Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008

Malta Song for Europe 2008 was the national final format developed by PBS to select the Maltese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The competition consisted of a semi-final and final held on 24 and 26 January 2008, respectively, at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre in the nation's capital city of Valletta. Both shows were hosted by John Demanuele, Ruth Sammut Casingena and Chiara and broadcast on Television Malta (TVM).

The competition consisted of seventeen songs competing in the semi-final on 24 January 2008 where the top eight entries qualified to compete in the final on 26 January 2008. Seven international judges evaluated the songs during the semi-final and each judge had an equal stake in the result. In the final, the results were based on the votes of the jury and the results of the public televote.

Artists and composers were able to submit their entries between 12 and 13 November 2007. Artists and songwriters required to be Maltese or possess Maltese citizenship. Artists were able to submit a maximum of two songs.[1][2] 225 entries were received by the broadcaster. An international jury consisting of eight representatives from five countries along with a local expert from Malta assessed the songs between 19 and 21 November 2007. On 24 November 2007, PBS announced a shortlist of 36 entries that had progressed through the selection process.[3] The seventeen songs selected to compete in the semi-final were announced on 9 January 2008.[4]

The semi-final took place on 24 January 2008. Seventeen songs competed for eight qualifying spots in the final.[5]

The final took place on 26 January 2008. The eight entries that qualified from the semi-final were performed again and the votes of a jury panel (20%) and the results of public televoting (80%) determined the winner. After the votes from the jury panel and televote were combined, "Vodka" performed by Morena was the winner.[6]