# Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023

Portugal participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool with "Ai coração" performed by Mimicat. The Portuguese broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) organised the national final Festival da Canção 2023 in order to select the Portuguese entry for the 2023 contest. After two semi-finals and a final which took place in February–March 2023, "Ai coração" emerged as the winner after achieving the highest score following the combination of votes from seven regional juries and a public televote.
Portugal was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 9 May 2023. Performing during the show in position 5, "Ai coração" was announced as one of the top 10 entries and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 13 May. In the final, Portugal performed in position 2 and placed 23rd out of the 26 countries with 59 points (43 from the jury vote and 16 from the public vote).

## Background

Prior to the 2023 contest, Portugal has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 53 times since its first entry in 1964. Portugal had won the contest on one occasion: in 2017 with the song "Amar pelos dois" performed by Salvador Sobral. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004, Portugal had featured in only seven finals. Portugal's least successful result has been last place, which they have achieved on four occasions, most recently in 2018 with the song "O jardim" performed by Cláudia Pascoal. Portugal has also received nul points on two occasions; in 1964 and 1997. In 2022, Portugal placed ninth with the song "Saudade, saudade" performed by Maro.
The Portuguese national broadcaster, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP), broadcasts the event within Portugal and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. RTP confirmed Portugal's participation in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest on 2 September 2022. The broadcaster has traditionally selected the Portuguese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest via the music competition Festival da Canção, with exceptions in 1988 and 2005 when the Portuguese entries were internally selected. Along with their participation confirmation, the broadcaster announced the organization of Festival da Canção in order to select the 2023 Portuguese entry.

## Before Eurovision
### Festival da Canção 2023

The 2023 edition of Festival da Canção featured two semi-finals and a final, and saw 20 acts compete.

#### Format

The format of the competition consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Each semi-final featured 10 competing entries from which six advanced from each show to complete the 12-song lineup in the final. Results during the semi-finals were determined by the votes from a jury panel appointed by RTP and public televoting; the first five qualifiers were based on the 50/50 combination of jury and public voting where both streams of voting assign points from 1–8, 10 and 12 based on ranking, while the sixth qualifier was determined by a second round of public televoting from the remaining entries. Results during the final were determined by the 50/50 combination of votes from seven regional juries and public televoting, which was opened following the second semi-final and closed during the final show. Both the public televote and the juries assign points from 1–8, 10 and 12 based on the ranking developed by both streams of voting.
All three shows of the competition took place at RTP's Studio 1 in Lisbon and were broadcast on RTP1 and RTP Internacional as well as on radio via Antena 1 and online via RTP Play. The shows were also broadcast on RTP Accessibilidades with presentation in Portuguese Sign Language and in Spain online via RTVE Play.

#### Competing entries

Twenty composers were selected by RTP through two methods: 15 invited by RTP for the competition and five selected from 667 submissions received through an open call for songs. The composers, which both create the songs and select its performers, were required to submit the demo and final versions of their entries by 31 October and 30 November 2022, respectively. Songs could be submitted in any language. The selected composers were revealed on 9 November 2022, while the competing artists and songs were revealed on 19 January 2023. Among the competing artists was Cláudia Pascoal, who represented Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Selection |
| April Ivy | "Modo voo" | Mariana Gonçalves, João Maia Ferreira, Francisco Santos, Manuel Morgado, Ricardo Moreira, Matheus Paraízo, Francisco Andrade | Invited by RTP |
| Bandua | "Bandeiras" | Bernardo Adário, Edgar Valente | Invited by RTP |
| Bárbara Tinoco | "Goodnight" | Bárbara Tinoco, Mateus Seabra | Invited by RTP |
| Bolha | "Sonhos de liberdade" | Jacinta, Joana Gil | Invited by RTP |
| Churky | "Encruzilhada" | Churky | Invited by RTP |
| Cláudia Pascoal | "Nasci Maria" | Cláudia Pascoal | Invited by RTP |
| Dapunksportif | "World Needs Therapy" | João Guincho, Paulo Franco | Invited by RTP |
| Edmundo Inácio | "A festa" | Edmundo Inácio | Open call winner |
| Esse Povo | "Sapatos de cimento" | Quim Albergaria | Invited by RTP |
| Inês Apenas | "Fim do mundo" | Inês Apenas | Open call winner |
| Ivandro | "Povo" | Ivandro | Invited by RTP |
| Lara Li | "Funâmbula" | André Henriques | Invited by RTP |
| Mimicat | "Ai coração" | Marisa Mena, Luís Pereira | Open call winner |
| Moyah | "Too Much Sauce" | Moyah, Kensaye, Miguel Gutierrez | Open call winner |
| Neon Soho | "Endless World" | Neon Soho | Invited by RTP |
| SAL | "Viver" | Sérgio Pires, SAL | Invited by RTP |
| Teresinha Landeiro | "Enquanto é tempo" | Pedro de Castro, Teresinha Landeiro | Invited by RTP |
| The Happy Mess | "O impossível" | João Pascoal, Afonso Carvalho, Miguel Ribeiro, Paulo Mouta Pereira, Bruno Vieira Amaral | Invited by RTP |
| Voodoo Marmalade | "Tormento" | Voodoo Marmalade | Open call winner |
| You Can't Win, Charlie Brown | "Contraste mudo" | Afonso Cabral, David Santos, João Gil, Pedro Branco, Salvador Menezes, Tomás Sousa | Invited by RTP |

#### Semi-finals

The two semi-finals took place on 25 February and 4 March 2023. In each semi-final, 10 entries competed and six advanced to the final: five based on the 50/50 combination of votes from the televote and a jury panel consisting of Alex D'Alva, Carlos Mendes, Márcia [pt], Maro, Neev [pt], Pedro Ribeiro [pt] and Sara Correia. One additional entry was then selected by televoting exclusively. The first semi-final was hosted by Tânia Ribas de Oliveira and José Carlos Malato. Throughout all shows, Inês Lopes Gonçalves [pt] was in charge of the green room alongside Wandson Lisboa, the social media correspondent. In addition to the performances of the competing entries, HMB [pt] together with Nena, Ana Bacalhau [pt] and Wander Isaac, Fernando Tordo and Spanish Eurovision 2023 entrant Blanca Paloma performed as guests in the first semi-final. The second semi-final was hosted by Jorge Gabriel and Sónia Araújo, while Filipe Sambado [pt] together with Surma [pt] and Primeira Dama, juror Carlos Mendes, and Portuguese representative in Junior Eurovision 2022, Nicolas Alves, performed as guests.
Esse Povo, who took part in the first semi-final with their song "Sapatos de cimento", automatically qualified from the jury and televote round due to a technical issue related to their televoting line discovered during the first semi-final, resulting in the final featuring 13 artists instead of the planned 12.
Key:  Jury and televote round qualifier  Televote-only round qualifier
Semi-final 1 – 25 February 2023 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Televote | Total | Place |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Percentage | Points | Total | Place |
| 1 | Moyah | "Too Much Sauce" | 3 | 1.73% | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| 2 | Bolha | "Sonhos de liberdade" | 2 | 6.17% | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| 3 | April Ivy | "Modo voo" | 1 | 3.61% | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| 4 | Churky | "Encruzilhada" | 5 | 19.11% | 10 | 15 | 5 |
| 5 | Cláudia Pascoal | "Nasci Maria" | 12 | 14.29% | 8 | 20 | 1 |
| 6 | SAL | "Viver" | 8 | 10.21% | 7 | 15 | 4 |
| 7 | Mimicat | "Ai coração" | 7 | 19.37% | 12 | 19 | 2 |
| 8 | You Can't Win, Charlie Brown | "Contraste mudo" | 10 | 8.45% | 5 | 15 | 3 |
| 9 | Neon Soho | "Endless World" | 6 | 9.57% | 6 | 12 | 6 |
| 10 | Esse Povo | "Sapatos de cimento" | 4 | 7.49% | — | — | — |
Semi-final 1 – Second round :
| Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
| April Ivy | "Modo voo" | 16.80% | 3 |
| Bolha | "Sonhos de liberdade" | 17.30% | 2 |
| Moyah | "Too Much Sauce" | 10.32% | 4 |
| Neon Soho | "Endless World" | 55.58% | 1 |
Semi-final 2 – 4 March 2023 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Televote | Total | Place |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Percentage | Points | Total | Place |
| 1 | Edmundo Inácio | "A festa" | 10 | 10.18% | 7 | 17 | 1 |
| 2 | The Happy Mess | "O impossível" | 3 | 8.81% | 6 | 9 | 8 |
| 3 | Teresinha Landeiro | "Enquanto é tempo" | 7 | 8.25% | 5 | 12 | 6 |
| 4 | Bandua | "Bandeiras" | 4 | 6.44% | 3 | 7 | 9 |
| 5 | Bárbara Tinoco | "Goodnight" | 12 | 5.91% | 1 | 13 | 4 |
| 6 | Inês Apenas | "Fim do mundo" | 6 | 11.71% | 8 | 14 | 3 |
| 7 | Ivandro | "Povo" | 8 | 7.32% | 4 | 12 | 5 |
| 8 | Dapunksportif | "World Needs Therapy" | 2 | 15.38% | 10 | 12 | 7 |
| 9 | Lara Li | "Funâmbula" | 1 | 6.26% | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 10 | Voodoo Marmalade | "Tormento" | 5 | 19.74% | 12 | 17 | 2 |
Semi-final 2 – Second round :
| Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
| Bandua | "Bandeiras" | 19.10% | 3 |
| Dapunksportif | "World Needs Therapy" | 26.83% | 1 |
| Lara Li | "Funâmbula" | 19.81% | 2 |
| Teresinha Landeiro | "Enquanto é tempo" | 18.70% | 4 |
| The Happy Mess | "O impossível" | 15.56% | 5 |

#### Final

The final took place on 11 March 2023 and was hosted by Filomena Cautela and Vasco Palmeirim, who were joined by green room host Inês Lopes Gonçalves and digital content and social media host Wandson Lisboa. Interval acts included a The Beatles medley by Eurovision Song Contest 2017 winner Salvador Sobral, a reprise of "Saudade, saudade" by Maro featuring several finalists of Festival da Canção 2022, and a medley of songs from Liverpudlian artists by David Fonseca. The winner was selected based on the 50/50 combination of votes from seven regional juries and from a public televote.
Final – 11 March 2023 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Jury | Televote | Televote | Total | Place |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Votes | Points | Percentage | Points | Total | Place |
| 1 | Cláudia Pascoal | "Nasci Maria" | 48 | 8 | 8.21% | 4 | 12 | 3 |
| 2 | Churky | "Encruzilhada" | 5 | 0 | 8.26% | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| 3 | Esse Povo | "Sapatos de cimento" | 30 | 4 | 2.82% | 0 | 4 | 11 |
| 4 | Bárbara Tinoco | "Goodnight" | 27 | 3 | 8.58% | 6 | 9 | 4 |
| 5 | You Can't Win, Charlie Brown | "Contraste mudo" | 45 | 7 | 3.74% | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| 6 | Voodoo Marmalade | "Tormento" | 5 | 0 | 9.02% | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| 7 | Inês Apenas | "Fim do mundo" | 26 | 2 | 4.55% | 1 | 3 | 13 |
| 8 | Mimicat | "Ai coração" | 66 | 12 | 19.33% | 12 | 24 | 1 |
| 9 | Dapunksportif | "World Needs Therapy" | 2 | 0 | 9.17% | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| 10 | Neon Soho | "Endless World" | 33 | 5 | 3.96% | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| 11 | Ivandro | "Povo" | 43 | 6 | 5.42% | 3 | 9 | 5 |
| 12 | Edmundo Inácio | "A festa" | 66 | 12 | 12.24% | 10 | 22 | 2 |
| 13 | SAL | "Viver" | 10 | 1 | 4.70% | 2 | 3 | 12 |
Detailed regional jury votes :
| Draw | Song | North | Central | Lisbon Area | Alentejo | Algarve | Madeira | Azores | Total |
| 1 | "Nasci Maria" | 3 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 48 |
| 2 | "Encruzilhada" | | | | 2 | 2 | 1 | | 5 |
| 3 | "Sapatos de cimento" | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 30 |
| 4 | "Goodnight" | 2 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 2 | | 27 |
| 5 | "Contraste mudo" | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 45 |
| 6 | "Tormento" | | 1 | | | 1 | | 3 | 5 |
| 7 | "Fim do mundo" | 6 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 3 | | 26 |
| 8 | "Ai coração" | 5 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 66 |
| 9 | "World Needs Therapy" | | | | | | | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | "Endless World" | 10 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 4 | | 5 | 33 |
| 11 | "Povo" | 12 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 43 |
| 12 | "A festa" | 8 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 66 |
| 13 | "Viver" | 1 | | 1 | | | | 8 | 10 |
| Members of the jury ||||||||||
| North: Ana Aroso, João Pedro Coimbra, Graciela Central: Isilda Sanches, Tiago Nogueira, Susie Filipe Lisbon Area: Elisa Rodrigues, Bruno Vasconcelos, Gabriela Barros Alentejo: Cristina Branco, Pedro Madeira, Buba Espinho Algarve: Júlio Resende, Gil Silva, Sara Afonso Madeira: Guilherme Gomes, Diana Duarte, Mara Azores: Maria Bettencourt, Maria do Rosário Pereira, Miguel Damião ||||||||||

#### Ratings

Viewing figures by show :
| Show | Air date | Viewers | Share (%) |
| Semi-final 1 | 25 February 2023 | 477,000 | 11.4% |
| Semi-final 2 | 4 March 2023 | 505,000 | 12.9% |
| Final | 11 March 2023 | 560,000 | 15.4% |

## At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top 10 countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 31 January 2023, an allocation draw was held, which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, and determined which half of the show they would perform in. Portugal has been placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 9 May 2023, and has been scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.
Once all the competing songs for the 2023 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Portugal was set to perform in position 5, following the entry from Latvia and before the entry from Ireland.
At the end of the show, Portugal was announced as a qualifier for the final.

### Voting
#### Detailed voting results

The following members comprised the Portuguese jury:
* Gustavo Almeida
* Nuno Mota
* Ana Carina Almeida
* Milhanas
* Patrícia Antunes