Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025

Prior to the 2025 contest, (RTVSLO) had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing Slovenia twenty-nine times since its first entry . Its highest placing in the contest, to this point, has been seventh place, achieved on two occasions: in with the song "" performed by Darja Švajger and in with the song "Energy" performed by Nuša Derenda. Its only other top ten result was achieved in when Tanja Ribič performing "" placed tenth. Since the introduction of semi-finals to the format of the contest in 2004, Slovenia has thus far managed to qualify to the final on eight occasions, the latest being in , when "Veronika" performed by Raiven ultimately placed 23rd in the final. As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, RTVSLO organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. The broadcaster had usually selected its entry through a national final entitled (EMA), which has been produced with variable formats, with the exceptions of , , , and 2024, when the entries were internally selected. On 12 September 2024, RTVSLO announced that it would not take a decision on participation in the 2025 contest until October 2024, having been granted an extension by the EBU. However, on 16 September 2024, RTVSLO confirmed its intention to participate in the 2025 contest; plans regarding the selection were announced on 28 October 2024, with EMA returning as the national final format. == Before Eurovision ==

EMA 2025 EMA 2025 was the twenty-fifth edition of EMA, the format used by RTVSLO to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The competition took place on 1 February 2025 at the RTVSLO Studio 1 in Ljubljana, hosted by and Raiven, the latter of whom represented . The show was broadcast on TV SLO 1, Radio Val 202, and , as well as online via the streaming platform RTV 4D. The show was watched by an average of 206,500 viewers, equating to an average viewing share of 24%. 514,000 viewers watched for at least one minute, with a peak of 267,900 viewers. This marked a reduction of 28,300 viewers since the previous edition in 2022. Competing entries A submission period for interested artists and composers was open between 29 October and 25 November 2024. In order to qualify to compete, the main performer of an entry was required to hold temporary or permanent residence in Slovenia. RTVSLO also directly invited artists and composers from the national music scene. An expert committee consisting of and Slovenian representatives Lea Sirk and Filip Vidušin (the latter as part of the group LPS), as well as singer Alenka Godec, Radio Val 202 editor Neja Jerant and composer Martin Bezjak selected twelve contestants, which were announced on 13 December 2024. The entries were presented to the public in an introduction show, entitled ("EMA before EMA"), on 25 January 2025, hosted by and , and broadcast on TV SLO 1. The introduction show included guest appearances from Miša Molk and Denis Živčec as well as multiple past Slovenian entrants: ( as part of 1X Band), Nuša Derenda (), Omar Naber ( and ), Maja Keuc (), Eva Boto () and Lea Sirk. Each entry was presented during the show with a thirty-second clip, and all 12 entries were later released in full on RTVSLO's RTV 360 online platform. Final The final took place on 1 February 2025 at 20:00 CET. The winner, "How Much Time Do We Have Left" performed by Klemen, was determined over two rounds of voting. In the first round, five thematic jury panels, each composed of five members, each distributed their points following the same pattern used in the Eurovision Song Contest, i.e. 1–8, 10 and 12 points and selected two entries to proceed to the second round; these panels consisted of music performers, songwriters and producers, radio and television personalities, members of OGAE Slovenia, and international Eurovision influencers and journalists. Soklič, who previously represented Slovenia in 2021, performed Magnifico's "". Vidušin, Koritnik and Sirk performed 1X Band's "", which represented Slovenia in 1993. Raiven also performed her new single "", and , as a member of , performed "". The two hosts also performed a medley of their respective hits. Calls for exclusion of Israel 's continuing participation in the contest was one of the topics discussed by the management board of RTVSLO in December 2024, in light of the controversies relating to amidst the Gaza war. The board voted to initiate a request within the European Broadcasting Union for Israel not to compete in 2025, and to keep the Slovenian public informed about these efforts. Similar to the previous year, several Slovenian politicians, musicians, and cultural figures called for Israel's exclusion. == At Eurovision ==

The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 took place at the in Basel, Switzerland, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 13 and 15 May and the final on 17 May 2025. 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 28 January 2025, 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 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. Slovenia was scheduled for the first half of the first semi-final. The shows' producers then decided the running order for the semi-finals; Slovenia was set to perform in position 3. In Slovenia, RTVSLO broadcast the semi-finals on TV SLO 2 and the final on TV SLO 1, all with live commentary from Ljubljana by , as well as the first semi-final and the final on Radio Val 202 with commentary by Maj Valerij, who was joined by Igor Bračič for the final. On 2 May 2025, he revealed that the performance would include a stunt of himself being suspended upside-down, retaining the climax of the national final. Klemen was joined on stage by his wife, Mojca Fatur, and dancers Miha Furlan and Matic Zadravec. The director for the performance was Nejc Levstik, the lighting was directed by Črt Birsa, the content designer for the LED screens was Žiga Radulj, the technical execution of the acrobatics was led by Filip Kržišnik, the choreographer was Erik Bukovnik, and the costume designer was Vesna Mirtelj. Voting Below is a breakdown of points awarded by and to Slovenia 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 Slovenian jury consisted of , Jon Vitezič, , Ana Soklič, who represented Slovenia in 2021, and Eva Boto, who represented Slovenia in 2012. In the first semi-final, Slovenia placed 13th with 23 points, which marked the country's first non-qualification to the final since 2022. Over the course of the contest, Slovenia awarded its 12 points to in the first semi-final, and to in both the jury vote and televote in the final. RTVSLO appointed Lorella Flego as its spokesperson to announce the Slovenian jury's votes in the final. Points awarded to Slovenia Points awarded by Slovenia 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 Slovenian jury: • – singer-songwriter, guitarist • Jon Vitezič – singer • – musician • Ana Soklič – singer-songwriter, represented Slovenia in 2021 • Eva Boto – singer, broadcaster, represented Slovenia in 2012 == Notes ==