Participant countries will use a variety of method to select their entries for Rotterdam:

• Internal Selection: The broadcaster selects the act and the song.
• National Final: The broadcaster holds a one-off competition to determine their act and song.
• Festival: The broadcaster holds a slightly longer competition, usually with one or two semi-finals and a grand final. Sometimes the competition takes place over the course of a week (Italy’s Sanremo or Albania’s Festivali i Këngës) or over a couple of weekends (Portugal’s Festival da Canção or Estonia’s Eesti Laul).
• Selection Series: The broadcaster holds a long-form competition to determine their artist and song, usually with multiple rounds of winnowing down options. Sweden’s Melodifestivalen (Melfest) is the gold standard.
• Hybrid: A broadcaster may use one method to determine their artist and another method to select their song.

Here is a schedule of upcoming events. Click on individual events for more information and to add to your calendar (times shown US Eastern).

Eurovision Song Contest 2021 First Semi-Final

Eurovision Song Contest 2021 Second Semi-Final Participants

Since the year 2000, France, Germany, Spain, and United Kingdom have been granted an automatic pass to the Grand Final thanks to their respective broadcasters providing significant financial support. When Italy returned to the Contest in 2011, they were also granted this pass. This group is known as the Big Five.

The host country is also granted an automatic pass into the Grand Final and will draw its running order assignment prior to the competition.

Eurovision Song Contest 2021 Grand Final Participants