# Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998

Malta was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 with the song "The One That I Love", composed by Jason Cassar, with lyrics by Sunny Aquilina, and performed by Chiara. The Maltese participating broadcaster, Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), selected its entry through a national final.

## Before Eurovision
### National final

Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) held the national final on 6 and 7 February 1998 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta, hosted by Angela Agius, John Demanuele, Denise Mintoff, and Patrick Vella. On the first night, 22 songs were presented, 6 of which were in a special category for newcomers to the contest. Those 6 were reduced to 4 after the first night, so that on the second night there were 20 songs. The 2 songs that were eliminated after the first night were "Come Back Home" performed by Rita Pace and "That Magic In Your Eyes" performed by Tonio Cuschieri. On the second night, all 20 finalists performed, and the winner was chosen by an "expert" jury.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
| 1 | Claudette Pace and 6th Above | "Listen to Our Voices" | 137 | 3 |
| 2 | Orion | "Longing Dawn" | 91 | 7 |
| 3 | Marvic Lewis | "Voice in the Night" | 113 | 4 |
| 4 | Tarcisio Barbara | "How Can I Get Over You" | 82 | 8 |
| 5 | Fiona | "Same Time Tomorrow" | 76 | 9 |
| 6 | Miriam Christine | "It's Up to You" | 102 | 5 |
| 7 | Leontine | "Children of Mother Earth" | 65 | 13 |
| 8 | Fate | "Listen" | 41 | 19 |
| 9 | Natasha Grima | "Nights Alone" | 53 | 16 |
| 10 | Marisa D'Amato | "Love Will Be Your Light" | 97 | 6 |
| 11 | Olivia Lewis | "You're the One" | 59 | 15 |
| 12 | Karen Polidano | "Searching the Seas" | 63 | 14 |
| 13 | Vince Bongailas | "Unexplained" | 28 | 20 |
| 14 | Ivan Spiteri Lucas | "Playing with My Heart" | 44 | 18 |
| 15 | Enzo Gusman | "As Far as I Can See" | 47 | 17 |
| 16 | Catherine Vigar | "Give Love More Space" | 69 | 11 |
| 17 | Fabrizio Faniello | "More Than Just a Game" | 142 | 2 |
| 18 | Chiara | "The One That I Love" | 164 | 1 |
| 19 | Lawrence Gray | "Newborn Heart" | 76 | 9 |
| 20 | Georgina | "The Morning Rain" | 68 | 12 |
Detailed Jury Votes :
| Draw | Song | Juror | Juror | Juror | Juror | Juror | Juror | Juror | Total |
| Draw | Song | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Total |
| 1 | "Listen to Our Voices" | 20 | 9 | 22 | 26 | 20 | 24 | 16 | 137 |
| 2 | "Longing Dawn" | 13 | 16 | 7 | 18 | 5 | 22 | 10 | 91 |
| 3 | "Voice in the Night" | 9 | 26 | 18 | 20 | 14 | 8 | 18 | 113 |
| 4 | "How Can I Get Over You" | 4 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 9 | 5 | 20 | 82 |
| 5 | "Same Time Tomorrow" | 18 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 76 |
| 6 | "It's Up to You" | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 22 | 14 | 14 | 102 |
| 7 | "Children of Mother Earth" | 10 | 4 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 16 | 2 | 65 |
| 8 | "Listen" | 5 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 41 |
| 9 | "Nights Alone" | 14 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 53 |
| 10 | "Love Will Be Your Light" | 22 | 22 | 12 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 22 | 97 |
| 11 | "You're the One" | 8 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 59 |
| 12 | "Searching the Seas" | 7 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 20 | 9 | 63 |
| 13 | "Unexplained" | 1 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 28 |
| 14 | "Playing with My Heart" | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 3 | 13 | 44 |
| 15 | "As Far as I Can See" | 2 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 47 |
| 16 | "Give Love More Space" | 11 | 13 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 69 |
| 17 | "More Than Just a Game" | 24 | 24 | 24 | 4 | 24 | 18 | 24 | 142 |
| 18 | "The One That I Love" | 26 | 10 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 164 |
| 19 | "Newborn Heart" | 16 | 3 | 16 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 7 | 76 |
| 20 | "The Morning Rain" | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 68 |

## At Eurovision

Ahead of the contest, Malta were considered one of the favourites among bookmakers to win the contest, featuring alongside the entries from United Kingdom, Belgium, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The song received 165 points, finishing 3rd. This was Malta's best result along with 1992 up to that point before their second place in 2002 and 2005.