RTP confirms that the representative will once again be chosen through the traditional Eurovision pre-selection ‘Festival da Canção,’ with the song submission window open until October 15.
After the Portuguese national broadcaster, RTP, expressed its desire to participate in Eurovision 2025, which will be held in Switzerland, the song submission window is now open for artists wishing to participate in the local Eurovision pre-selection “Festival da Canção.” The submission window will remain open until Tuesday, October 15.
Any citizen or resident of Portugal, whether living inside or outside the country, can submit a song for the festival until October 15. The festival will include 20 songs, with 14 songwriters invited by RTP with six additional songs selected through an open submission process. As every year, the selection process will consist of two semi-finals and a final, with six participants advancing from each semi-final to the final. Twelve songs will compete in the grand final for the right to represent Portugal in the contest.
Portugal’s representative this year, Iolanda, was chosen to participate in the pre-selection through an invitation from RTP. However, the singer who represented Portugal in 2023, Mimicat, was selected through the open submission process, having submitted her song ‘Ai Coração’ — demonstrating that the opportunity is open to all.
The History of ‘Festival da Canção’
‘Festival da Canção’ is one of the oldest festivals used to select a representative for Eurovision, and it has been running since Portugal began participating in the competition in 1964. According to RTP, the festival is a very important event for the Portuguese music industry and serves as a platform for the Portuguese language and culture on the world’s largest international stage.
Portugal at Eurovision 2024
“Grito” is the name of the song performed by the singer Iolanda, who was chosen to represent Portugal after winning the Portuguese national finals. Portugal advanced to the final after placing eighth in the first semi-final with 58 points, and in the grand final, it finished in tenth place with 152 points.
This marks the fourth consecutive time that Portugal has reached the final, a feat it had not achieved before. Additionally, this is the third time since 2021 that Portugal has ended up on the left side of the scoreboard, twice among the top ten. These are respectable achievements for a country that was until recently considered one of the least successful in the competition.
Source: RTP
Eurovision 2025: This will be Portugal’s 56th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Portugal joined the competition in 1964 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2017 when singer Salvador Sobral won first place with the song “Amar pelos dois.”
