Not long after the cancellation of this year’s edition of Eurovision, it was announced that Estonian representative Uku Suviste would not automatically get to represent Estonia at Eurovision in 2021. Instead, the broadcaster has decided to continue with their national selection, Eesti Laul.
The submission period for the competition is now open, and will remain open until November 6th. A total of 24 songs will be selected for the semi-finals, which will take place on February 18th and 20th. The final will feature the 12 qualifying entries from the semi-finals, and will take place on March 6th.
The shows will be broadcast live, however whether the show will have an audience or not is dependent on COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time.
Some notable rules of the selection are that foreign artists and composers can take part in the competition, as long as they collaborate with an Estonian citizen or resident. There is also a cost to participate, €25 for songs in Estonian, while it will cost €75 for songs in any other language. The cost is also set to double if the song is submitted after November 1st. Artists and composers can submit a maximum of five entries.
It has also been stipulated that should Uku Suviste decide to participate, he will automatically qualify to the semi-finals of Eesti Laul.
The 24 semi-finalists will be revealed no later than November 12th, and by early December, we will be able to listen to their entries.
Listen to the 2020 Estonian entry below: