Of the 217 entries, 92 are in Estonian, with the remaining 125 songs performed in other languages.

The songs which have made it through to the semi-finals of the competition will be announced in early November and broadcast to the public for the first time in December.

"It's going to be an extremely exciting competition," said Tomi Rahula, Eesti Laul's executive producer, who has already had chance to listen to many of the songs submitted.

Rahula revealed, that this year Eesti Laul has attracted entries a wide range of newcomers from as well as several well-known artists and songwriters, some of whom have previous experience of Eesti Laul and Eurovision.

"The competition is fierce and the jury will have a tough task," Rahula said.

The entries will now be presided over by a 16-member jury, consisting singers, radio presenters and others will-versed in the music scene. As per competition rules, each juror will be required to assess the entries anonymously, with the 20 songs that make it through to the semi-finals set to be announced on November 1 and 2.

All the songs will be heard for the first time on December 2 in a special show on ETV, with the semi-finals themselves set to take place on January 12 and 14. Both semi-finals have two rounds, with the winner of the first round decided by the jury along with votes from TV viewers. The winner of the second round is decided by the viewers' alone.

The final of Eesti Laul 2023 is scheduled for February 11, with the winner gaining a chance to compete at next year's Eurovision final, which will be held in Liverpool, UK in September.

More information about Eesti Laul can be found here.

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