EBU: Eurovision 2020 songs not eligible to compete in next year’s edition

EBU: Eurovision 2020 songs not eligible to compete in next year’s edition
Friday, 20 March 2020

  • Following the heartbreaking and difficult decision to cancel the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, EBU has officially confirmed that the songs that missed out this year’s edition are not eligible to compete in Eurovision 2021. 

    Just two days before EBU was forced to take a painful decision by cancelling the Eurovision 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak and its concequences that don’t allow for such an event to take place. Hoewever, the question of what will happen with this year’s selected acts and songs arouse just after the cancellation was confirmed.

    Within a press release announcing that EBU will find a format to honor this year’s Eurovision acts and songs, it was stated:

    It is our intention with this programming, and on our online platforms in the coming months, to honour the songs and artists which have been chosen for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.

    With that in mind, the Reference Group, the Song Contest’s governing board, has decided that, in accordance with the Rules of the Eurovision Song Contest, this year’s songs will not be eligible to compete when the Contest returns in 2021.

    Acts’ Reactions

    The EBU’s decision to cancel this year’s Eurovision was accepted by acts with mixed feelings. Some of them already expressed their intention to compete with the same song in next year’s edition ( Victoria from Bulgaria expressed her preference to compete with the same entry in ESC 2021) while other showed interest to come back in 2021 but with a different song , like Hooverphonic from Belgium.

    While EBU has made clear that Eurovision 2021 will see new songs, several countries have already confirmed this year’s act as the ones to continue with in Eurovision 2021 :

    Jeangu Macrooy (The Netherlands)

    Go_A (Ukraine)

    Efendi (Azerbaijan)

    Blas Cantó (Spain)

    Stefania ( Greece)

    Tornike Kipiani (Georgia)