The Ukrainian television network, Suspilne, opens the song submission window for the Eurovision national selection Vidbir.
Ukraine has officially launched its search for its Eurovision 2025 representative. The national broadcaster Suspilne has opened submissions for Vidbir, the country’s national final, which will remain open until November 10, 2024. The grand final of Vidbir 2025 is set to take place in February 2025 and will feature ten contestants.
This year’s selection process introduces some notable changes and requirements:
- Contestants must be at least 16 years old by the time of the Eurovision 2025 final.
- Artists participating in Vidbir are not allowed to compete in other countries’ national selections.
- Songs can be in any language except Russian, due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
- Performers who have appeared in Crimea after March 3, 2014, or entered/exited the peninsula are ineligible to compete. This point is important because it led to the withdrawal of the 2022 Ukrainian national final winner – Alina Pash, after it was alleged that she had forged documents related to her entry into Crimea in 2015.
Selection Process
The selection will unfold in multiple stages:
- Initial submissions will be narrowed down to 20 contestants.
- From these 20, up to 9 will be officially selected for Vidbir.
- A public vote will determine the 10th and final contestant from those who didn’t make it through.
The final list of Vidbir contestants will be announced by January 17, 2025. The Ukrainian representative will be chosen through a combination of public voting and a jury panel.
New Musical Direction
Tina Karol, Ukraine’s Eurovision 2006 representative, has been appointed as the Music Producer for Vidbir 2025. Karol expressed her excitement about supporting both new talents and returning artists in the Eurovision world. Her involvement comes after expressing interest in returning to Eurovision herself, which may hint at future plans.
As Ukraine prepares for another exciting Eurovision season, all eyes are on Vidbir 2025 to see what new talents and surprises it will deliver in the quest to continue Ukraine’s impressive Eurovision track record.
Ukraine in Eurovision 2024
Jerry Heil and Alyona Alyona represented Ukraine at Eurovision 2024 with the song “Teresa & Maria.” The duo won the Ukrainian national selection “Vidbir 2024” and finished third in the Eurovision final with 453 points.
Their entry is notable for being the first since 2002 to place in the top 5 while performing second in the running order, a position traditionally considered challenging in Eurovision statistics.
Source: glavred
Eurovision 2025: This will be Ukraine’s 20th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Ukraine joined the competition in 2003 and has won it three times. Ukraine’s last victory was in Eurovision 2022 with the song “Stefania” performed by Kalush Orchestra.
