# Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Portugal was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Grito", written by Alberto Hernández and Iolanda Costa, and performed by Iolanda herself. The Portuguese participating broadcaster, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP), organised the national final Festival da Canção 2024 in order to select its entry for the contest.
Portugal was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 7 May 2024 and was later selected to perform in position 14. At the end of the show, "Grito" was announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and hence qualified to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Portugal placed eighth out of the fifteen participating countries in the semi-final with 58 points. In the final, Portugal performed in position 18 and placed tenth out of the 25 performing countries, scoring a total of 152 points.

## Background

Prior to the 2024 contest, Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP) until 2003, and Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) since 2004, have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing Portugal 54 times since their first entry in 1964. They 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 contest, Portugal had featured in only eight finals. Its least successful result had been last place, which it had achieved on four occasions, most recently in 2018 with the song "O jardim" performed by Cláudia Pascoal. It had also received nul points on two occasions: in 1964 and 1997. In 2023, "Ai coração" performed by Mimicat placed 23rd.
As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, RTP organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. The broadcaster had traditionally selected its entry for the contest via the music competition Festival da Canção, with exceptions in 1988 and 2005 when the entries were internally selected. RTP confirmed its participation in the 2024 contest on 7 August 2023, announcing the organization of the 58th Festival da Canção in order to select its 2024 entry.

## Before Eurovision
### Festival da Canção 2024

The 58th edition of Festival da Canção took place between February and March 2024 at the RTP studios in Lisbon and featured 20 acts competing over two semi-finals and a final. Each show was hosted by a different couple of presenters, while Inês Lopes Gonçalves [pt] and Wandson Lisboa were the green room hosts in all of them. The shows were broadcast on RTP1 as well as on other domestic and international channels of RTP, and streamed online via RTP Play [pt].
To celebrate 60 years since the first edition of Festival da Canção, the shows featured as guests a number of past winners who went on to represent Portugal at Eurovision, namely António Calvário (1964), Simone de Oliveira (1965 and 1969), Paulo de Carvalho (solo in 1974 and as part of Os Amigos in 1977), Adelaide Ferreira (1985), Anabela (1993), Tó Cruz (1995), Inês Santos (1998 as part of Alma Lusa), Rita Guerra (2003), Vânia Fernandes (2008), Filipa Sousa (2012), Suzy (2014), Isaura (2018), Elisa Silva (2020), The Black Mamba (2021) and Mimicat (2023); as well as several former contestants or hosts of the festival, namely Helena Isabel [pt], Herman José, Delfins, António Sala, Pedro Granger [pt], Catarina Furtado, Selma Uamusse [pt], Tozé Brito [pt], Eládio Clímaco, Milhanas, Isabel Angelino [pt], Sílvia Alberto, Júlio Isidro, Pedro Fernandes [pt], Margarida Mercês de Melo [pt], Sofia Morais, José Nuno Martins [pt], Ana Paula Reis, Isabel Campelo [pt], Jorge Fernando [pt], Manuel Luís Goucha, Helena Coelho, Rui Drumond and António Victorino de Almeida; in addition, Alex D'Alva Teixeira, Ana Lua Caiano [pt] and Luca Argel performed.

#### Competing entries

RTP selected 14 entries by direct invitation of composers, and the remaining six from a record 809 entries received through an open submission window between 7 August and 15 October 2023; selected composers were then required to send the full versions of their entries by 30 November 2023.
On 6 November 2023, RTP announced the list of selected composers. Their entries were unveiled on 18 January 2024 during a presentation event at Musicbox in Lisbon.
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Selection |
| Bispo | "Casa portuguesa" | Pedro Bispo | Invited by RTP |
| Buba Espinho | "O farol" | Bernardo Espinho | Invited by RTP |
| Cristina Clara | "Primavera" | Cristina ClaraJon Luz | Invited by RTP |
| Filipa | "You Can't Hide" | Filipa Carmo da SilvaMarie JenkinsRich Pilkington | Open call winner |
| Huca | "Pé de choro" | Bruno HucaMilton Gulli | Invited by RTP |
| Iolanda | "Grito" | Alberto "Luar" HernándezIolanda Costa | Invited by RTP |
| João Borsch | "...Pelas costuras" | João Santos Borges | Invited by RTP |
| João Couto | "Quarto para um" | João Couto | Open call winner |
| Left. | "Volto a ti" | António Maciel Graça | Open call winner |
| Leo Middea | "Doce mistério" | Leo Middea | Invited by RTP |
| Maria João | "Dia" | João FarinhaMaria João Grancha | Invited by RTP |
| Mela | "Água" | Mariana Gonçalves | Open call winner |
| Mila Dores | "Afia a língua" | Filipe Sambado [pt]Mila Dores | Invited by RTP |
| Nena | "Teorias da conspiração" | Nena Marques | Invited by RTP |
| Noble | "Memory" | Pedro FidalgoRui Saraiva | Invited by RTP |
| No Maka feat. Ana Maria | "Aceitar" | Ana Maria RamosDuarte CarvalhoEmanuel OliveiraMara CortezMarcelo GarridoRafael Martins | Invited by RTP |
| Perpétua | "Bem longe daqui" | Beatriz CapoteDiogo RochaRuben TeixeiraXavier Sousa | Invited by RTP |
| Rita Onofre | "Criatura" | Rita Onofre | Open call winner |
| Rita Rocha [pt] | "Pontos finais" | Rita Rocha | Open call winner |
| Silk Nobre | "Change" | Artur GuimarãesFernando NobreRui Pedro Pity | Invited by RTP |

#### Semi-finals

The semi-finals took place on 24 February and 2 March 2024, the first hosted by Tânia Ribas de Oliveira and José Carlos Malato and the second by Sónia Araújo and Jorge Gabriel. In each show, 10 entries competed, with 6 advancing to the final. The voting occurred in two rounds: a 50/50 combination of votes from an expert jury and a public televote determined the first five qualifiers, and a second round of televoting determined the sixth and final qualifier. The jury consisted of Gisela João, Benjamim, Lia Pereira, Miguel Esteves Cardoso, Lura, Pedro Oliveira and Mimicat.
Key: Jury and televote round qualifier Televote-only round qualifier
Semi-final 1 – First round – 24 February 2024 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Televote | Total | Place |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Percentage | Points | Total | Place |
| 1 | Nena | "Teorias da conspiração" | 10 | 9.03% | 5 | 15 | 3 |
| 2 | Perpétua | "Bem longe daqui" | 6 | 17.08% | 12 | 18 | 2 |
| 3 | Mela | "Água" | 4 | 4.20% | 3 | 7 | 8 |
| 4 | Mila Dores | "Afia a língua" | 3 | 2.12% | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| 5 | Left. | "Volto a ti" | 1 | 3.04% | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 6 | Rita Rocha | "Pontos finais" | 7 | 14.90% | 7 | 14 | 5 |
| 7 | Noble | "Memory" | 2 | 15.73% | 8 | 10 | 6 |
| 8 | João Borsch | "...Pelas costuras" | 8 | 9.68% | 6 | 14 | 4 |
| 9 | Iolanda | "Grito" | 12 | 16.47% | 10 | 22 | 1 |
| 10 | Bispo | "Casa portuguesa" | 5 | 7.75% | 4 | 9 | 7 |
Semi-final 1 – Second round – 24 February 2024 :
| Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
| Bispo | "Casa portuguesa" | 23.42% | 2 |
| Left. | "Volto a ti" | 7.43% | 4 |
| Mela | "Água" | 15.37% | 3 |
| Mila Dores | "Afia a língua" | 6.33% | 5 |
| Noble | "Memory" | 47.45% | 1 |
Semi-final 2 – First round – 2 March 2024 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Televote | Total | Place |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Percentage | Points | Total | Place |
| 1 | Buba Espinho | "O farol" | 7 | 11.52% | 7 | 14 | 4 |
| 2 | Cristina Clara | "Primavera" | 10 | 5.63% | 2 | 12 | 5 |
| 3 | Leo Middea | "Doce mistério" | 12 | 9.48% | 5 | 17 | 1 |
| 4 | Filipa | "You Can't Hide" | 1 | 3.04% | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 5 | João Couto | "Quarto para um" | 4 | 10.08% | 6 | 10 | 7 |
| 6 | Huca | "Pé de choro" | 6 | 6.77% | 3 | 9 | 9 |
| 7 | No Maka feat. Ana Maria | "Aceitar" | 5 | 14.47% | 10 | 15 | 2 |
| 8 | Maria João | "Dia" | 8 | 7.47% | 4 | 12 | 6 |
| 9 | Rita Onofre | "Criatura" | 2 | 12.59% | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| 10 | Silk Nobre | "Change" | 3 | 18.95% | 12 | 15 | 3 |
Semi-final 2 – Second round – 2 March 2024 :
| Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
| Filipa | "You Can't Hide" | 12.08% | 5 |
| Huca | "Pé de choro" | 20.82% | 4 |
| João Couto | "Quarto para um" | 21.70% | 2 |
| Maria João | "Dia" | 21.68% | 3 |
| Rita Onofre | "Criatura" | 23.72% | 1 |

#### Final

The final took place on 9 March 2024 and was hosted by Filomena Cautela and Vasco Palmeirim. The winner was selected based on the 50/50 combination of votes from seven three-member regional juries (one for each of the regions of Portugal) and from a public televote open throughout the week preceding the show; in the event of a tie, the public voting would take precedence.
Final – 9 March 2024 :
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Jury | Televote | Televote | Total | Place |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Votes | Points | Percentage | Points | Total | Place |
| 1 | Silk Nobre | "Change" | 43 | 7 | 7.64% | 5 | 12 | 4 |
| 2 | Rita Onofre | "Criatura" | 32 | 5 | 3.12% | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| 3 | Noble | "Memory" | 18 | 1 | 7.81% | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| 4 | Buba Espinho | "O farol" | 46 | 8 | 7.06% | 2 | 10 | 6 |
| 5 | Nena | "Teorias da conspiração" | 24 | 3 | 5.82% | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| 6 | Iolanda | "Grito" | 80 | 12 | 16.29% | 10 | 22 | 1 |
| 7 | No Maka feat. Ana Maria | "Aceitar" | 14 | 0 | 7.60% | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| 8 | Cristina Clara | "Primavera" | 22 | 2 | 2.38% | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| 9 | Rita Rocha | "Pontos finais" | 30 | 4 | 8.51% | 7 | 11 | 5 |
| 10 | Leo Middea | "Doce mistério" | 57 | 10 | 9.17% | 8 | 18 | 3 |
| 11 | Perpétua | "Bem longe daqui" | 7 | 0 | 7.60% | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| 12 | João Borsch | "...Pelas costuras" | 33 | 6 | 17.00% | 12 | 18 | 2 |
Detailed regional jury votes :
| Draw | Song | North | Central | Lisbon Area | Alentejo | Algarve | Madeira | Azores | Total |
| 1 | "Change" | 3 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 43 |
| 2 | "Criatura" | 6 | 5 | 6 | | 3 | 5 | 7 | 32 |
| 3 | "Memory" | 2 | 3 | 4 | | 4 | 3 | 2 | 18 |
| 4 | "O farol" | 8 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 46 |
| 5 | "Teorias da conspiração" | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | | 24 |
| 6 | "Grito" | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 80 |
| 7 | "Aceitar" | | 2 | | 8 | | 1 | 3 | 14 |
| 8 | "Primavera" | 1 | 7 | 7 | 3 | | | 4 | 22 |
| 9 | "Pontos finais" | 7 | | 3 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 30 |
| 10 | "Doce mistério" | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 57 |
| 11 | "Bem longe daqui" | | | | 5 | 2 | | | 7 |
| 12 | "...Pelas costuras" | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 33 |
| Members of the jury ||||||||||
| North: Igor Domingues, Catarina Maia, Valter Lobo Central: John Gonçalves, Sofia Lisboa, Yola Dinis [pt] Lisbon Area: Frankie Chavez [pt], Luís Guerreiro [pt], Margarida Campelo Alentejo: Daniel Boto, Nuno Figueiredo, Vicente Alves do Ó [pt] Algarve: Edmundo Vieira [pt], João de Brito, Nuno Guerreiro [pt] Madeira: Gustavo Paixão, Micaela Abreu [pt], Pedro Camacho Azores: Eugénia Contente, Luís Barrences, Vânia Dilac ||||||||||

#### Broadcasts and ratings

Local and international broadcasters of Festival da Canção 2024 :
| Country | Broadcaster | Channel(s) | Show(s) | Commentators |
| Portugal | RTP | RTP1 | All shows | — |
| Portugal | RTP | RTP África | All shows | — |
| Portugal | RTP | RTP Internacional | All shows | — |
| Portugal | RTP | Antena 1 | All shows | — |
| Portugal | RTP | RTP Play [pt] | All shows | — |
| Spain | RTVE | RTVE Play | Final | Daniel Borrego Escot and Marina Segovia |
Viewing figures by show :
| Show | Air date | Average viewership | Average share (%) | Peak viewership | Peak share (%) |
| Semi-final 1 | 24 February 2024 | 437,000 | 11% | 653,500 | 13.7% |
| Semi-final 2 | 2 March 2024 | 424,300 | 10.3% | 704,500 | 14.3% |
| Final | 9 March 2024 | 486,900 | 12% | Un­known | 18.3% |

### Promotion

As part of the promotion of her participation in the contest, Iolanda attended the PrePartyES in Madrid on 30 March 2024. In addition, she performed at the Eurovision Village in Malmö on 4 May 2024.

## At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 took place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. All nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) were required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progressed to the final. On 30 January 2024, an allocation draw was held to determine which of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show, each country would perform in; the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. Portugal was scheduled for the second half of the first semi-final. The shows' producers then decided the running order for the semi-finals; Portugal was set to perform in position 14.
In Portugal, all three shows were broadcast on RTP1, with the broadcast of the second semi-final starting delayed; commentary was provided by José Carlos Malato and Nuno Galopim. In addition, RTP aired the contest internationally through RTP Internacional and RTP África as well as on its streaming platform RTP Play [pt].

### Performance

Iolanda took part in technical rehearsals on 28 April and 1 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 6 and 7 May. For her performance of "Grito" at the contest, she was joined on stage by five dancers; the colour white dominated the staging and costumes.

### Semi-final

Portugal performed in position 14, following the entry from Australia and before the entry from Luxembourg. At the end of the show, the country was announced as a qualifier for the final. It was later revealed that Portugal placed eighth out of the fifteen participating countries in the first semi-final with 58 points.

### Final

Following the semi-final, Portugal drew "producer's choice" for the final, meaning that the country will perform in the half decided by the contest's producers. Portugal will perform in position 18, following the entry from Finland and before the entry from Armenia. Iolanda once again took part in dress rehearsals on 10 and 11 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show on 11 May. She performed a repeat of her semi-final performance during the final on 11 May. Portugal placed tenth in the final, scoring 152 points; 13 points from the public televoting and 139 points from the juries.

### Voting

Below is a breakdown of points awarded by and to Portugal in the first semi-final and in the final. Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting in the final vote, while the semi-final vote was based entirely on the vote of the public. The Portuguese jury consisted of Joaquim Albergaria, Inês Henriques, Edmundo Inácio, Rafaela e Ribas dos Santos da Silva Rodrigues, and Patrícia Silveira. In the first semi-final, Portugal placed 8th with 58 points, receiving maximum twelve points from Luxembourg and marking the country's fourth consecutive qualification to the final. In the final, Portugal placed 10th with 152 points, receiving twelve points in the jury vote from Croatia, France, and the United Kingdom. Over the course of the contest, Portugal awarded its 12 points to Ukraine in the first semi-final, and to Switzerland (jury) and Israel (televote) in the final.
RTP appointed Mimicat, who represented Portugal in 2023, as its spokesperson to announce the Portuguese jury's votes in the final.

#### Detailed voting results

Each participating broadcaster assembles a five-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent. Each jury, and individual jury member, is required to meet a strict set of criteria regarding professional background, as well as diversity in gender and age. No member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.
The following members comprised the Portuguese jury:
* Joaquim Albergaria
* Inês Henriques
* Edmundo Inácio
* Rafaela e Ribas dos Santos da Silva Rodrigues
* Patrícia Silveira