The registration for the national Eurovision 2018 selection has started. Those who aspire to represent Moldova in Lisbon can file applications by January 15, 2018. The national final will take place on February 24, while the intentional stages on May 8, 10 and 12, 2018, IPN reports.

Moldova’s representative will be chosen in three stages. At the first stage, the jury will listen to phonograms in the absence of the contestants. The jury will select at most 35 songs that will be admitted to the next stage, which is live auditions, where at most 16 songs will be chosen. The final stage of the national selection consists of the national final and semifinal, on February 22 and 24. These will be broadcast live on TV Moldova 1 and Radio Moldova Actualitati. The semifinal will involve 16 competitors, while the final ten. 

The jury will decide the results of the first and second stages, while the semifinal and final results will be decided 50% by the jury and 50% by TV viewers. The singer or band that will get the highest score will become the winner.

The applications and audio records in a digital format can be submitted by January 15, 5pm, to the Eurovision 2018 Collection Center at 64 Hancesti St, Moldova 1, from Monday through Friday between 9am and 5pm. Applications can also be filed to eurovision@trm.md.

Moldova has taken part in the Eurovision Song Contest since 2004. The band “SunStroke Project” had the best performance so far. In 2017, they ranked third.