Estonia finished 13th at Eurovision 2022 with the song “Hope” by Stefan, the country’s best finish at the contest since 2018. Who will be his successor? We’re one step closer to finding out.
Today, Estonian broadcaster ERR opened song submissions for the 2023 edition of Eesti Laul and announced a timeline for the selection of next year’s Eurovision representative. According to a schedule on ERR’s website, the semi-finals will take place on Thursday, January 12 & Saturday, January 14, 2023, with the final set for Saturday, February 11. (Both the final night of Sanremo and Malta’s national final are currently set for February 11, as well.)
Interestingly, it appears the live quarter-final round, in which 40 songs competed for 20 slots in the Eesti Laul semi-finals based solely on music videos, will not be returning. That round was introduced at the 2022 edition of the contest and took place in late November and early December of last year.
Artists interested in participating have until October 20 to submit their potential entries. (You can find all of the rules and regulations here.) A jury will narrow down those submissions to a list of no more than 20 songs, with the song titles and artist names announced no later than November 4 of this year. ERR will then release those songs to the public no later than December 2.
Are #YOU excited for the impending return of national final season? Do #YOU think Estonia will follow Sweden’s lead and finally send a woman to Eurovision again? Sound off in the comments below, in our forum, or on social media @ESCUnited.
