The deadline was Thursday lunchtime, and the 155 entries come from more than 20 countries, not only from neighboring ones such as Finland and Latvia, but from further afield too – including from the U.S. and Australia.

Sixty of the songs are in Estonian and 95 in other languages, including one in a made-up language. A "blind" jury of several dozen people will now assess all 155 offerings.

Spokespeople said this year's group of authors stands out for its international reach,.

"Estonian artists and authors are increasingly working across borders," said Eesti Laul producer Riin Vann, who noted a trend for a growing international entrant list, with this year's list of countries being a good example of that.

The broad-based jury of people working in the music business or related fields will now assess the submitted songs. These will be judged blindly, ie. just on the merits of the song, without knowing who the act or songwriter is.

A total of 12 songs will reach the main Eesti Laul final, with the winner to be decided on January 30 at the gala finals concert at the Unibet Arena.

ERR will reveal this year's shortlisted contestants at the end of this month, and the public will get the chance to all these songs at the end of November.

Estonia's Eesti Laul winner last year was Vanilla Ninja with the song "Too Epic To Be True," which did not make it through the Eurovision semi-finals. The semi-finals and grand final this year take place in Burgas, Bulgaria, in mid-May.

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