| Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song Contest | |
|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest | |
 | |
| Participating broadcaster | Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT; 2005–2016) Formerly:
|
| Participation summary | |
| Appearances | 19 (18 finals) |
| First appearance | 1993 |
| Last appearance | 2016 |
| Highest placement | 3rd:2006 |
| External links | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina's page at Eurovision.tv | |
 For the most recent participation seeBosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina has been represented at theEurovision Song Contest 19 times since making its debut in1993, after coming second in the qualification round "Kvalifikacija za Millstreet". The current Bosnian-Herzegovinian participating broadcaster in the contest is theRadio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT).
Bosnia and Herzegovina's best result was in2006, when "Lejla" performed byHari Mata Hari finished third. This remains the country's only top five result in the contest. The country also achieved five other top ten results:1999 with "Putnici" byDino Merlin (seventh),2004 with "In the Disco" byDeen (ninth),2008 with "Pokušaj" byLaka (tenth),2009 with "Bistra voda" byRegina (ninth), and2011 with "Love in Rewind" again by Dino Merlin (sixth). Bosnia and Herzegovina returned to the contest for the first time since 2012 at the2016 contest, where it failed to advance from the semi-finals for the first time. The country then withdrew once again from the contest and has yet to return.
Radio Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RTVBiH) was a full member of theEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU) since 1 January 1993, thus eligible to participate in theEurovision Song Contest since then. It participated in the contest representing Bosnia and Herzegovina since its38th edition that same year. In 2000, RTVBiH's EBU membership was transferred to a new parental broadcasting organisation, the Public Broadcasting Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PBSBiH), which participated in the contest representing the country from 2001 to 2004. On 13 August 2004, PBSBiH was succeeded byRadio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT), which has participated in the contest since then.
Before its independence in 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina was part ofYugoslavia. FiveYugoslavian entrants in the Eurovision Song Contest came from the formerSR Bosnia and Herzegovina (1964,1965,1973,1976, and1981). The contest was broadcast in the socialist republic by theYugoslav Radio Television's (JRT) affiliate RTV Sarajevo.
Low average scores meant Bosnia and Herzegovina did not qualify for the contests in1998 and2000, and the country did not participate in the2013 contest for financial reasons. BHRT had stated that it hoped to return to the contest in 2014,[1] and on 18 November 2013, it submitted a preliminary application to compete in the2014 contest.[2] However, on 18 December 2013, it was announced that Bosnia and Herzegovina would not be returning for 2014.[3]
On 9 September 2014, BHRT announced that it had submitted an application to compete in the2015 contest.[4] On 30 October 2014, BHRT stated that participation was still in jeopardy due to financial difficulties. The EBU granted it a deadline extension until 14 November 2014 to make a final decision regarding its participation.[5] On 17 November 2014, BHRT announced that it would not be competing in the 2015 contest, having not secured the necessary funds to finance its participation.[6]
After competing in 2016, on 29 September 2016, BHRT again announced its withdrawal from the competition in 2017, due to the difficult financial situation that the national broadcaster was currently facing.[7] The following December, BHRT was sanctioned by the EBU due to unpaid debts, by restricting the broadcaster access to common resources.[8]
The Bosnian-Herzegovinian head of delegation, Lejla Babović, confirmed on 29 December 2018 that BHRT's current primary goal was to return to Eurovision, but its current financial situation and mounting debts with the EBU made a return in the near future highly unlikely.[9] This was confirmed for the following years, with a statement in November 2023 that the broadcaster remains under sanctions and is unable to compete in EBU events.[8] On 13 May 2025, Babović gave an interview in which she explained the reasons by which BHRT is still unable to organise its return to the contest. Nevertheless, she admitted that there is a possibility of returning to the contest already in 2026, stating: "If we pay off the debt by November [2025] and start working seriously on participating, we can come back in 2026, but it requires efforts from BHRT, the state, sponsors and people to choose the right song and come back as serious competitors."[10] However, on 9 July,BHRT confirmed that Bosnia and Herzegovina would not return in 2026 due to continued financial difficulties.[11]
Prior to Yugoslavia's dissolution, artists from the SR Bosnia and Herzegovina represented Yugoslavia in1964,1965,1973,1976, and1981.
| 2 | Second place |
| 3 | Third place |
| Year | Artist | Song | Language | Final | Points | Semi | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Fazla | "Sva bol svijeta" | Bosnian | 16 | 27 | 2[a] | 52[a] |
| 1994 | Alma andDejan | "Ostani kraj mene" | Bosnian | 15 | 39 | No semi-finals | |
| 1995 | Davor Popović | "Dvadeset prvi vijek" | Bosnian | 19 | 14 | ||
| 1996 | Amila Glamočak | "Za našu ljubav" | Bosnian | 22 | 13 | 21 | 29 |
| 1997 | Alma Čardžić | "Goodbye" | Bosnian | 18 | 22 | No semi-finals | |
| 1999 | Dino and Béatrice | "Putnici" | Bosnian, French | 7 | 86 | ||
| 2001 | Nino | "Hano" | Bosnian, English | 14 | 29 | ||
| 2002 | Maja | "Na jastuku za dvoje"(На јастуку за двоје) | Serbian, English | 13 | 33 | ||
| 2003 | Mija Martina | "Ne brini" | Croatian, English | 16 | 27 | ||
| 2004 | Deen | "In the Disco" | English | 9 | 91 | 7 | 133 |
| 2005 | Feminnem | "Call Me" | English | 14 | 79 | Top 12 in2004 final[b] | |
| 2006 | Hari Mata Hari | "Lejla" | Bosnian | 3 | 229 | 2 | 267 |
| 2007 | Marija Šestić | "Rijeka bez imena"(Ријека без имена) | Serbian | 11 | 106 | Top 10 in2006 final[b] | |
| 2008 | Laka | "Pokušaj" | Bosnian | 10 | 110 | 9 | 72 |
| 2009 | Regina | "Bistra voda" | Bosnian | 9 | 106 | 3 | 125 |
| 2010 | Vukašin Brajić | "Thunder and Lightning" | English | 17 | 51 | 8 | 59 |
| 2011 | Dino Merlin | "Love in Rewind" | English | 6 | 125 | 5 | 109 |
| 2012 | Maya Sar | "Korake ti znam" | Bosnian | 18 | 55 | 6 | 77 |
| 2016 | Dalal and Deenfeat.Ana Rucner andJala | "Ljubav je" | Bosnian | Failed to qualify | 11 | 104 | |
| Songs | Language | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Bosnian | 1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1999,2001,2006,2008,2009,2012,2016 |
| 7 | English | 2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2010,2011 |
| 2 | Serbian | 2002,2007 |
| 1 | Croatian | 2003 |
| 1 | French | 1999 |
| Year | Category | Song | Composer(s) lyrics (l) / music (m) | Performer | Final | Points | Host city | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Composer Award | "Lejla" | Željko Joksimović (m), Fahrudin Pecikoza (l), Dejan Ivanović (l) | Hari Mata Hari | 3 | 229 |  Athens | |
| 2009 | "Bistra voda" | Aleksandar Čović (m & l) | Regina | 9 | 106 |  Moscow |
| Year | Head of delegation | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 2009–2012 | Dejan Kukrić | |
| 2016 | Lejla Babović |
| Year | Conductor[c] |
|---|---|
| 1993 (KzM) | Esad Arnautalić |
| 1993 |  Noel Kelehan |
| 1994 | Sinan Alimanović |
| 1995 | |
| 1996 | |
| 1997 |
For the show's broadcast in the country, various commentators have provided commentary on the contest in the Bosnian 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.[18]
From1961 until1991, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of Yugoslavia and JRT's affiliate RTV Sarajevo broadcast the contest there.
| Year | Channel | Commentator | Spokesperson | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | RTVBiH | Unknown | Dejan Zagorac[d] | |
| 1994 | Diana Grković-Foretić | |||
| 1995 | ||||
| 1996 | Segmedina Srna | |||
| 1997 | ||||
| 1998 | Did not participate | |||
| 1999 | Segmedina Srna | |||
| 2000 | Did not participate | |||
| 2001 | PBSBiH | Dejan Kukrić | Segmedina Srna | |
| 2002 | PBSBiH,RTVFBiH (FTV1) | |||
| 2003 | Ana Vilenica [hr] | |||
| 2004 | BHTV 1,BH Radio 1(all shows) FTV(final) | Mija Martina | ||
| 2005 | BHT 1(all shows) | Ana Mirjana Račanović | ||
| 2006 | Vesna Andree-Zaimović | |||
| 2007 | ||||
| 2008 | Melina Garibović | |||
| 2009 | BHT 1,BH Radio 1(all shows) | Elvir Laković Laka | ||
| 2010 | BHT 1(all shows) | Ivana Vidmar | ||
| 2011 | ||||
| 2012 | Elvir Laković Laka | |||
| 2013 | BHT 1, BH Radio 1(all shows) | Did not participate | ||
| 2014–2015 | No broadcast | |||
| 2016 | BHT 1, BHT HD, BH Radio 1(all shows) | Dejan Kukrić | Ivana Crnogorac | |
| 2017–2025 | No broadcast | Did not participate | ||
| Show | Commentator | Channel | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest | Unknown | BHT 1 | |
| Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light | Maja Čengić Miralem |
[...] rekao je Dejan Kukrić, šef delegacije BiH.[[...] said Dejan Kukrić, head of the BiH delegation.]
Dejan Kukrić, bivši šef Delegacije BiH na Eurosongu i glavni urednik BH Eurosonga, smatra da ne trebamo odustajati naredne godine, jer uistinu ima smisla učestvovati na tom takmičenju.[Dejan Kukrić, former head of the BiH Delegation at the Eurovision Song Contest and editor-in-chief of the Bosnia and Herzegovina in Eurovision, believes that we should not give up next year, because it really makes sense to participate in that contest.]
Kako je za web stranicu faktor.ba izjavila novoimenovana šefica delegacije BiH na Eurosongu, Lejla A.Babović [...].[As the newly appointed head of the BiH delegation at the Eurovision Song Contest, Lejla A. Babović, told the website faktor.ba [...].]
| Contests | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countries | |||||||||||
| National selections |
| ||||||||||
| Related topics |
| ||||||||||
