SMRTV opens submissions for Dreaming San Marino Song Contest 2027, launching its national selection process for Eurovision 2027 in Bulgaria.
Following a failed qualification attempt last year, the Sammarinese national broadcaster SMRTV is not giving up and has opened registration for auditions for the national selection for Eurovision 2027. “Dreaming San Marino Song Contest 2027” will be used to select the microstate’s representative for the highly anticipated competition in Bulgaria. Full details below.
San Marino was one of the first countries to express interest in participating in the 2027 edition: Roberto Sergio, CEO of the Sammarinese national broadcaster, spoke about the very early preparations already being planned for Eurovision 2027 immediately following the first semi-final of Eurovision 2026. Unfortunately, the small nation failed to rank among the top 10 places to qualify for the Grand Final.
According to the national broadcaster, registration for auditions has opened, and SMRTV expects around 240 participants. The selection contestants will be divided into eight groups of approximately 30 participants who will go through the Stage & Live Academy stages. Afterwards, 40 artists will be selected – five from each group – to advance to the semi-final stage.
According to the format, two semi-finals will be held on March 3rd and March 4th, 2027. From each semi-final, five artists will qualify for the Grand Final, which will take place on March 5th, 2027, where they will compete for the right to represent San Marino at Eurovision 2027.
The national broadcaster revealed that it reserves the right to invite up to ten artists directly to the Grand Final. These are artists who are already established in the music industry and will compete alongside the ten other qualifiers for the chance to perform on Europe’s biggest stage.
Cautious Optimism Despite the Setback
As recalled, immediately following the failed attempt to qualify for the Eurovision 2026 Grand Final, Sergio addressed the result, stating: “It is unfortunate, considering the performance was excellent. In my personal opinion, none of the qualifiers for the final were unexpected, as it was clear there were ten countries that excelled in terms of quality”. Despite the disappointing result, he emphasized: “Our satisfaction is self-evident because the experience was great. In competitions, the result is not always a victory. In this specific case, conditions were not in our favor, but our intention to return for another attempt remains unchanged”.
Roberto emphasized, on behalf of the Sammarinese national broadcaster SMRTV, that it has no intention of ending its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Furthermore, the national broadcaster announced the continuation of its collaboration with the company “Media Evolution,” with whom it co-produced the recent Sammarinese Eurovision selection under a new format.
“‘Media Evolution’ will return as part of the selection process for Eurovision 2027”, the CEO confirmed. “Our goal is to create an exceptional show, because I believe a country like San Marino, with a strong outward focus, must continue on this path.”
Will San Marino manage to break the spell and finally finish on the left side of the scoreboard in next year’s Grand Final? We will have to wait until next year to find out.
San Marino at Eurovision 2026
“Superstar” is the title of the song that was performed by Senhit and Boy George, who represented San Marino, reached the 14th place with 41 points in the first semi-final on May 12th in Vienna, Austria and failed to qualify for the final. This marks the third time Senhit competed in Eurovision, following her previous representations for San Marino in 2011 and 2021. In 2020, she was also selected to perform for San Marino, but her participation was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The song was written and composed by Senhit and Boy George, whose participation alongside Senhit in the contest is still surrounded by some uncertainty, together with several songwriters who have previously written Eurovision hits: Anderz Wrethov, Thomas Stengaard, Kill J, John Emil Johansson, and Jonathan Bellini. The song is performed entirely in English.
Eurovision 2026: This will be San Marino’s 16th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. San Marino joined the competition in 2008 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2019 when the singer Serhat finished in 19th place with the song “Say Na Na Na”.
