was announced by CyBC that Greek-Georgian singer Tamta will represent the country with the song “Replay“, which would be presented in February 2019. Tamta had attempted to enter Eurovision in 2007 with the song “With Love” but placed third in the Greek national final. She also approached Greek broadcaster ERT to represent Greece since 2010, but ERT declined the offer.^[6] She was also rumored to be the Cypriot representative for 2018, but later declined because of prior commitments.

CyBC, in collaboration with label Minos-EMI/Universal, initially planned to host the show “Eurovision Cocktail Party” on 5 March for the presentation of the cypriot entry, where Tamta would perform her song “Replay”. On 1 March, it was announced by the cypriot broadcaster that Tamta would not be able to be present due to health issue. The show is scheduled to be held in a later date. The Cypriot entry was presented in the central newscast of RIK on 5 March. 

At Eurovision: The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 will take place at Expo Tel Aviv in Tel Aviv, Israel and will consist of two semi-finals on 14 and 16 May and the final on 18 May 2019. According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the “Big 5” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final.

Semi-final:  Cyprus will perform in the first half of the first semi-final.

Voting: Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation’s jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song’s composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation’s televoting results will be released shortly after the grand final.

Cronologia:  Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Croatia will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song “The Dream” performed by Roko Blažević. The Croatian broadcaster Hrvatska Radiotelevizija (HRT) organised the national final Dora 2019 in order to select the Croatian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Background: Prior to the 2019 Contest, Croatia had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twenty-three times since its first entry in 1993.^[2] Croatia’s highest placing in the contest, to this point, has been fourth place, which the nation achieved on two occasions: in 1996 with the song “Sveta ljubav” performed by Maja Blagdan and in 1999 “Marija Magdalena” performed by Doris Dragović. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest, Croatia had featured in six finals.In 2018, Croatia failed to qualify to the final, placing 17th in the first semi-final with the song “Crazy” performed by Franka.

Before Eurovision:  

Dora 2019: Dora 2019 was the twentieth edition of the Croatian national selection Dora, which selected Croatia’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The competition consisted of up to 16 entries competing in one final on 16 February 2019. Participating entries for the selection must be in either English, French, Italian, or Croatian.

Format: Unlike in most other Dora editions the format of the competition includes one final night. 16 songs competed in the final. The combination of points from a viewer vote and ten regional jury groups determined the winner. According to the competition rules, in the event of a tie for the first place, the winner was the entrant ranked highest by the public televote.

Competing entries:  Artists and composers were able to submit their entries to the broadcaster between 20 November 2018 and 10 January 2019. Around 150 entries were received by the broadcaster during the submission period. An expert committee selected sixteen artists and songs for the competition from the received submissions. The competing artists will be announced on 17 January 2019.

Final The final took place at Opatija, on 16 February 2019, and was hosted by Mirko Fodor, Jelena Glišić and Iva Šulentić. The winner will be determined by a 50/50 combination of points awarded by regional juries and from the public televote.

At Eurovision: According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the “Big 5″ (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final.

Semi-final: Croatia will perform in the second half of the second semi-final.

Voting: Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation’s jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song’s composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation’s televoting results will be released shortly after the grand final.

Cronologia:  Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Denmark will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2019 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Background

Prior to the 2019 contest, Denmark had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-seven times since their first entry in 1957.^[1] Denmark had won the contest, to this point, on three occasions: in United Kingdom with the song “Dansevise” performed by Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann, in Sweden with the song “Fly on the Wings of Love” performed by Olsen Brothers, and in Sweden with the song “Only Teardrops” performed by Emmelie de Forest. In the 2018 contest, “Higher Ground” performed by Rasmussen placed 9th in the final with 226 points.

The Danish national broadcaster, DR, broadcasts the event within Denmark and organises the selection process for the nation’s entry. DR confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest on 10 August 2017.^[2] Denmark has selected all of their Eurovision entries thus far through the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix.

Before Eurovision

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2019

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2019 was the 49th edition of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, the music competition that selects Denmark’s entries for the Eurovision Song Contest. The event was held on 23 February 2019 at the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, hosted by Johannes Nymark and Kristian Gintberg.^[3][4]

Competing entries

The ten competing songs were announced by DR on 31 January 2019.^[5]

Final

The final took place on 23 February 2019. In the first round of voting the top three advanced to a super-final based on the votes of a ten-member jury (50%) and a public vote (50%). In the super-final, the winner was selected by the public and jury vote.

At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the “Big 5” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final.

Semi-final

Denmark will perform in the first half of the second semi-final.

Voting

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation’s jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song’s composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation’s televoting results will be released shortly after the grand final.

Cronologia: Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Estonia will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) will organise the national final Eesti Laul 2019 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Background Prior to the 2019 Contest, Estonia had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twenty-four times since its first entry in 1994, winning the contest on one occasion in 2001 with the song “Everybody” performed by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004, Estonia has, to this point, managed to qualify to the final on five occasions. In 2018, “La forza” performed by Elina Nechayeva allowed Estonia to qualify to the Grand Final for the first time since 2015, in which the song placed eighth. The Estonian national broadcaster, Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR), broadcasts the event within Estonia and organises the selection process for the nation’s entry. ERR confirmed Estonia’s participation at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest on 3 September 2018. Since their debut, the Estonian broadcaster has organised national finals that feature a competition among multiple artists and songs in order to select Estonia’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The Eesti Laul competition has been organised since 2009 in order to select Estonia’s entry. before that, the Eurolaul format had been used.

Before Eurovision

Eesti Laul 2019 Eesti Laul 2019 will be the eleventh edition of the Estonian national selection Eesti Laul, which will select Estonia’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The competition consists of 24 entries competing in two semi-finals on 31 January and 2 February 2018, leading to a twelve-song final on 16 February 2019.

Format The format of the competition includes two semi-finals on 31 January and 2 February 2019 and a final on 16 February 2019. Twelve songs will compete in each semi-final and the top six from each semi-final will qualify, completing the twelve-song lineup in the final. The results of the semi-finals were determined by a 50/50 combination of votes from a professional jury and public televoting for the first five entries, then the final spot is decided in a second round of voting, televote only. The winning song in the final will be selected over two rounds of voting: the first round results selects the top three songs via the 50/50 combination of jury and public voting and the second round decides the winner from those three songs, televote only.

Competing entries In early September 2018, ERR opened the submission period for artists and composers to submit their entries up until 6 November 2018 through an online upload platform.^[5] Foreign songwriters are also eligible to submit songs for the first time. A fee has been imposed on songs being submitted to the contest, with 25 Euros for Estonian language songs and 50 Euros for songs in other languages.^[6] From all 216 songs submitted to ERR, a jury panel selected the 24 songs for the competition, with the selected entries being announced on 15 November 2018.^[7] These entries were then revealed on the 1st December 2018 as 1-minute clips on TV, and later as full videos on the ERR MENU portal. The selection jury consisted of Ivar Must (composer), Lenna Kuurmaa (musician and singer), Kaupo Karelson (TV producer), Leen Kadakas (Manager of Universal Music Baltics), Vaido Pannel (Radio Sky Plus music editor), Allan Roosileht (Star FM presenter), Laura Põldvere (singer), Karl-Erik Taukar (singer), Dagmar Oja (singer), Rolf Roosalu (singer), Renee Meriste (Music manager), and Sten Teppan (Vikerradio music editor).^[8]

Shows

Semi-final 1

The first semi-final will take place on 31 January 2019 in Tartu Ülikool‘s sports centre. Twelve songs will compete for six spots in the final with the outcome decided upon by the combination of the votes from a jury panel and a public televote.

Semi-final 2

The second semi-final will take place on 2 February 2019 in Tartu Ülikool‘s sports centre. Twelve songs will compete for six spots in the final with the outcome decided upon by the combination of the votes from a jury panel and a public televote.

Final The final will take place on 16 February 2019 at the Saku Suurhall in Tallinn. The six entries that qualify from each of the two preceding semi-finals, all together twelve songs, will compete during the show. The winner will be selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury (50%) and public televote (50%) will determine the top three entries to proceed to the super final. In the super final, the winner will be selected entirely by the televote.

Cronologia:  Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Cronologia: Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Background: Prior to the 2019 Contest, France had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixty-one times since its debut as one of seven countries to take part in 1956. France first won the contest in 1958 with “Dors, mon amour” performed by André Claveau. In the 1960s, they won three times, with “Tom Pillibi” performed by Jacqueline Boyer in 1960, “Un premier amour” performed by Isabelle Aubret in 1962 and “Un jour, un enfant” performed by Frida Boccara, who won in 1969 in a four-way tie with the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. France’s fifth victory came in 1977, when Marie Myriam won with the song “L’oiseau et l’enfant”. France have also finished second four times, with Paule Desjardins in 1957, Catherine Ferry in 1976, Joëlle Ursull in 1990 and Amina in 1991, who lost out to Sweden’s Carola in a tie-break. Since 2000, France has managed to place within the top ten four times, with Natasha St-Pier finishing fourth in 2001, Sandrine François finishing fifth in 2002, Patricia Kaas finishing eighth in 2009 and Amir finishing sixth in 2016. In 2018, France was represented by Madame Monsieur and the song “Mercy”. The country ended in thirteenth place with 173 points.

The French national broadcaster, France Télévisions, broadcasts the event within France and delegates the selection of the nation’s entry to the television channel France 2. The French broadcaster had used both national finals and internal selection to choose the French entry in the past. Between 2015 and 2017, the broadcaster had opted to internally select the French entry. In 2018, the broadcaster introduced the multi-artist competition format Destination Eurovision to select the French entry. In June 2018, France Télévisions announced that the Destination Eurovision format would be used again for the 2019 Contest.

Before Eurovision:

Destination Eurovision 2019: Destination Eurovision 2019 is the national final organised by France 2 to select France’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The competition will consist of three live shows, aired in January 2019 on France 2, which will be hosted by French-Canadian singer Garou. TV5 Québec Canada will air the shows in Canada on a time delay as will TV5Monde internationally.^[4][5] All shows will take place at the Studio de France – Bât 210 in Saint-Denis.

Format: The format of the competition will consist of three live shows: two semi-finals, and a final. The two semi-finals will feature nine entries each, from which four are selected to advance to the final from each show.

Results in the semi-finals will be determined by public televoting (50%) and a five-members international jury panel (50%). Results in the final will be determined by public televoting (50%) and a ten-members international jury panel (50%). An international jury member is set to vote in only semifinals. Therefore, twenty juries will be involved in the voting this year.

Like the previous edition, the show will feature a three-members Francophone jury panel to provide feedback. They will no longer have a say in the results of the contest. The Francophone jury panel will consist of :

• Christophe Willem – Singer, returning as a judge for the second consecutive year
• André Manoukian – Jazz singer and former judge on Nouvelle Star, commentator of the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals in 2018 alongside Willem
• Vitaa – Singer, French female artist with the most radio airplay in 2018, Destination Eurovision 2018 participant as a songwriter

Competing entries: Artists and songwriters were able to submit their song entries starting 21 June 2018. On 6 December 2018, France 2 announced at a press conference at the headquarters of France Télévision the name of the 18 artists and songs selected to compete in the televised shows.

Shows:

Semi-final 1: The first semi-final aired live on 12 January 2019.

Detailed International Jury Votes:
Draw	Artist	Song	ARM	ISR	POR	SRB	UK	Total
1	Naestro	“Le brasier”	—	2	2	2	6	12
2	Florina	“In the Shadow”	—	—	—	—	—	0
3	Chimène Badi	“Là-haut”	2	6	6	—	8	22
4	Battista Acquaviva	“Passiò”	—	—	—	—	2	2
5	Silvàn Areg	“Le petit Nicolas”	10	12	10	6	—	38
6	Bilal Hassani	“Roi”	12	10	12	12	12	58
7	Aysat	“Comme une grande”	8	8	8	10	—	34
8	Lautner	“J’ai pas le temps”	4	4	—	8	10	26
9	Mazy	“Oulala”	6	—	4	4	4	18

Semi-final 2:

The second semi-final will take place live on 19 January 2019.

Final:

At Eurovision: The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 will take place at Expo Tel Aviv in Tel Aviv, Israel and will consist of two semi-finals on 14 and 16 May and the final on 18 May 2019. According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the “Big 5” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. As a member of the “Big 5”, France automatically qualifies to compete in the final. In addition to their participation in the final, France is also required to broadcast and vote in one of the two semi-finals.

Cronologia: Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest Tel Aviv 2019

Cronologia:  Eurovision Song Contest 2018 ← Eurovision Song Contest 2019

Germany will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The German entry will be selected through the national final Unser Lied für Israel, organised by the German broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR). As a member of the “Big 5”, Germany will automatically qualify to compete in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Background: Prior to the 2019 Contest, Germany had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixty-two times since its debut as one of seven countries to take part in 1956. Germany has won the contest on two occasions: in 1982 with the song “Ein bißchen Frieden” performed by Nicole and in 2010 with the song “Satellite” performed by Lena. Germany, to this point, has been noted for having competed in the contest more than any other country; they have competed in every contest since the first edition in 1956 except for the 1996 contest when the nation was eliminated in a pre-contest elimination round. In 2018, the German entry “You Let Me Walk Alone” performed by Michael Schulteplaced fourth of twenty-six competing songs with 340 points.

The German national broadcaster, ARD, broadcasts the event within Germany and delegates the selection of the nation’s entry to the regional broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR). NDR confirmed that Germany would participate in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest on 19 May 2018. In 2018, the multi-artist national final Unser Lied für Lissabon determined both the song and performer to compete at Eurovision for Germany. For their 2019 entry, ARD will organise a national final with the same procedure.

Before Eurovision:

Unser Lied für Israel: Unser Lied für Israel (English: Our Song for Israel) will be the competition that will select Germany’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The national final will take place on 22 February 2019 in Berlin with seven competing entries. The show will be hosted by Linda Zervakis and Barbara Schöneberger.

Format: The televised final will feature seven competing artists with a candidate song each. The winner will be selected by a combination of public voting, a one-hundred-member Eurovision panel, and an international expert jury panel.

The Eurovision panel consists of one hundred members recruited through surveys on social media in order to reflect the taste of the wider European audience, and it participates in the decision-making process from the candidate selection phase to the televised final. The international expert jury panel consists of twenty members who previously sat on the national juries of their respective countries at the Eurovision Song Contest or participated at the Contest.

Competing entries: Artists were able to submit their bids from 19 May 2018 to 31 July 2018. NDR received 965 applications, and 198 were shortlisted to be considered in the selection process. The one-hundred-member Eurovision panel narrowed the shortlist to fifty artists, ant the international expert panel further narrowed the shortlist to twenty artists. These twenty artists were invited to attend a workshop in Cologne from 28 September 2018 to 2 October 2018. Six of the artists who participated at the workshop were selected to advance to the songwriting camp that took place in Berlin from 5 to 9 November 2018.

Shortlisted acts:

• Aly Ryan
• Barna
• BB Thomaz
• Daniel Schuhmacher
• Diana Schneider
• Dimi Rompos
• Gregor Hägele
• Kasalla
• Lilly Among Clouds
• Linus Bruhn
• Makeda
• Nicole Cross
• Nina Kutschera
• Sebastian Schub (Withdrew)
• Sisters
• Thilo Berndt

 The six finalists met twenty four international songwriters at the songwriting camp:

The six finalists produced circa twenty five songs at the songwriting camp. These song, some additional songs submitted to NRD, as well as two songs by two additional acts who did not participate at the camp, were evaluated by the Eurovision panel and the international expert panel, who could select between six and eight songs for the televised final.

The first six artists selected to compete in the final were revealed on 8 November 2018. On 8 January 2019, Sisters were announced as an extra act participating in the final.