Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest
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Serbia has been represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 16 times since making its debut in 2007. The Serbian participating broadcaster in the contest is Radio-televizija Srbije (RTS). Serbia won the contest on its debut with "Molitva" by Marija Šerifović. The country's other top five results are third place in 2012 with "Nije ljubav stvar" by Željko Joksimović, and fifth place in 2022 with "In corpore sano" by Konstrakta. Serbia's other top ten results are sixth place (2008) and tenth place (2015).
| Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest | |
|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest | |
| |
| Participating broadcaster | Radio-televizija Srbije (RTS) |
| Participation summary | |
| Appearances | 16 (13 finals) |
| First appearance | 2007 |
| Highest placement | 1st: 2007 |
| Host | 2008 |
| Related articles | |
| External links | |
| Serbia's page at Eurovision.tv | |
 For the most recent participation seeSerbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 | |
Before its independence, the Socialist Republic of Serbia participated in the contest as part of Yugoslavia (both the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1961 to 1991 and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992), and the Republic of Serbia participated as part of Serbia and Montenegro (from 2004 to 2006).
Participation
Radio-televizija Srbije (RTS) is a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) since 2006, thus eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest since then. It has participated in the contest representing Serbia since its 52nd edition in 2007.
Before the country became independent on 5 June 2006, entries from Serbia had participated in the contest as part of Yugoslavia and later Serbia and Montenegro. Four Yugoslav entrants in the contest came from the former SR Serbia: 1974, 1982, 1991, and 1992), and one of Serbia and Montenegro's entrants came from the former Republic of Serbia (2004).
History
Summarize
Perspective
2000s
Serbia made its debut in the contest as an independent nation with the ballad "Molitva" by Marija Šerifović. "Molitva" won the 2007 contest, receiving 268 points, making Serbia the first country to win with a debut entry after Switzerland's win at the first edition. Subsequently, Serbia was host of the 2008 contest in its capital Belgrade.
The second Serbian entry, performed in Belgrade was written by past entrant for Serbia as part of Serbia and Montenegro and contest host Željko Joksimović. The song "Oro", an ethnic ballad, performed by Jelena Tomašević came 6th and received 160 points in the overall rankings.
In 2009, Serbia selected Marko Kon and Milaan to represent them in the second semi-final on 14 May. The duo failed to qualify for the final, marking it the first time Serbia failed to qualify for the final since the introduction of semi-finals.
2010s
In 2010, Milan Stanković was selected to represent the country in the contest with "Ovo je Balkan", an upbeat song with ethno elements, and is about a love story set in Belgrade. It qualified for the final and in the end achieved 13th place with 72 points. In 2011, Nina was selected with her 1960s inspired song, "Čaroban". She was accompanied with three other singers who would be dancing throughout the performance. In the semi-finals She performed 6th and qualified for the final. In the final, she performed 24th and achieved 14th place. After finishing second in 2004 when representing Serbia and Montenegro, Željko Joksimović returned to compete in 2012 with the song "Nije ljubav stvar". On the second semi-final he took second place, while he finished third in the final, below second-placed Russia and the winner, Sweden. Moje 3 represented Serbia in the 2013 contest in Malmö with the song "Ljubav je svuda". They would finish 11th in the first semi-final, therefore not qualifying for the final. This was the second time that Serbia did not qualify for the final. On 22 November 2013, RTS announced that it would not participate in the 2014 contest due to financial difficulties and a lack of available sponsorship for a potential Serbian entry.[1] They did, however, broadcast all three shows.
On 26 September 2014, it was reported that Serbia had decided to return to the 2015 contest to be held in Austrian capital, Vienna.[2] On 15 February 2015 Serbia chose their own representative in the TV show "Odbrojavanje za Beč". Odbrojavanje za Beč (English: Countdown for Vienna) was the national final organised by RTS in order to select the Serbian entry for the 2015 contest. The selection featured three songs composed by Vladimir Graić, the composer of Serbia's winning entry "Molitva" in 2007. Two of the songs were performed by established Serbian artists Bojana Stamenov and Aleksa Jelić, while one was performed by Danica Krstić, a new talent chosen by Graić through a scouting process. Bojana Stamenov was selected as the Serbian representative for Vienna through a 50:50 voting system, where both the audience and the jury voted for her song "Ceo svet je moj" (The whole world is mine) to represent Serbia in Austria. It was later announced that she would perform her song in English (a first for a Serbian entry) titled "Beauty Never Lies". Despite being low with the odds and fan votings, Bojana surprised everyone in the first semifinal and became one of the big press and fan favourites. She qualified to the final with 9th place in Semi-Final 1, but managed to achieve another top 10 result for Serbia in the Grand Final, scoring 53 points and the 10th place.
In March 2016, RTS internally decided for Sanja Vučić to represent Serbia in Stockholm, Sweden with the song "Goodbye (Shelter)".[3] In the 2016 contest, she performed in the second semi-final, qualifying through. In the grand final, Vučić placed 18th by scoring 115 points.[4] The following contest, Serbia was represented by Tijana Bogićević in Kyiv, Ukraine, again chosen by the national broadcaster.[5] She failed to qualify from the second semi-final by finishing 11th.[6]
In February 2018, Sanja Ilić and the world music group Balkanika were declared the winners of the returning Beovizija contest.[7] They performed in the second semi-final of the 2018 contest, hosted in Lisbon, Portugal. In the final, Sanja Ilić and Balkanika finished in 19th place with 113 points.[8] Subsequently, the Beovizija 2019 was won by Nevena Božović and "Kruna", who therefore represented Serbia in Tel Aviv, Israel.[9] Božović, who qualified from the first semi-final, scored 89 points in the final and thus placed 18th.[10]
2020s
On March 1, 2020, girl group Hurricane won Beovizija 2020 with "Hasta la vista" and were supposed to compete in Rotterdam, Netherlands.[11] The 2020 contest was, however, eventually cancelled due the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2020, RTS selected Hurricane internally to represent Serbia in the 2021 contest.[12] Hurricane performed their new entry, "Loco loco", in the second semi-final, going through. In the final they went on to place 15th with 102 points.[13]
The following year, Beovizija was replaced by the newly-established national selection contest, Pesma za Evroviziju. The contest's first edition, held in March 2022, was won by Konstrakta and "In corpore sano", who was therefore chosen to represent Serbia in the 2022 contest, hosted in Turin, Italy.[14] Konstrakta qualified from the semi-final 2. In the final she placed 5th with 312 points.[15] "In corpore sano" became the most successful Serbian entry since 2012. Furthermore, Konstrakta also won the Artistic Marcel Bezençon Award and two Eurovision Awards - the Most Innovative Staging and the Best Lyrics.[16][17]
At the beginning of March 2023, RTS organized Pesma za Evroviziju '23, where Luke Black with "Samo mi se spava" was declared the winner and Serbian representative in Liverpool, United Kingdom.[18] In Liverpool, Luke finished in 24th place in the finals with 30 points.
Pesma za Evroviziju '24 was held to select the Serbian representative in 2024,[19] resulting as Teya Dora with the song "Ramonda". In Malmö, Teya finished in 17th place in the finals with 54 points.
Pesma za Evroviziju '25 was held to select Serbia's entry for the 2025 contest, with Princ winning with the song "Mila".
Participation overview
Summarize
Perspective
Prior to Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro's dissolution, artists from the Serbian federal unit represented Yugoslavia in 1974, 1982, 1991 and as a republic unit in 1992 and 2004.
| 1 | First place |
| 2 | Second place |
| 3 | Third place |
| X | Entry selected but did not compete |
| † | Upcoming event |
| Year | Artist | Song | Language | Final | Points | Semi | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Marija Šerifović | "Molitva" (Молитва) | Serbian | 1 | 268 | 1 | 298 |
| 2008 | Jelena Tomašević feat. Bora Dugić | "Oro" (Оро) | Serbian | 6 | 160 | Host country | |
| 2009 | Marko Kon and Milaan | "Cipela" (Ципела) | Serbian | Failed to qualify | 10[a] | 60 | |
| 2010 | Milan Stanković | "Ovo je Balkan" (Ово је Балкан) | Serbian | 13 | 72 | 5 | 79 |
| 2011 | Nina | "Čaroban" (Чаробан) | Serbian | 14 | 85 | 8 | 67 |
| 2012 | Željko Joksimović | "Nije ljubav stvar" (Није љубав ствар) | Serbian | 3 | 214 | 2 | 159 |
| 2013 | Moje 3 | "Ljubav je svuda" (Љубав је свуда) | Serbian | Failed to qualify | 11 | 46 | |
| 2015 | Bojana Stamenov | "Beauty Never Lies" | English | 10 | 53 | 9 | 63 |
| 2016 | Sanja Vučić Zaa | "Goodbye (Shelter)" | English | 18 | 115 | 10 | 105 |
| 2017 | Tijana Bogićević | "In Too Deep" | English | Failed to qualify | 11 | 98 | |
| 2018 | Sanja Ilić and Balkanika | "Nova deca" (Нова деца) | Serbian | 19 | 113 | 9 | 117 |
| 2019 | Nevena Božović | "Kruna" (Круна) | Serbian | 18 | 89 | 7 | 156 |
| 2020 | Hurricane | "Hasta la vista" | Serbian | Contest cancelled[b] X | |||
| 2021 | Hurricane | "Loco loco" | Serbian | 15 | 102 | 8 | 124 |
| 2022 | Konstrakta | "In corpore sano" | Serbian, Latin | 5 | 312 | 3 | 237 |
| 2023 | Luke Black | "Samo mi se spava" (Само ми се спава) | Serbian, English | 24 | 30 | 10 | 37 |
| 2024 | Teya Dora | "Ramonda" (Рамонда) | Serbian | 17 | 54 | 10 | 47 |
| 2025 | Princ | "Mila" (Мила) | Serbian | Upcoming † | |||
Hostings
| Year | Location | Venue | Presenters | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Belgrade | Belgrade Arena | Jovana Janković and Željko Joksimović |  |
Awards
Marcel Bezençon Awards
| Year | Category | Song | Performer | Final | Points | Host city | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Artistic Award | "Molitva" (Молитва) | Marija Šerifović | 1 | 268 |  Helsinki |
|
| 2022 | Artistic Award | "In corpore sano" | Konstrakta | 5 | 312 |  Turin |
Winner by OGAE members
| Year | Song | Performer | Final | Points | Host city | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Molitva" (Молитва) | Marija Šerifović | 1 | 268 | Helsinki |
Barbara Dex Award
Related involvement
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Perspective
Heads of delegations
Each participating broadcaster in the Eurovision Song Contest assigns a head of delegation as the EBU's contact person and the leader of their delegation at the event. The delegation, whose size can greatly vary, includes a head of press, the performers, songwriters, composers, and backing vocalists, among others.[24]
Jury members
Each participating broadcaster assembles a five-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals for the Eurovision Song Contest, ranking all entries except for their own. The modern incarnation of jury voting was introduced beginning with the 2009 contest, and as of 2023[update], the juries' votes constitute 50% of the overall result in the final alongside televoting.[29]
| Year | Juror A | Juror B | Juror C | Juror D | Juror E | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dejan Cukić | Marko Kon | Saša Milošević | Ksenija Milošević | Nevena Božović | ||
| Slobodan Marković | Nikola Čuturilo | Vladimir Graić | Mari Mari | Ana Milenković | ||
| Ivana Peters | Tanja Banjanin | Vojkan Borisavljević | Aleksandar Milić | Ana Štajdohar | ||
| Bojana Stamenov | Dejan Cukić | Tijana Milošević | Radivoje Radivojević | Bane Krstić | ||
| Sanja Ilić | Aleksandra Milutinović | Leontina Vukomanović | Silvana Grujić | Vojislav Aralica | ||
| Extra Nena | Ivana Peters | Milan Stanković | Slobodan Marković | Tijana Bogićević | ||
| Dušan Alagić | Jelena Tomašević | Marija Marić Marković | Miloš Luka Roganović | Srđan Marjanović | ||
| Dragan Đorđević | Zoran Živanović | Ana Đurić | Sandra Perović | Sara Jovanović | ||
| Alek Aleksov | Milovan Bošković | Luka Ivanović | Lena Kovačević | Zejna Murkić |
Commentators and spokespersons
For the show's broadcast on RTS, various commentators have provided commentary on the contest in the Serbian language. At the Eurovision Song Contest after all points are calculated, the presenters of the show call upon each voting country to invite each respective spokesperson to announce the results of their vote on-screen.[39]
From 1961 until 1992, Serbia competed as part of Yugoslavia, and from 2004 to 2005 as part of Serbia and Montenegro. The Serbian affiliates of the Yugoslav Radio Television (JRT) first and Udruženje javnih radija i televizija (UJRT) later broadcast the contest there with Serbian commentary.
| Year | Commentator | Channel | Spokesperson | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Duška Vučinić-Lučić | RTS1, RTS Sat (all shows) | Maja Nikolić | |
| 2008 | Dragan Ilić and Mladen Popović | Dušica Spasić | ||
| 2009 | Dragan Ilić (semi-final 1) Duška Vučinić-Lučić (semi-final 2, final) |
RTS1, RTS Digital, RTS Sat (all shows) | Jovana Janković | |
| 2010 | Duška Vučinić-Lučić (semi-final 1, final) Dragan Ilić (semi-final 2) |
RTS1, RTS Sat (all shows) | Maja Nikolić | |
| 2011 | Marina Nikolić (semi-final 1) Dragan Ilić (semi-final 2) Duška Vučinić-Lučić (final) Tanja Zeljković (Radio Belgrade) |
RTS1, RTS Sat, Radio Belgrade (all shows) | Dušica Spasić | |
| 2012 | Dragan Ilić (semi-final 1) Duška Vučinić-Lučić (semi-final 2, final) |
RTS1, RTS Sat (all shows) | Maja Nikolić | |
| 2013 | Duška Vučinić-Lučić (semi-final 1) Marina Nikolić (semi-final 2) Silvana Grujić (final) |
RTS1, RTS Sat (semi-finals) RTS2, RTS Sat, RTS HD, RTS Digital (final) |
||
| 2014 | Silvana Grujić (all shows) Dragan Ilić (final) |
RTS1, RTS Sat, RTS HD (all shows) | Did not participate | |
| 2015 | Duška Vučinić (semi-final 1, final) Silvana Grujić (semi-final 2) |
RTS1, RTS Sat, RTS HD (SF1, final) RTS2, RTS SAT (SF2) |
Maja Nikolić | |
| 2016 | Dragan Ilić (semi-final 1) Duška Vučinić (semi-final 2, final) |
RTS1, RTS Sat, RTS HD (all shows) | Dragana Kosjerina | |
| 2017 | Silvana Grujić and Olga Kapor (semi-final 1) Duška Vučinić (semi-final 2, final) |
Sanja Vučić | ||
| 2018 | Silvana Grujić and Tamara Petković (semi-final 1) Duška Vučinić (semi-final 2, final) |
RTS1, RTS Sat, RTS HD, RTS Planeta (all shows) | Dragana Kosjerina | |
| 2019 | Duška Vučinić (semi-final 1, final) Tamara Petković and Katarina Epštajn (semi-final 2) Nikoleta Dojčinović and Katarina Epštajn (Radio Belgrade 1) |
RTS1, RTS HD, RTS Svet (all shows) Radio Beograd 1 (final) |
||
| 2021 | Duška Vučinić (all shows) Nikoleta Dojčinović and Katarina Epštajn (Radio Belgrade 1) |
|||
| 2022 | Silvana Grujić (semi-final 1) Duška Vučinić-(semi-final 2, final) |
RTS1, RTS Planeta, RTS Svet (all shows) | ||
| 2023[c] | Duška Vučinić (all shows) | RTS Svet (all shows), RTS 3 (semi-finals), RTS 1 (final) Radio Beograd 1 (final) |
||
| 2024 | Duška Vučinić (all shows) Katarina Epstein (SF1, Radio Beograd 1) Katarina Epstein and Nikoleta Dojčinović (final, Radio Beograd 1) |
RTS1,[d] RTS Svet, RTS Planeta (all shows) Radio Beograd 1 (SF1, final) |
Konstrakta |
Other shows
| Show | Commentator | Channel | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light | Duška Vučinić | RTS1, RTS Svet |
Kosovan entrants
After Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008, its broadcaster Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) was applying for EBU membership, and wished to enter Kosovo independently into the Eurovision Song Contest 2009.[100][101] Kosovo is partially recognised and not a member of the United Nations, and UN membership is required to obtain full EBU membership. As of 2013, RTK has observer status within the EBU and has participated in the Eurovision Young Dancers once.[102][103] Several Kosovo Albanian artists have competed in Festivali i Këngës, the national selection for Albania organised by RTSH. The most notable Kosovo Albanian participants to date are Rona Nishliu, Lindita, and Albina Kelmendi and her family, who represented Albania in 2012, 2017 and 2023, respectively.
Several Kosovo Serb artists have competed in the Serbian national selections organised by RTS. Kosovo-born Nevena Božović represented Serbia in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest and twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, first as a member of Moje 3 in 2013 and later as a solo artist in 2019.
Photo gallery
Marija Šerifović in Helsinki (2007)
Milan Stanković in Oslo (2010)
Željko Joksimović in Baku (2012)
Bojana Stamenov in Vienna (2015)
Sanja Vučić in Stockholm (2016)
Tijana Bogićević in Kyiv (2017)
Nevena Božović in Tel Aviv (2019)
Konstrakta in Turin (2022)
Luke Black in Liverpool (2023)
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See also
Notes
- In 2008 and 2009 the top nine countries in each semi-final as determined by televoting qualified automatically, with the tenth place determined based on the votes of the back-up juries among the remaining countries. This resulted in Croatia advancing to the final instead of Serbia in 2009.
- The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Due to technical issues, Tijana Lukić commentated from Belgrade during the first 15 minutes of the first semi-final.
- During the broadcast of the first semi-final on RTS 1, during the Polish performance, the broadcast was moved to RTS 2 with no warning, so the former could air the arrival ceremony of the Chinese president Xi Jin Ping. The broadcast was restored to RTS 1 following the end of the performance of Poland, performances from Iceland, Croatia, and the first part of the German performance. RTS 2 broadcast approximately 25 minutes of the semi-final.[94]
References
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