The show was held between 7 and 11 February 2023, and was presented for the fourth time in a row by Amadeus, who also served as the artistic director for the competition, with Gianni Morandi co-hosting.

[9] The artists competing in the new format were selected through two separate contests: Standard section and Area Sanremo.

On 26 October 2022, the RAI commission for Sanremo Music Festival 2022 announced a list of 714 acts, but only 43 artists coming from all Italian regions – excluding Basilicata and Valle d'Aosta – and from abroad were selected in the first phase.

After the auditions, a RAI commission – composed by Amadeus, Federica Lentini, Massimo Martelli and Leonardo de Amicis – identified 4 finalists for the competition among the 549 acts:[11][12]

On 16 December 2022, the twelve finalists performed their songs on Sanremo Giovani 2022, broadcast on Rai 1 and presented by Amadeus.