North Macedonian public broadcaster MRT has revealed that there will be a national selection for the first time since 2015. To coincide with the announcement, a window for submissions has been opened for the selection.
New selection, new rules
MRT revealed the decision to revert back to a national selection via a press release on their website. In the press release, rules regarding the selection were elaborated further. This is what we know so far about the new North Macedonian selection, titled “Za Evrosong 2022“:
- The window for submissions will close on January 16th, 2022.
- Of the submitted entries to MRT, the public broadcaster will select no more than six songs to make it through to the televised final.
- The six selected songs will then be performed live for the Macedonian public, who will vote for their winner.
- A 50/50 split between the public vote from the North Macedonian viewers and an international jury will decide the winning song.
- In addition to winning the right to represent North Macedonia, the winning team of performers and composers will receive β¬2,000 to go towards a potential revamp, if needed.
All performers will have to hold North Macedonian citizenship in order to participate in the national selection. International songwriters will, however, be allowed to take part.
Return to form, and to success?
While no specific date has been set for the North Macedonian final, it is expected to take place between February and March, allowing broadcaster MRT to select the entries in time.
The announcement of a return to a national final is the first national selection since 2015. Traditionally used to select the North Macedonian Eurovision representative, Daniel Kajmakoski won the last edition of Skopje Fest at the end of 2014. At the end of voting in his semi-final, Kajmakoski finished 15th in a field of 16.
Following the lack of success, MRT opted for an internal selection, culminating in a 7th place finish in the final in 2019, with Tamara Todevska’s “Proud”.
North Macedonia’s Eurovision journey
The upcoming year will see North Macedonia’s 21st participation at Eurovision. The ex-Yugoslav nation made its formal debut in the Contest in 1998 with Vlado Janevski’s “Ne zori, zoro”. Performing last, North Macedonia finished 19th out of 25.
Following Kaliopi’s participation in 2012 with “Crno i Belo”, North Macedonia began a 6-year non-qualification streak. Tamara Todevska’s participation in 2019 broke the streak with her song, “Proud” – which finished in 7th place, winning the jury vote.
In 2021, Vasil represented North Macedonia, after his initial participation was hampered by the coronavirus pandemic. Singing “Here I Stand”, Vasil performed in the first semi-final, finishing in 15th place out of 16. In total, Vasil received 23 points.
What do you make of the news from North Macedonia? Are you excited to see what MRT has to offer? Who would you like to see represent North Macedonia next year? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. You can also follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more information.
News Source: MRT
Photo Credit: EBU / Thomas Hanses
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