North Macedonia[a] has been represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 21 times since its official debut in 1998. The country had attempted to participate in 1996, but failed to qualify from the audio-only qualifying round. The Macedonian participating broadcaster in the contest is the Macedonian Radio Television (MRT).
Prior to 2019, North Macedonia's best result was a twelfth place finish with "Ninanajna" performed by Elena Risteska in 2006. Having qualified from the semi-final round only once in ten of the previous eleven contests (2008–18), North Macedonia achieved its best result to date in 2019, when "Proud" by Tamara Todevska qualified and finished in seventh place in the final after winning the jury vote. Following a further two non-qualifications, MRT opted out of participating in 2023 and has yet to return.
Before the country's independence in 1991 from SFR Yugoslavia, RTV Skopje –Yugoslav Radio Television's (JRT) affiliate in SR Macedonia, and MRT's predecessor– participated in the Yugoslav pre-selection called among the JRT affiliates from the other Yugoslav federal units.[1] Also, Macedonian composers wrote songs for candidates from other parts of Yugoslavia.[2] However, the only Macedonian win in the Yugoslav competition, "Vraćam se" by Maja Odžaklievska in 1980,[1] did not compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 due to JRT's decision not to participate that year. SR Macedonia was the only Yugoslav federal state that never sent a Yugoslav entry to the Eurovision Song Contest.
History
Tamara Todevska became the highest scoring Macedonian entrant in the contest with the song "Proud", which finished in seventh position at the 2019 contest, winning the jury vote.
MRT submitted its first entry, "Samo ti" (Само ти) sung by Kaliopi, for the 1996 contest. However, the country failed to qualify through the non-broadcast pre-selection round. Its efforts to enter the contest were again hindered in 1997, when another new system was introduced where countries with the lowest average scores over the previous four years were excluded from participating. The country made its debut in 1998, with "Ne zori, zoro" by Vlado Janevski.
The country's best result before 2019 (and the best result with its old name) was in 2006, with "Ninanajna" (Нинанајна) by Elena Risteska in Athens, who came 12th. It is the only country to have qualified from every semi-final from 2004 to 2007 (other countries have qualified for every final but due to them finishing in the top 10 the previous year, they did not have to compete in the semi-final). Despite never finishing in the top 10, their record of qualifying for every final was broken in 2008, when the jury vote used in the semi-final chose Sweden as a finalist, despite Tamara, Vrčak and Adrian having come 10th in the televote.
MRT has intermittently used the Skopje Fest to select the national entry since the country's debut, although it made several changes in the national final format, so the 2004, 2005, and 2006 national finals were organised outside the Skopje Fest.
For 2019, the country competed for the first time under the name North Macedonia.[3] MRT selected "Proud" by Tamara Todevska as their act of choice. The song managed to qualify through the second semi-final, and reached seventh place in the final, winning the jury vote. This is the first top ten placing as well as the highest placing ever for North Macedonia in the history of the contest.
Following two non-qualifications in 2021 and 2022, MRT confirmed its absence in the 2023 contest, citing financial constraints.[4] However, MRT still broadcast the 2023 contest with a view to return in 2024.[5] The broadcaster's intention to return was stated in a budget plan published in September 2023.[6][7] However, in late October 2023, the programme planning chair of MRT, Smilka Janeska Sarkanjac, clarified that a decision was yet to be made and the plan was still awaiting the approval of the government.[8] North Macedonia ultimately did not appear on the final list of participants.[9]
On 7November 2024, the Macedonian newspaper Fokus reported that an employee of Macedonian broadcaster MRT anonymously admitted in an interview with them that the station's management is convinced that there is a need for a new selection format that should keep up with the ever-increasing Eurovision standards. He also assured that the Macedonian broadcaster is doing "everything in their power" to ensure the country's participation "on a level", even as early as the 2026 contest.[10] On 16 May 2025, Macedonian journalist Aleksandra Jovanovska (who was also a member of the Macedonian delegation until the country's last participation in the contest and a commentator on the contest for MRT in 2009, 2020, 2023, 2024 and 2025) gave an interview on the MRT programme Makedonija nautro, in which she said that MRT is still interested in a return. She has also admitted that there are a number of artists who have already expressed their readiness to represent the country in the contest should it return, but that the biggest problem at the moment is the lack of a suitable selection format, and the MakFest festival could not fulfil this role, as "the level of songs at this event deviates from the level of the European and world stage". Another problem mentioned is the cost of participation, Jovanovska pointed out as examples the funds needed for staging, pyrotechnics, lighting and paying performance directors.[11]
- You leave me tonight "Me ostavash nokva" - Zafir Hadžimanov (Ljubomir Brangolica / Gjoko Georgiev) - Voice to the mountains "Glas do planinite" - Zoran Milosavljevik (Aleksandar Dzambazov / Gjoko Georgiev) - When I sing ,when I love "Koga peam, koga ljubam" - Dime Popovski (Dragan Gjakonovski-Shpato / Gjoko Georgiev) Member in the jury for Macedonian TV Skopje was Vlado Chuchkov
- Wait for me Angela "Angela chekaj me" - Krunoslav Slabinac (Dimitar Masevski / Gjoko Georgiev) 5 pos. - I'am looking for you my love "Te baram sega ljubena" - Zoran Milosavljevik (Slave Dimitrov / Djoko Georgiev) 10 pos. - You You You "Ti, ti, ti" - Zafir Hadžimanov (Aleksandar Dzambazov / Gjoko Georgiev) 10 pos. Member in the jury for Macedonian TV Skopje was Ljubomir Brangolica
- Where are you mother "Kaj si majko" - Daniela Panchetovik (Grigor Koprov) - Hug me hug me dear "Grli me grli dragi" - Nevia Rigutto (Ljubomir Brangolica) 5 pos.
1973 March 1-3 / TV Zagreb, Kristalna dvorana hotel Kvarner, Opatija
- Memory "Spomen" - Lena Trajkovska(Zivoin Glishik) - You are like that "Takva si ti" - Goce Nikolovski (Slave Dimitrov) - Wave with your hand "Mavni mi so raka" - Janko Uzunov (Dimitar Chemkov) - Nostalgia "Nostalgija" - group Impulsi (Dragan Gjakonovski-Shpato) Presenter in Macedonian language was Ljiljana Trajkovska. Member for Macedonian TV Skopje jury in Luxembourg was Blagoja Ignjatovski (professor at Skopje's high-school).
- Like Magic"Kako magija" - Bend Intervali (Vancho Dimitrov / Aleksandar Stefanovski / Slave Dimitrov) 12 pos. 13 pts. - Baby "Bejbi" - Bend Top Ekspres (Grigor Koprov / Nenad Vilovik) 7 pos. 22 pts. Members of the jury for Macedonian TV Skopje were Ljubomir Brangolica, Suzana Stefanovska, Meto Jovanovski.
Each participating broadcaster in the Eurovision Song Contest assigns a head of delegation as the EBU's contact person and the leader of their delegation at the event. The delegation, whose size can greatly vary, includes a head of press, the performers, songwriters, composers, and backing vocalists, among others.[14]
For the show's broadcast on MRT, various commentators have provided commentary on the contest in the Macedonian language. At the Eurovision Song Contest after all points are calculated, the presenters of the show call upon each voting country to invite each respective spokesperson to announce the results of their vote on-screen.[20]
From 1961 until 1991, SR Macedonia was part of Yugoslavia and JRT's affiliate RTV Skopje broadcast the contest there with Macedonian commentary.
1 2 Presented until 2018 as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R. Macedonia).
↑ In order to reduce the number of participating countries at the 1996 event a qualifying round was held among all countries except the hosts. Macedonia failed to progress from this round; entries which failed to progress have subsequently been discounted by the EBU and do not feature as part of the countries' list of appearances.
1 2 Whilist the 10th place would have been enough to qualify in previous and upcoming years, in 2008 and 2009 the top nine countries in each semi-final as determined by televoting qualified automatically, with the tenth place determined based on the votes of the back-up juries among the remaining countries. This resulted in Sweden and Finland advancing to the final instead of Macedonia in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
↑ "Предлог годишна програма"[Proposed annual program](PDF) (in Macedonian). MRT. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023. Програмата на Македонската Радио Телевизија во 2024 година ќе биде одбележана и со учеството на Изборот за песна на Евровизија 2024 година каде што ќе бидат презентирани македонските музички вредности преку песната - учесничка на овој фестивал.[The program of the Macedonian Radio Television in 2024 will also be marked by the participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, where Macedonian musical values will be presented through the song competing in this festival.]
↑ Viki, Klincharova (7 November 2024). "И да сме последни, не треба да се откажеме од Евровизија, смета Програмскиот совет на МРТ"[Even if we are last, we should not give up on Eurovision, believes the MRT Programming Council]. Fokus (in Macedonian). Retrieved 20 May 2025. Сепак, враќањето на Македонија на Евровизија 2025 најверојатно нема да се случи, но ќе се направеле напори да се вратиме на манифестацијата во 2026 година.[However, Macedonia's return to Eurovision 2025 will likely not happen, but efforts will be made to return to the event in 2026.]
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For the most recent participation see
