Dora 2023 will likely include semi-finals as Croatia confirms their participation for Eurovision Song Contest 2023
Croatian broadcaster HRT have announced that applications for Dora 2023 have opened today. The deadline for submissions is November 20.
While an official decision won’t be made by HRT until at least January 10, the broadcaster has said that semi-finals will likely be used in Croatia’s national selected for the first time since Dora’s return in 2019. The Croatian national selection last included semi-finals in 2011.
Dora 2023 will take place in February 2023; the number of songs will range from 14 to 28. Since its return, the number of participants in Dora has been between 14 and 16. However, an inclusion of semi-finals would likely see this number rise this year.
Mia Dimšić won Dora last year with he song “Guilty Pleasure“. At Eurovision, she failed to qualify for the final finishing 11th in Semi Final 1. Croatia last qualified for the Grand Final in 2017 with Jacques Houdek and his song “My Friend” coming 13th place.
The Balkan country have struggled to find success at Eurovision through Dora. The last time a Dora winner qualified for the Eurovision Grand Final was in 2009, 13 years ago. Croatia will be hoping the reintroduction of semi finals could see their fortunes change at the contest.
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