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If you ask the average Eurovision fan to name the country that excites them the most in the contest, you’ll likely hear answers like Sweden, Norway, or Ukraine—Eurovision powerhouses known for consistently bringing their A-game to the contest stage. However, with so much focus on the heavyweights, smaller nations that often struggle to secure votes can be overlooked. A prime example of the latter category is San Marino, a tiny landlocked nation with a population of about thirty thousand people, all seemingly packed into Valentina Monetta’s 61-square-meter backyard. Some might argue that “San Marino” and “powerhouse” don’t belong in the same sentence, but I’m here to challenge that notion—well, sort of.

The shy begginings: You need to Stand by ⏰

Despite being one of the world’s oldest republics, with independence dating back to 301 AD, San Marino joined Eurovision relatively late, debuting in 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia. They chose the band Miodio with the song “Complice” after an internal selection, but unfortunately finished last in their semi-final with just 5 points. Financial constraints led to their withdrawal in 2009, but San Marino returned in 2011 with Senit’s “Stand By” in Düsseldorf. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t advance to the finals, continuing the nation’s challenging Eurovision journey.

Valentina Monetta taking over Eurovision 💃🏻🔮

After two unsuccessful attempts, something shifted at San Marino’s public broadcaster, SMRTV. They decided to stick with Valentina Monetta until she took the microstate to the Eurovision finals. Monetta’s journey is quite unique. Initially, she was among the 50 acts considered for San Marino’s debut in 2011 but wasn’t selected. For the 2012 edition, she was reportedly picked directly by an SMRTV director who saw her perform one night.

SMRTV and Monetta worked tirelessly for three consecutive years. In 2012, they had to rename and rewrite “Facebook Uh, Oh, Oh” as “The Social Network Song” to meet the contest’s rules. In 2013, they narrowly missed the finals, finishing 11th with “Crisalide (Vola)” Finally, in 2014, Monetta achieved the national goal, reaching the final. Though she finished third from last, it was a significant victory, proving that microstates could reach the final without a large diaspora or major influence.

By 2018, it was clear a new strategy was needed, leading SMRTV to launch the ambitious yet chaotic 1in360 national selection. After sifting through over a thousand applications and various wildcard entries, the competition ended with Jessika and Jenifer Brening winning with “Who We Are.” Despite the effort, San Marino once again failed to qualify for the Eurovision final.

The iconic era: Say ADRENALINA 💅🏆

Between 2019 and 2022, San Marino experienced a Eurovision glow-up, thanks to returning contestants Serhat and Senhit, and the addition of Italian singer Achille Lauro. Serhat led the charge in 2019, delivering San Marino’s best result to date—19th place in the final.

For the canceled 2020 edition, Senhit was set to perform “Freaky!“, chosen by the public, but the real highlight came in 2021 with her energetic performance of “Adrenalina“. The wild party atmosphere was enhanced by a surprise appearance from Flo Rida. Although they finished 22nd, the performance remains one of Eurovision’s memorable moments.

In 2022, San Marino revamped its national selection with a new format called Una voce per San Marino. True to the nation’s unpredictable style, the process was chaotic, but it resulted in Achille Lauro winning with “Stripper“. Despite not qualifying for the final, Lauro delivered a show-stopping performance that, much like Senhit’s, left a lasting impression.

The confused era, AGAIN??

Unfortunately, the last two editions of Eurovision haven’t been favorable for San Marino. They continued using the Una voce per San Marino selection process, but the results were disappointing. In 2023, Piqued Jacks finished last in the second semi-final with 0 points, tied with Romania’s Theodor Andrei, who placed 15th due to performing earlier in the running order.

This year, the Spanish rock band Megara won the national selection. Despite having a solid song and intriguing staging, they couldn’t make it to the finals, likely due to the strong competition in the second semi-final.

Conclusions: What to learn from San Marino?

San Marino’s Eurovision journey highlights the importance of perseverance and dedication. Despite being a small country, they have consistently aimed to make an impact on the Eurovision stage, overcoming various challenges along the way. Unlike some smaller nations that might attribute their results to geopolitics and not invest the extra effort, San Marino remains committed to pushing forward and improving their performance.