The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the 48th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Riga, Latvia, following the country's victory at the 2002 contest with the song "I Wanna" by Marie N. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV), the contest was held at the Skonto Hall on 24 May 2003. The contest was presented by last year's winner Marie N and former contestant Renārs Kaupers.
The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "Cry Baby", written by Martin Isherwood, and performed by the duo Jemini. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), organised a public selection process to determine its entry for the contest, A Song for Europe 2003. Eight acts competed in the national final which consisted of a semi-final and a final, during which the winner was selected entirely through a regional televote.
Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Loca" written by Arsenium. The song was performed by Arsenium and Natalia Gordienko featuring Connect-R. The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) organised the national final O melodie pentru Europa 2006 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the 2006 contest in Athens, Greece. An initial 40 entries competed to represent Moldova in Athens, with 13 being shortlisted to participate in the televised national final which took place on 25 February 2006. The combination of votes from a jury panel and a public televote resulted in a tie that was not resolved, and therefore a second final took place on 15 March 2006 with five entries participating. "Loca" performed by Arsenium and Natalia Gordienko featuring Connect-R emerged as the winner after gaining the most points following the combination of votes from the jury and public televote.
Russia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens, Greece. The Russian entry was selected internally by the Russian broadcaster Channel One Russia (C1R). Dima Bilan represented Russia with the song "Never Let You Go", which qualified from the semi-final and placed 2nd in the final, scoring 248 points. This 2nd place, alongside the 2nd place of Alsou in 2000, was the best result of Russia until 2008.
Belarus was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Love Me Tonight", composed by Nikos Terzis, with lyrics by Nektarios Tyrakis, and performed by Angelica Agurbash. The Belarusian participating broadcaster, Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC), internally selected its entry after having previously selected the performer through a national final.
The Netherlands was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "My Impossible Dream", composed by Robert D. Fisher, with lyrics by Bruce Smith, and performed by Glennis Grace. The Dutch participating broadcaster, Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), organised the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2005 in order to select the its entry for the contest. 24 entries competed in the national final which consisted of five shows: four semi-finals and a final. Six entries competed in each semi-final with three advancing: two entries selected based on a public vote and one entry selected by a three-member jury panel. Twelve entries qualified from to compete in the final on 13 February 2005 where "My Impossible Dream" performed by Glennis Grace was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from three jury panels and a public vote.
Russia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Russian entry was selected through a national final, organised by the Russian broadcaster Channel One Russia (C1R). Natalia Podolskaya represented Russia with the song "Nobody Hurt No One", which placed 15th and scored 57 points at the contest.
The Netherlands was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Without You", composed by Ed van Otterdijk, with lyrics by Angeline van Otterdijk, and performed by the duo Re-union. The Dutch participating broadcaster, Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), organised the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2004 in order to select the its entry for the contest. 24 entries competed in the national final which consisted of six shows: four semi-finals, a wildcard round and a final. Ten entries qualified from to compete in the final on 22 February 2004 where "Without You" performed by Re-union was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public vote.
Russia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, Finland. Despite early indications that the Russian participation for 2007 would be organised by Rossiya Channel (RTR), Channel One Russia (C1R) remained in charge of selecting the Russian entry and retained the broadcast rights for the 2007 Contest. The Russian entry was selected internally by C1R. Serebro represented Russia with the song "Song #1", which placed 3rd in the final, scoring 207 points.
Belarus was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "My Galileo", composed by Alexandra Kirsanova and Konstantin Drapezo, with lyrics by Aleksey Solomaha, and performed by Aleksandra and Konstantin themselves. The Belarusian participating broadcaster, the Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC), selected its entry through a national final. This was the first-ever entry from Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Turkey was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "Everyway That I Can" written by Demir Demirkan and Sertab Erener, and performed by Erener herself. The Turkish participating broadcaster Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu (TRT) internally selected its entry for the contest. The song was presented to the public on 8 March 2003 during the TRT 1 show Sayısal Gece. This was the first time that the Turkish song was performed entirely in English at the contest.
Ireland was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "We've Got the World", written by Martin Brannigan and Keith Molloy, and performed by Mickey Joe Harte. The Irish participating broadcaster, Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), organised the competition You're a Star in order to select its entry for the contest. The broadcaster returned to the contest after a one-year absence following their relegation in 2002 as one of the bottom six entrants in 2001. The competition consisted of 20 shows and concluded with a final, resulting in the selection of "We've Got the World" performed by Mickey Joe Harte as the Irish Eurovision entry after facing a public televote.
Russia participated in and hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Believe" performed by Dima Bilan. The Russian entry was selected through a national final, organised by the Russian broadcaster Channel One Russia (C1R). Anastasia Prikhodko represented Russia with the song "Mamo", which scored 91 points in the final and finished in 11th place.
Slovenia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "Nanana", composed by Martin Štibernik, with lyrics by Karmen Stavec, and performed by Karmen herself. The Slovene participating broadcaster, Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVSLO), held the national final Evrovizijska Melodija 2003 in order to select its entry for the contest. Sixteen entries competed in the national final where the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the top three entries were selected following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public televote. In the second round, "Lep poletni dan" performed by Karmen Stavec was selected as the winner entirely by a public televote. The song was later translated from Slovene to English for Eurovision and was titled "Nanana".
The Netherlands was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "One More Night", written by Tjeerd van Zanen and Alan Michael, adn performed by Esther Hart. The Dutch participating broadcaster, Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), selected its entry for the contest through Nationaal Songfestival 2003. The broadcaster returned to the contest after a one-year absence following its relegation in 2002 as one of the bottom six entrants in 2001. 32 entries competed in the national final which consisted of five shows: four semi-finals and a final. Eight entries qualified from to compete in the final on 1 March 2003 where "One More Night" performed by Esther Hart was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a seven-member jury panel and a public vote.
Iceland was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "Open Your Heart", composed by Hallgrímur Óskarsson, with lyrics by Sveinbjörn I. Baldvinsson and Birgitta Haukdal, and performed by Haukdal herself. The Icelandic participating broadcaster, Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV), selected its entry through Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2003. The broadcaster returned to the contest after a one-year absence following their relegation in 2002 as one of the bottom six entrants in 2001. Fifteen songs competed in the national selection which was held on 15 February 2003. "Segðu mér allt" performed by Birgitta Haukdal emerged as the winner exclusively through public televoting. The song was later translated from Icelandic to English for Eurovision and was titled "Open Your Heart".
Russia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany, selecting their entry internally. This was the country's fifteenth participation in the contest after debuting in 1994.
Latvia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "Hello from Mars", written by Mārtiņš Freimanis and Lauris Reiniks, and performed by the group F.L.Y. The Latvian participating broadcaster, Latvijas Televīzija (LTV) organised the national final Eirodziesma 2003 in order to select its entry for the contest. In addition, LTV was also the host broadcaster and staged the event at the Skonto Hall in Riga, after winning the previous edition with the song "I Wanna" performed by Marie N.
Russia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Russian entry was selected internally by the Russian broadcaster Channel One Russia (C1R). Yulia Savicheva represented Russia with the song "Believe Me", which placed 11th and scored 67 points at the contest.
Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "Feeling Alive" performed by Stelios Constantas. The song was written by Constantas, who had previously attempted to represent the nation at the contest after taking part in the 1997 and 1999 selection processes.
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