The preparations for next year’s Benidorm Fest heats up with Spain’s RTVE announcing how many submissions it received in the hunt for Nebulossa’s successors at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel.
Most submissions received
Following the close of submissions on the 10th of October, RTVE have revealed that it received almost 1000 songs. This marks a record for the number of potential Eurovision entries it’s ever received. RTVE noted that of the songs received, 300 came within the final day of the submission window being open. Of all these songs, only 16 will make it to the live shows for next year’s national final. Heading up the team narrowing these songs down is Beatriz Luengo, Pablo Cebrián, Rayden, and Tony Sánchez-Ohlsson
What is Benidorm Fest?
What is Benidorm Fest?Following a decade and a half interval, Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE revived the Benidorm International Song Festival, and transformed into Spain’s selection show for Eurovision. This is not the first time RTVE has experimented with pre-existing formats to select it’s Eurovision entrants; having previously intermittently used Operación Triunfo. Though this time was to much greater success, as inaugural winner Chanel ultimately finished third at the 2022 contest in Turin. Originally held between 1959 and 2006, the winner of the contest would go on to receive the prestigious award the Sirenita de Oro (trans. The Golden Mermaid). Though the winners of the current iteration of the contest receive a bronze microphone instead.
As the contest is at its heart a celebration of Spanish music, the lyrical contest of each song must be at least 60% from on of the official languages of Spain. Voting in Benidorm Fest consists of a hybrid system, with three voting methods: jury, demiscopic, and televote. the jury consists of music professions ranking the competitors, and makes up 50% of the vote. The demiscopic vote is a weighted system meant to balance the vote based on the demographic make up of Spain, and makes up 25% of the vote. The final 25% of the vote consists of simple televote.
Spain’s Eurovision Journey
Spain debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961 with Conchita Bautista’s “Estando Contigo”. The country earned its first win in 1968 with Massiel’s “La La La”, and won again in 1969 with Salome’s “Vivo Cantando” in an infamous four-way tie. Although they have yet to win again, Spain earned several 2nd place finishes, most famously with Mocedades’ “Eres tu” in 1973 and Anabel Conde’s “Vuelve conmigo” in 1996.
In 2024, Spain selected Nebulossa. As part of the Big 5, Nebulossa did not need to qualify to the Grand Final from the semi-finals. At the close of voting, their song “ZORRA” finished 22nd, with a total of 30 points. Of these, 19 points came from the jury, whilst 11 came from the televote.
Are you excited for next year’s Benidorm Fest in 2025? Who do you hope submitted a song? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all the latest Eurovision news!
News Source: RTVE
Photo Credit: RTVE
Rory Gannon 
Giwrgos Oiko