Today RTP, the Portuguese broadcaster handling Eurovision, has disclosed how the songs competing in the Portuguese national selection next year, Festival da Cançao 2018, will be chosen.

We reported earlier on how the Northern Portuguese city of Guimarães will be hosting Festival da Cançao 2018. The national selection will consist of two semi-finals and a final and each semi-final will see 10 entries competing each. And this is how the competing songs will be selected:

• 17 songs will be from composers invited by RTP (the composer will select the lyricst and artist).
• 1 song will be from a composer selected by Festival da Cançao 2017 and Eurovision 2017 winner Salvador Sobral (this composer will select the lyricist and artist).
• 1 song will be from an amateur composer selected through radio show ”Master Class” on Antena 1 (belonging to RTP).
• 1 song from an open call to Portuguese citizens, Lusophone nationals (i.e. citizens of countries that have Portuguese as a national language) and foreigners living in Portugal.

The semi-finals will take place on February 18 and 25 with the final taking place on March the 4th in the Pavilhão Multiusos in Guimarães.