Ukraine’s national public broadcaster UA:PBC has announced that the Ukrainian national selection – commonly known as Vidbir – will solely be produced by the broadcaster, with the selections taking place in February of 2022. The winner of the competition will then go on to represent Ukraine in the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin.
Going solo
The news comes as UA:PBC – known in Ukraine as Suspilne – announced it would end its three-year collaboration with commercial broadcaster STB. Together, the partnership rebranded Ukraine’s selection format to include two semi-finals and a grand final held in Kyiv.
Running since 2016, the national selection was responsible for Jamala’s eventual win at the Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm. As well as this, Vidbir also launched the Eurovision careers of O.Torvald, MELOVIN and Go_A, before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
However, the collaboration between Suspilne and STB ended in late August, as differences arose between the broadcasters over the direction of the national final. As a result, this will be the first wholly-produced national final from Suspilne since 2014.
New selection, new look
With the adoption of a new selection, Suspilne also announced the opening of a submissions window for the creative concept. Applicants have from the 8th until the 24th of October to submit their proposals.
Applications will have a say in the preliminary selection of performers as well as proposals for the location of the national final. Other elements will include the stage design and overall production, working closely with Suspilne.
The broadcast of the first semi-final of the new selection should be no later than the 12th of February. In addition, the final music video for the winning act must be published by the 4th of March.
It is important to note that this submission window is not for participating artists. A separate submission window will open once a creative concept has been selected.
Ukraine’s Eurovision Journey
Ukraine is one of the most successful countries to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. The country has scored seven top-five placements, with an extra three top-ten finishes. Ukraine won the Contest in 2004 with Ruslana’s “Wild Dances” and again in 2016 with Jamala’s “1944”. Jamala’s win made history for Ukraine, as it became the first ex-Soviet country to win the Contest more than once.
In 2021, Go_A represented Ukraine in the 65th edition of the Contest with their song “SHUM”. The band scored 364 points, finishing in fifth place.
What do you think about this latest development in Ukraine? What direction do you think the national final will take? Let us know in the comments and on social media! Don’t forget to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ over at Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
News Source: UA:PBC
Photo Source: EBU / Thomas Hanses
