The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "One More Night" written by Tjeerd van Zanen and Alan Michael. The song was performed by Esther Hart. The Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) returned to the Eurovision Song Contest after a one-year absence following their withdrawal in 2002 as one of the bottom six countries in the 2001 contest. NOS organised the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2003 in collaboration with broadcaster Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS) in order to select the Dutch entry for the 2003 contest in Riga, Latvia. 32 entries competed in the national final which consisted of five shows: four semi-finals and a final. Eight entries qualified from to compete in the final on 1 March 2003 where "One More Night" performed by Esther Hart was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a seven-member jury panel and a public vote.
The Netherlands competed in the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 24 May 2003. Performing during the show in position 14, the Netherlands placed thirteenth out of the 26 participating countries, scoring 45 points.
Background
Prior to the 2003 contest, the Netherlands had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-three times since their début as one of seven countries to take part in the inaugural contest in . Since then, the country has won the contest four times: in with the song "Net als toen" performed by Corry Brokken; in with the song "'n Beetje" performed by Teddy Scholten; in as one of four countries to tie for first place with "De troubadour" performed by Lenny Kuhr; and finally in with "Ding-a-dong" performed by the group Teach-In. The Dutch least successful result has been last place, which they have achieved on four occasions, most recently in the 1968 contest. The Netherlands has also received nul points on two occasions; in and .
The Dutch national broadcaster, Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), broadcast the event within the Netherlands and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. The Netherlands has used various methods to select the Dutch entry in the past, such as the Nationaal Songfestival, a live televised national final to choose the performer, song or both to compete at Eurovision. However, internal selections have also been held on occasion. Between 1998 and 2001, NOS has organised Nationaal Songfestival in order to select both the artist and song for the contest. The method was continued for the 2003 Dutch entry, with the national final being organised in collaboration with broadcaster Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS).
Before Eurovision
Nationaal Songfestival 2003
Nationaal Songfestival 2003 was the national final developed by NOS/TROS that selected the Dutch entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2003. Thirty-two entries competed in the competition consisting of five shows that commenced with the first of four semi-finals on 1 February 2003 and concluded with a final on 1 March 2003. All shows in the competition were broadcast on Nederland 2.
Format
The format of the national final consisted of five shows: four semi-finals and a final. The semi-finals each featured eight competing entries from which two advanced from each show to complete the eight-song lineup in the final. The results for the semi-final shows were determined by a seven-member expert jury and votes from the public. The jury selected one qualifier, while a public televote determined an additional qualifier from the remaining entries. In the final, the winner was selected by the combination of votes from public televoting and a seven-member expert jury. Viewers were able to vote via telephone and SMS.
The jury panel that voted in all shows consisted of:
Cornald Maas – journalist
Corry Brokken – singer and television presenter, Dutch 1957 Eurovision winner as well as 1956 and 1958 entrant Seth Kamphuijs – actor and presenter Coot van Doesburg – lyricist and television critic Johan Nijenhuis – director and producer Nance Coolen – singer and television presenter Stanley Burleson – actor, choreographer, director and singer