The Maltese national broadcaster PBS has announced that they will be holding a national final in January, and have announced the rules for the contest, and the submission deadlines.
All participants must be of Maltese nationality or hold dual citizenship, one of which is Maltese. However, authors and composers may be of any nationality. Submissions will be received on the 29th and 30th of October, with submissions including an original song, and a recording of another song which may be a cover version or a song that has already been released. The only person who cannot participate is Amber, who represented Malta in 2015 at Eurovision.
In November, 20 finalists will be announced. These finalists will perform live with backing vocals, where a panel of judges will consider the entries. The artists will be allowed to interpret two different songs during this stage of the final phase. The second part of the final phase is where the top 14 acts will perform one song.
For the full rules and regulations for the contest, send an email to mesc@pbs.com.mt where a downloadable document will be made available.