Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004

Monaco participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Notre planète" written by Philippe Bosco and Patrick Sassier. The song was performed by Maryon, who was internally selected by the Monégasque broadcaster Télé Monte-Carlo (TMC), which returned to the Eurovision Song Contest after a twenty-five-year absence, to represent Monaco in the 2004 contest in Istanbul, Turkey. The selection of Maryon and "Notre planète" as the Monégasque entry was announced on 22 February 2004.

Monaco competed in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 12 May 2004. Performing during the show in position 9, "Notre planète" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Monaco placed nineteenth out of the 22 participating countries in the semi-final with 10 points.

Background
Prior to the 2004 contest, Monaco has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twenty-one times since its first entry in. The nation has won the contest once (in with the song "Un banc, un arbre, une rue" performed by Séverine), making them the only microstate to have won the contest to date. Monaco has also placed last on two occasions: in 1959 and which also received nul points. Since, Monaco did not participate in the contest for financial reasons and lack of interest.

The Monégasque national broadcaster, Télé Monte-Carlo (TMC), broadcasts the event within Monaco and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. On 15 October 2003, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed that Monaco would participate in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest following a twenty-five-year absence. All Monégasque entries had been selected by TMC through an internal selection, a method that was continued for their 2004 participation.

Internal selection
The Monégasque entry for the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest was selected internally by TMC. Female performers aged between 16 and 35 and residing in Monaco, Corsica or South-Eastern France were able to apply by submitting a cover of a song, preferably in French, between 24 January 2004 and 14 February 2004.

An audition round took place on 21 February 2004 at the Stars'n'Bar in Monte Carlo where 21 performers, selected from 500 applicants, each performed two songs: a cover of their choice from 40 songs provided by TMC and the Monégasque Eurovision song "Notre planéte", a disco-themed song about the Mediterranean Sea and its need for protection. The winner was selected over two rounds. In the first round, a nine-member jury panel consisting of representatives of the Société des bains de mer and TMC as well as the songwriters of "Notre planéte", Philippe Bosco and Patrick Sassier, selected four candidates to advance to the second round: Cindie Bruzzie, Elise Granier, Maryon Gargiulo and Sandra Betty. In the second round, the jury selected Maryon Gargiulo as the winner and Elise Granier as the runner-up. The audition was also attended by Monaco's Prince Albert who congratulated Maryon publicly upon her selection as the Monégasque entrant.

At Eurovision
It was announced that the competition's format would be expanded to include a semi-final in 2004. According to the rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country, the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) and the ten highest placed finishers in the 2003 contest are required to qualify from the semi-final on 12 May 2004 in order to compete for the final on 15 May 2004; the top ten countries from the semi-final progress to the final. On 23 March 2004, an allocation draw was held which determined the running order for the semi-final and Monaco was set to perform in position 9, following the entry from Malta and before the entry from Greece. At the end of the semi-final, Monaco was not announced among the top 10 entries in the semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Monaco placed nineteenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 10 points.

Both the semi-final and the final were broadcast in Monaco on TMC with commentary by Bernard Montiel and Genie Godula. The Monégasque spokesperson, who announced the results of the Monégasque televote during the final, was Anne Allegrini.

Voting
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Monaco and awarded by Monaco in the semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Cyprus in the semi-final and to France in the final of the contest.

In the semi-final, Monaco's vote was based on 100 percent jury voting due to an insufficient number of valid votes cast during the televote period. Following the release of the televoting figures by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that a total of 110 televotes were cast in Monaco during the two shows, all of them which were cast during the final.