Sammarinese broadcaster, SMRTV has officially revealed that San Marino will once again use a National Final to select their 2023 representative. In fact, Una Voce Per San Marino will return for another edition, so mark your calendars and prepare yourselves for what should be a rollercoaster ride of casting rounds!
Una Voce Per San Marino 2023 rules
As is the case with all national selections, all participants must comply with age requirements. In addition, it is a condition of competing that the winner of Una Voce Per San Marino will take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 as the Sammarinese representative in the United Kingdom.
For the majority, the national selection has similarities to the 2022 edition but there are some minor changes. Take a read of the different stages of the competition below.
Academy & Casting
The first stage of the competition will commence later this year on October 28 when the official casting process begins. The deadline for applications is in late January and both Sammarinese and non-Sammarinese citizens are welcome to apply. However, according to the official rule book, fees differ depending on when an application is received – the first round of registrations with the lowest fee close on September 29 this year.
Semi-Finals
A jury will select approximately 60 contestants from the casting stage to move on to the semi-finals stage of the competition. The final casting session will take place on January 27, 2023, so we can expect to see news and action from San Marino’s selection process from late January.
In 2023, there will be four semi-finals, and one second-chance round. One semi-final will be reserved for San Marino citizens only. The dates of the semi-finals have not yet been finalised, but more information is expected to come to light in January 2023.
Grand Final
The Grand Final of Una Voce Per San Marino will be held on February 25, 2023. At this stage, it is expected that it will be held at the Teatro Nuovo Dogana, the largest theatre in San Marino. The jury will choose 20 participants from the semi-finals to proceed to the final stage of the competition. There are no indications yet as to who will host the shows.
In 2022, nine well-known and pre-selected “big artists” joined nine other “emerging” artists in the final. The latter crop had to go through the pre-selection and semi-final stage. However, the “big artists” had the opportunity to go directly to the final. This will not be the case in 2023. Whilst established artists can still skip the casting stage, they will now have to pass the semi-final stage as well.
In the 2023 Grand Final, SMRTV has confirmed that whilst applications are open to non-citizens, at least four San Marino citizens will feature.
You can take a closer look at the rules of Una Voce Per San Marino released by SMRTV here.
San Marino at the Eurovision Song Contest
In 2022, Achille Lauro represented San Marino with the song “Stripper”. Out of 12 appearances, they have qualified for the Grand Final a total of three times. Will they make that four in 2023 and follow in the footsteps of Valentina Monetta, Serhat and Senhit?
Who or what are you hoping to see from San Marino at Eurovision 2023? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify for the latest music from your favourite Eurovision acts. As well as YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the 2023 contest in the United Kingdom!
