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Portuguese broadcaster RTP has revealed that its annual music competition, Festival da Canção, will once again serve as the platform to choose the nation’s next representative for the Eurovision Song Contest.

The submission period for songs officially opened at 16:00 CET on Wednesday, August 14, with composers and performers invited to submit their entries until the deadline on Tuesday, October 15.

20 songs competing, performed by 20 artists will compete in next year’s Festival da Canção across two semi-finals and one final in March. RTP will extend direct invitations to 14 of these artists, while the remaining 6 spots will be available for those who have submitted their songs through the broadcaster’s online portal.

iolanda won Festival da Canção 2024 and represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, finishing in 10th place with 152 points.

Portugal has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 55 times since its debut in 1964, only missing five editions (1970, 2000, 2002, 2013, and 2016). Portugal won the contest for the first time in 2017 with Salvador Sobral’s “Amar pelos dois,” after years of mixed results, including finishing last four times.