Switzerland to pick their 2012 entry in December 2011

It might seem a very early date, but Switzerland has a tradition of choosing their entries for the Eurovision Song Contest  in December. That was also the case last year when Anna Rossinelli was picked in late 2010 to represent the Alpine nation in Düsseldorf in May 2011.

Although they closed the ranking with In Love For A While placing 25th, it was considered a success to reach the Final as Switzerland had been absent from it since 2006.

The 2012 selection

From the 1st of September 2011 an internet selection will take place; performers can enter songs, not composers/authors who have no performer yet, and upload them in the Swiss broadcaster (SF) Eurovision site.

In the televised final on the 10th of December 2011, fourteen acts will battle for the chance of representing Switzerland in Baku. Six of them will come from the internet selection while the other eight will be contributed by the Swiss broadcasters.

The decision in the final will be by televoting only after the 14 contestants have performed 2-minute versions of the candidate songs. You can find more info and regulations here.

Switzerland was the first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 and can count on a second victory thanks to the the best-selling female artist of all time, Céline Dion, who famously won the competition for Switzerland in 1988.