Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song Contest

Participation

Radio Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RTVBiH) was a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) since 1 January 1993, thus eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest since then. It participated in the contest representing Bosnia and Herzegovina since its that same year. In 2000, RTVBiH's EBU membership was transferred to a new parental broadcasting organisation, the Public Broadcasting Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PBSBiH), which participated in the contest representing the country from 2001 to 2004. On 13 August 2004, PBSBiH was succeeded by Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT), which has participated in the contest since then.

Before its independence in 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of Yugoslavia. Five n entrants in the Eurovision Song Contest came from the former SR Bosnia and Herzegovina (, , , , and ). The contest was broadcast in the socialist republic by the Yugoslav Radio Television's (JRT) affiliate RTV Sarajevo.

History

Low average scores meant Bosnia and Herzegovina did not qualify for the contests in and , and the country did not participate in the for financial reasons. BHRT had stated that it hoped to return to the contest in 2014, and on 18 November 2013, it submitted a preliminary application to compete in the . However, on 18 December 2013, it was announced that Bosnia and Herzegovina would not be returning for 2014.

On 9 September 2014, BHRT announced that it had submitted an application to compete in the . On 30 October 2014, BHRT stated that participation was still in jeopardy due to financial difficulties. The EBU granted it a deadline extension until 14 November 2014 to make a final decision regarding its participation. On 17 November 2014, BHRT announced that it would not be competing in the 2015 contest, having not secured the necessary funds to finance its participation.

After competing in 2016, on 29 September 2016, BHRT again announced its withdrawal from the competition in 2017, due to the difficult financial situation that the national broadcaster was currently facing. The following December, BHRT was sanctioned by the EBU due to unpaid debts, by restricting the broadcaster access to common resources.{{cite web|first=Granger|last=Anthony|title=Bosnia & Herzegovina: BHRT Remains Sanctioned by the EBU

The Bosnian-Herzegovinian head of delegation, Lejla Babović, confirmed on 29 December 2018 that BHRT's current primary goal was to return to Eurovision, but its current financial situation and mounting debts with the EBU made a return in the near future highly unlikely. This was confirmed for the following years, with a statement in November 2023 that the broadcaster remains under sanctions and is unable to compete in EBU events. On 13May 2025, Babović gave an interview in which she explained the reasons by which BHRT is still unable to organise its return to the contest. Nevertheless, she admitted that there is a possibility of returning to the contest already in 2026, stating: "If we pay off the debt by November[2025] and start working seriously on participating, we can come back in 2026, but it requires efforts from BHRT, the state, sponsors and people to choose the right song and come back as serious competitors." However, on 9 July, BHRT confirmed that Bosnia and Herzegovina would not return in 2026 due to continued financial difficulties.

Participation overview

Prior to Yugoslavia's dissolution, artists from the SR Bosnia and Herzegovina represented Yugoslavia in , , , , and .

Songs by language

Awards

Marcel Bezençon Awards

Related involvement

Heads of delegation

Conductors

Commentators and spokespersons

For the show's broadcast in the country, various commentators have provided commentary on the contest in the Bosnian 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.

From until , SR Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of Yugoslavia and JRT's affiliate RTV Sarajevo broadcast the contest there.

Other shows

Photo gallery

File:Deen - Bosnia & Herzegovina 2004.jpg|Deen performing "In the Disco" in Istanbul () File:ESC 2007 Bosnia and Herzegovina - Maria Sestic - Rijeka bez imena.jpg|Marija Šestić performing "Rijeka bez imena" in Helsinki () File:ESC 2008 - Bosnia & Herzegovina - Laka, 1st semifinal.jpg|Laka performing "Pokušaj" in Belgrade () File:Vukasin Brajic 01.JPG|Vukašin Brajić performing "Thunder and Lightning" in Oslo () File:Bosnia and Herzegovina at ESC 2011.jpg|Dino Merlin performing "Love in Rewind" in Düsseldorf () File:ESC2016 - Bosnia and Herzegovina 16.jpg|Dalal and Deen performing "Ljubav je" in Stockholm ()

Notes

References

Works cited

References

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