The Croatian national broadcaster, HRT, has started the preparations for Dora 2021 setting the submission window to open on October 26. 

HRT has revealed that the next edition of Dora 2021, the national selection formula Croatia uses to select its Eurovision act will take place  13 February in Opatija.

According to HRT  the Croatian national final for Eurovision 2021 will be held in accordance with the covid-19 restrictions. The submission window for songwriters and composers that are interested to compete in the national final will open on October 26 and close on December 10, 2020. 

Ms. Ursula Tolj (Croatia’s HoD and Project Manager) says:

What is certain is that the competition for song entries will be announced on the HRT website on October 26 and will be open until December 10, 2020 – and I believe that this year we will continue to increase the total number of songs submitted

Just as the Eurovision Song Contest will not be canceled, neither will Dora. Croatia is participating in the competition and continues the tradition of selecting its representative via a national competition.

The Story so far 

Croatia participated for the first time at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993 with the group Put and their song  Don’t ever cry.  In Eurovision 1996 with Maja Blagdan and in ESC 1999 with Doris Dragovic, the nation finished  4th  in the Grand Final, which were the country’s best results up to date in the competition.

In 2018 HRT selected internally Franka Batelic to represent the balkan country in Lisbon with her song Crazy. Despite her dynamic performance she failed to qualify to the Grand Final. In 2019, Croatia determined its Eurovision act through the return of national selection “Dora”.  Roko won the national final and represented country at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with his entry The Dream. Despite his amazing vocal performance the Croatian artist didn’t make it to the final.

Damir Kedzo has won this year national final with his entry “Divlji Vjetre” but never had the chanece to perform on the Eurovision stage in Rotterdam as the contest was cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic.