Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, Finland, with the song "Hear My Plea" performed by Frederik Ndoci and Aida Ndoci. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2006. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest three times since its first entry in . Due to the non-top 11 result in the previous contest, Albania was drawn to compete in the semi-final of the contest, which took place on 10  May 2007. Performing as number 11, the nation was not announced among the top 10 entries of the semi-final and therefore failed to qualify for the grand final, marking Albania's second non-qualification in the contest. Background. Prior to the 2007 contest, Albania had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest three times since its first entry in . The nation's highest placing in the contest, to this point, had been the seventh place, which it achieved in 2004 with the song "The Image of You" performed by Anjeza Shahini. Albania's national broadcaster, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), has  organised Festivali i Këngës since its inauguration in 1962. Since 2003, the winner of the competition has simultaneously won the right to represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest. Before Eurovision. Festivali i Këngës. RTSH organised the 45th edition of Festivali i Këngës to determine Albania's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. The competition consisted of two semi-finals on 21 and 22 December, respectively, and the grand final on 23 December 2006. The three live shows were hosted by Albanian presenter Adi Krasta, actress Ermela Teli and singer Vesa Luma. Shows. Semi-finals. The semi-finals of  Festivali i Këngës took place on 21 December and 22 December 2006, respectively. 15 contestants participated in the first semi-final and 16 in the second, with the highlighted ones progressing to the grand final. Final. The grand final of Festivali i Këngës took place on 23 December 2006 and was broadcast at 21:00 (CET). Frederik Ndoci and Aida Ndoci emerged as the winners with "Balada e gurit" and were simultaneously announced as representing Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. At Eurovision. The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 took place at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland, and consisted of a  semi-final on 10 May and the grand final on 12 May 2007. According to the Eurovision rules, all participating countries, except the host nation and the "Big Four", consisting of , , and the , were required to qualify from the semi-final to compete for the final, although the top 10 countries from the semi-final progress to the final. Due to its non-top 11 result in the 2006 contest, Albania was required to compete in the semi-final. It was set to perform at position 11, following the and preceding . At the end of the semi-final, the country  was not announced among the top 10 entries and therefore failed to qualify for the final, marking Albania's second non-qualification in the Eurovision Song Contest. Voting. The tables below visualise a breakdown of points awarded to Albania in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, as well as by the country for the semi-final and grand final, respectively. In the semi-final, Albania finished in 17th place, being awarded a total of 49 points, including 10 from and 8 from . The nation awarded its 12 points to in the semi-final and to in the  grand final of the contest.