Before the country became independent on 3 June 2006, entries from Montenegro had participated in the contest as part ofYugoslavia and laterSerbia and Montenegro. Entries from the formerSR Montenegro placed 4th in1983 and 18th in1984 as part of Yugoslavia, and an entry from theRepublic of Montenegro placed 7th in2005 as part of Serbia and Montenegro.
RTCG organised the national finalMontenegroSong to select the country's entries in2007 and2008, and internally selected the entry in2009.
Montenegro failed to qualify for the final on its debut in2007, as well as its appearances in2008 and2009. The country placed 11th in the first semi-final in 2009, its best result at the time, with "Just Get Out of My Life" performed byAndrea Demirović. In November 2009, RTCG announced that Montenegro would not participate in2010 due to financial difficulties.[1] RTCG applied to participate in the2011 contest, but with the caveat that the potential representative would have to find sponsors themselves to fund their participation.[2] As that did not come to fruition, in December 2010, Montenegro decided to not participate in the contest on financial grounds.[3]
On 20 November 2011, the head of RTCG revealed that Montenegro would participate in the2012 contest in Baku.[4] The country internally selected its entry, "Euro Neuro" performed byRambo Amadeus, which failed to qualify from the first semi-final. In2013, Montenegro internally selectedWho See andNina Žižić with the song "Igranka", which failed to qualify. In2014, Montenegro qualified for the final for the first time in its history withSergej Ćetković's "Moj svijet". In2015, Montenegro again qualified for the final with "Adio", performed byKnez and composed byŽeljko Joksimović. The song achieved the best Montenegrin result to date, finishing in 13th place. In2016, RTCG selectedHighway and their song "The Real Thing" internally. They performed in the first semi-final but failed to qualify, placing 13th with 60 points. In2017, RTCG selectedSlavko Kalezić and his song "Space" internally. The song failed to qualify, placing 16th. In2018, RTCG organised the national finalMontevizija to select their entry,[5] which was won by "Inje" performed byVanja Radovanović.[6] The song failed to qualify from the second semi-final, placing 16th with 40 points. In2019, RTCG again selected its representative throughMontevizija,[7] which was won by "Heaven" performed byD mol.[8] The song failed to qualify from the first semi-final, placing 16th with 46 points.
Despite initially confirming its participation in the2020 contest and aiming to expandMontevizija,[9][10] Montenegro ultimately did not enter the contest, which was later cancelled as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[11] RTCG later stated that the reason was due to "modest results" and financial issues.[12] Montenegro also did not participate in the2021 contest, but returned in2022, having internally selectedVladana to represent the country with the song "Breathe".[13][14] Once again, Montenegro failed to qualify for the final, finishing 17th in a field of 18 with 33 points in the second semi-final. Following another two-year absence,[15][16] Montenegro was set to return in2025, with plans to hold a new national final format,Montesong 2024, in order to determine its entry.[17][18] On 31 October 2024, Boris Raonić, Director-General of RTCG, and Danijel Alibabić, President of the Association of Variety Performers of Montenegro, signed a formal cooperation agreement to establishMontesong as a common project, with Alibabić hinting at future editions of the festival.[19] The first edition ofMontesong was won byNeonoen with "Clickbait", however, the band was discovered to have performed the song prior to the cut-off date, leading to their withdrawal and runner-up Nina Žižić with "Dobrodošli" subsequently being chosen as the Montenegrin entrant in Basel.[20] Žižić, however, finished in last place in the second semi-final, scoring only 12 points, giving Montenegro its worst ever result and marking the first time that Montenegro has finished in last place in a Eurovision event. Following the 2025 contest,Montesong producerDanijel Alibabić [sr] called for Montenegrin authorities to get more involved in RTCG's Eurovision efforts in 2026.[21]
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.[25]
Each participating broadcaster assembles a five-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals for the Eurovision Song Contest, ranking all entries except for their own. The modern incarnation of jury voting was introduced beginning with the2009 contest, and as of 2023[update], the juries' votes constitute just under 50% of the overall result in the final alongside televoting.[30]
For the show's broadcast on RTCG, various commentators have provided commentary on the contest in the Montenegrin 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.[38]
^"Subota, 26. maj 2012" [Saturday, 26 May 2012]. TVCG SAT.Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved2023-06-20.
^abVučinić, Nada (14 May 2013)."Večernji program" [Evening program] (in Montenegrin).RTCG.Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved16 November 2019.
^Vučinić, Nada (14 May 2013)."Večernji program" [Evening program] (in Montenegrin).RTCG.Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved15 May 2013.
^Vučinić, Nada (14 May 2013)."Večernji program" [Evening program] (in Montenegrin).RTCG.Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved15 May 2013.
^"Utorak, 6. maj 2014" [Tuesday, 6 May 2014]. TVCG MNE.Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved2023-06-20.
^"Eurosong 2024" [Eurovision Song Contest 2024] (in Montenegrin (Latin script)).RTCG. 7 May 2024. Retrieved5 May 2024.
^"Eurosong 2024" [Eurovision Song Contest 2024] (in Montenegrin (Latin script)).RTCG. 7 May 2024.Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved5 May 2024.
^"Programska šema".RTCG - Radio Televizija Crne Gore - Nacionalni javni servis. Retrieved2025-05-07.
For the most recent participation see
Kyiv
