After the hosting of Eurovision 2024, SVT looks into next year’s competition and has commenced the search for Sweden’s next Eurovision entry, as the submission period for Melodifestivalen 2025 is set to open this Friday, August 23, thus confirming their participation in Eurovision 2025.
Submissions open until September 13
Interested artists who would like to submit an entry can do so from 09:00CET on August 23, until 12:00CET on September 13. Entries to be considered for next year’s competition via bidrag.melodifestivalen.se
About Melodifestivalen
Sweden’s Melodifestivalen, colloquially known as ‘Melfest’ or ‘Mello’ has been running almost every year since the late 1 950s to select the nation’s entry for Eurovision. The first winner of the contest was Alice Babs in 1958 with “Lilla stjärna” – and the contest has grown to be one of the most popular shows in the Sweden, with around half of the population tuning in every year.
The current format of Melfest consists of five heats of six songs each, taking place across five Swedish cities, with two artists from each semi-final reaching the final in Stockholm, which usually takes place on the second Saturday in March. In 2024, they were joined by two artists who qualified via a controversial “Finalkval” system. Melodifestivalen uses a unique voting system that divides voters by age ranges (3-9, 10-15. 16-20. 30-44, 45-59, 60-74, 75+) as well as a telephone vote.
Sweden’s Eurovision Journey
In 1958, Sweden made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest, with Alice Babs representing them with the song “Lilla stjärna” which placed fourth. Since their debut, the Scandinavian nation has managed to win seven times (1974, 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, 2015 and 2023).
In 2024, Sweden were represented on home soil by Marcus and Martinus. As the host entry, their song “Unforgettable” did not need to compete in the semi-finals. At the close of voting in the grand final, they had received 174 points. 125 points were received by the juries, while the twins received 49 points by televoters.
Are you excited for Sweden’s selection for Eurovision 2025? Who would you like to see compete at Melodifestivalen and represent Sweden in 2025? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky.
News Source: SVT
Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming/EBU
Giwrgos Oiko