Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest

Australia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest five times since their debut in 2015 and has been in the top ten four times. They are the second country outside of the Eurasia region with Morocco competing in the 1980 contest. The country's best result in the contest is a second-place finish for Dami Im in 2016. Australia also finished in the top ten in three of its other appearances in the contest, with Guy Sebastian finishing fifth in 2015, and both Isaiah Firebrace and Kate Miller-Heidke finishing ninth in 2017 and 2019.

Australia
Member stationSBS
National selection events
Participation summary
Appearances5 (5 finals)
First appearance2015
Best result2nd: 2016
External links
SBS page
Eurovision – Australia Decides website
Australia's page at Eurovision.tv
For the most recent participation see
Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020

Initially, Australia's participation in the 2015 contest was set to be a one-off event, the plan being only to perform again the following year had they won, but it was confirmed in November 2015 by SVT that they would participate in the 2016 contest.[1] Australia's participation in the contest has been confirmed by the European Broadcasting Union and Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) until 2023.[2]

History

1983–2014

Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) first broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest in 1983 and has continued to do so every year since. The contest has attracted a strong viewing audience in Australia, primarily because a significant proportion of the population have ancestry in Europe (in particular in the United Kingdom). Early broadcasts of the Contest in Australia either featured no commentary or used the United Kingdom's commentary as transmitted by the BBC. In 2001, actress and comedian Mary Coustas provided commentary for the Contest performing as her comedic character Effie.[3] In 2003 and 2004, SBS presenter Des Mangan provided commentary for the Australian audience. From 2009, Julia Zemiro and Sam Pang were assigned as commentators for the competition by SBS.[4][5] 2017 saw SBS replace the commentators with comedian Joel Creasey and TV and radio personality Myf Warhurst. In addition to broadcasting the contest, SBS has also broadcast the 50th and 60th anniversary programmes.

From 2010 to 2014, SBS allowed Australian viewers to participate in their own televote for the Grand Finals.[6] However, these votes were not counted at the actual contest and did not affect the overall result. The SBS commentary team and Australian delegation were awarded a commentary booth of their own at the 2012 contest in Baku. They have been allocated a commentary booth every year since.

Australia's first appearance in the international broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest occurred on 14 May 2013 during the first semi-final in Malmö, Sweden. A short pre-recorded video titled "Greetings from Australia" (also referred to as "Why Australia Loves Eurovision"), submitted by SBS and hosted by Julia Zemiro, was broadcast during the interval acts.[7] This presentation marked 30 years of broadcasting the Eurovision Song Contest in Australia, and was preceded the week leading up to the contest by a locally broadcast documentary, also hosted by Zemiro, titled The Heart of Eurovision.[8] On 24 March 2014, the Danish broadcaster DR gave permission to SBS to perform as an interval act in the second semi-final of Eurovision Song Contest 2014. One day later, on 25 March, Jessica Mauboy was internally selected to perform.[9] On 8 May 2014, Mauboy sang her song "Sea of Flags".[10]

2015–present: Participation

Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) made the country's debut at the 2015 Contest with the song "Tonight Again" a song written and performed by Guy Sebastian. Although Australia is outside the European Broadcasting Area, the European Broadcasting Union and Austrian host broadcaster ORF decided to permit an Australian entry to commemorate the 60th Contest. The special circumstances surrounding Australia's entry and "to not reduce the chances" of the semi-final participants led the organisers to allow Australia to compete directly in the grand final without pre-qualification.[11] In the event that Australia should win the Eurovision Song Contest, the EBU had confirmed that in accordance with the rules, Australia would not host the event in the southern hemisphere, and instead would co-host the contest within a country in the EBU.[12] Further to the EBU's statement it was confirmed that Germany and their broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) would be the first choice, and United Kingdom's broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) being the back-up hosts should Germany decline.[12]

Although Australia's participation in 2015 was announced as a one-off event, it was confirmed on 17 November 2015 that Australia would participate in the 2016 contest. Unlike in 2015, Australia did not receive automatic qualification.[13] On 7 October 2015, it was announced that Australia would make its debut at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015 after SBS was invited to perform in the contest.[14] The Australian candidate for the 2016 contest was Dami Im with her song "Sound of Silence" which won the second semi final before finishing second behind Ukraine.[15]

Australia continued its participation at the 2017 contest following their success the previous year.[16] On 7 March 2017 at the Paris Cat Jazz Club in the city of Melbourne, Australia, SBS announced former X Factor Australia winner Isaiah Firebrace as Australia's entry into the 62nd instalment of the contest. With the song "Don't Come Easy", Isaiah participated in the first semi-final on 9 May, then the finals on 13 May in which Australia placed 9th.[17]

Australia competed in the 2018 contest, selecting Jessica Mauboy as the artist to represent the country.[18][19] Although this continued Australia's track record of perfect attendance in the final (a record it now only shares with Ukraine), it was the first instance of them not finishing in the top ten, ending in twentieth place with 99 points (only nine of which came from the televote, the first time Australia finished last in the televote).

It was announced that for the first time, 2019 will provide Australians the opportunity to choose their Eurovision representative. The Eurovision - Australia Decides national final took place on 9 February 2019, with a 50/50 say between an Australian jury and a televote to determine who will represent Australia at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. Eurovision – Australia Decides was hosted in Gold Coast, Queensland by Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey.[20] The winner was Kate Miller-Heidke with the song "Zero Gravity". Electric Fields, who were the runner-up in Australia Decides, were selected as the announcers of Australia's jury points. Australia finished 9th in the 2019 contest, after winning the First Semi-Final.

SBS announced it would host Eurovision – Australia Decides – Gold Coast 2020 to choose their representative for the 2020 contest. The event was held on the Gold Coast from 7–8 February.[21] Australia's participation in the contest has been confirmed by the European Broadcasting Union and SBS until 2023.[2]

Contestants
Table key
1
 Winner
2
 Second place
X
 Entry selected but did not compete
Year Artist Language Title Final Points Semi Points
2015
 Guy Sebastian English "Tonight Again"
5
196
 Automatic finalist[lower-alpha 1]
2016
 Dami Im English "Sound of Silence"
2
511
1
330
2017
 Isaiah English "Don't Come Easy"
9
173
6
160
2018
 Jessica Mauboy English "We Got Love"
20
99
4
212
2019
 Kate Miller-Heidke English "Zero Gravity"
9
284
1
261
2020
 Montaigne English "Don't Break Me" Contest cancelled[lower-alpha 2] X
2021
 Montaigne
  1. The organisers allowed Australia to compete in the grand final without pre-qualification due to the special circumstances surrounding Australia's entry and so as "to not reduce the chances" of the semi-final participants.[22]
  2. The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other awards

Marcel Bezençon Awards
Further information: Marcel Bezençon Awards
Year Award Song Composer(s)
Lyrics (l) / Music (m)		 Performer Final Points Host city Ref.
2016 Composer Award "Sound of Silence" Anthony Egizii, David Musumeci Dami Im 2 511 Stockholm [23]
2019 Artistic Award "Zero Gravity" Kate Miller-Heidke, Keir Nuttall, Julian Hamilton Kate Miller-Heidke 9 285 Tel Aviv [24]

Heads of delegation

The public broadcaster of each participating country in the Eurovision Song Contest assigns a head of delegation as the EBU's contact person and the leader of their delegation at the event. The delegation, whose size can greatly vary, includes a head of press, the contestants, songwriters, composers and backing vocalists, among others.[25]

Year Head of delegation Ref.
2015–2019 Paul Clarke
[26]
2020 Josh Martin
[26]

Jury members

A five-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals is made up for every participating country for the semi-finals and Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, ranking all entries except for their own country's contribution. The juries' votes add 50% to the overall result alongside televoting.[27]

Year 1st member 2nd member 3rd member 4th member 5th member Ref.
2015
 Amanda Pelman Richard Wilkins Danielle Spencer Ash London Jake Stone
[28]
2016
 Monica Trapaga Shannon Noll Myf Warhurst James Mathison Craig Porteils
[29]
2017
 Lucy Durack Natasha Cupitt Steven Capaldo Jackie Loeb Peter Hayward
[30]
2018
 Richard Wilkins Zan Rowe Jordan Raskopoulos L-FRESH the Lion Millie Millgate
[31]
2019
 Mark Humphries Christine Anu Lewis Hobba Alice Chance Mark Cummins
[32]

Commentators and spokespeople
Year Commentator Dual commentator Spokesperson Ref.
2001 Effie (Mary Coustas)NoneDid not participate[3]
2002 Terry Wogan[lower-alpha 1]NoneDid not participate
2003 Des ManganNoneDid not participate[3][33]
2004 Des ManganNoneDid not participate[33]
2005 Terry Wogan[lower-alpha 1]NoneDid not participate[34]
2006 Terry Wogan[lower-alpha 1]NoneDid not participate
2007 Terry Wogan[lower-alpha 1]NoneDid not participate
2008 Terry Wogan[lower-alpha 1]NoneDid not participate
2009 Julia ZemiroSam PangDid not participate[35]
2010 Julia ZemiroSam PangDid not participate[35]
2011 Julia ZemiroSam PangDid not participate[35]
2012 Julia ZemiroSam PangDid not participate[35]
2013 Julia ZemiroSam PangDid not participate[35]
2014 Julia ZemiroSam PangDid not participate[35]
2015 Julia ZemiroSam PangLee Lin Chin[35][36]
2016 Julia ZemiroSam PangLee Lin Chin[35][37]
2017 Myf WarhurstJoel CreaseyLee Lin Chin[38]
2018 Myf WarhurstJoel CreaseyRicardo Gonçalves[39]
2019 Myf WarhurstJoel CreaseyElectric Fields[40]

Incidental participation

Although not actively participating at the Eurovision Song Contest prior to the 2013 semifinal interval presentation, Australia has appeared in the contest incidentally in a number of ways:

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. Via the BBC.

References
  1. "Australien är klar för Eurovision Song Contest 2016 i Stockholm". Sveriges Television. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  2. "Australia secures a spot in Eurovision until 2023". Aussievision | Eurovision from Down Under. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  3. Wright, Sharleen (26 January 2011). "The special relationship: Australia and its love of Eurovision". escinsight.com. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  4. Nicholson, Sarah (2008-05-21). "Top of the Euro pops". Courier Mail. news.com.au. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
  5. Knox, David (2009-04-16). "Airdate: Eurovision 2009". TV Tonight. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
  6. "Australian televoters choose their winner". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  7. "Australia's loyal fandom earns Eurovision nod". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  8. "Australia: 2012 coverage a big success". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  9. Storvik-Green, Simon (25 March 2014). "Australian superstar to sing at Eurovision". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  10. Vincent, Peter (9 May 2014). "Jessica Mauboy performs at Eurovision Song Contest". smh.com.au. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  11. "Australia participate in the 60th Eurovision". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  12. Granger, Anthony (13 May 2017). "What happens if Australia wins the Eurovision Song Contest?". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  13. "Australia To Return To The Eurovision Song Contest". EBU. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  14. Fisher, Luke James (7 October 2015). "Australia joins to make it 'Super 17' at Junior Eurovision in Sofia!". junioreurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  15. Roxburgh, Gordon (14 May 2016). "Ukraine wins 2016 Eurovision Song Contest". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  16. Jordan, Paul (31 October 2016). "43 countries to participate in Eurovision 2017". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  17. "Isaiah Firebrace represented Australia at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest and placed 9th". Guide. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  18. Knox, David (24 August 2017). "Australia confirmed for Eurovision 2018!". TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  19. "SBS confirms Jessica Mauboy will represent Australia at Eurovision 2018 with her song "We got Love"". wiwibloggs. 2017-12-11. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  20. "We're opening our song submission for Eurovision 2019!". SBS. October 14, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  21. "Eurovision Australia Decides - dates announced". Aussievision.
  22. "Australia to compete in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest". eurovision.tv. EBU. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  23. "Winners of the Marcel Bezençon Awards 2016". Eurovision TV. 15 May 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  24. "Here are the winners of the 2019 Marcel Bezençcon Awards". Eurovision TV. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  25. "Heads of Delegation". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  26. Granger, Anthony (20 February 2020). "Australia: Josh Martin Named New Head of Delegation For Eurovision". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  27. "Exclusive: These are the judges who will vote in Eurovision 2019". European Broadcasting Union. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  28. "The Australian Eurovision Jury". SBS Eurovision. SBS. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  29. "Australia's Eurovision 2016 jury and spokesperson is revealed!". SBS Eurovision. SBS. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  30. "SBS announce Australia's 2017 Eurovision Jury members". SBS News. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  31. "Meet Australia's 2018 Eurovision jury and Australian spokesperson". SBS News. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  32. "Meet Australia's 2019 Eurovision jury and Australian spokespeople". SBS News. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  33. "Eurovision scandal - SBS dumps Wogan! - inthemix Forums". inthemix.com.au.
  34. "Eurovision Australian Eurovision Song Contest coverage confirmed - ESCToday.com". April 21, 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  35. Knox, David (17 November 2015). "SBS Upfronts: 2016: Eurovision, drama, comedy & docos". TV Tonight. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  36. "Honestly, did you really think anybody else would be up to the task? #TheFeedSBS #SBSEurovision". Twitter. The Feed SBS. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  37. "Stockholm Calling! How To Be A Memorable Eurovision Voting Correspondent". SBS. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  38. "SBS's new Eurovision hosts are…". Guide. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  39. "Australia: Ricardo Goncalves Replaces Lee Lin Chin as Spokesperson". Eurovoix. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  40. "Australia: Electric Fields announced as latest spokespersons for Eurovision 2019". Wiwibloggs. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  41. Lennon, Troy (11 February 2015). "Aussies hit the high notes at Eurovision". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  42. McCathie, Andrew (18 March 2006). "Australian singer strikes a blow for Eurovision". The Age. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  43. Moran, Jonathan (26 May 2015). "Songwriter Katrina Noorbergen was part of Australia's growing presence at Eurovision". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  44. Vincent, Peter (13 March 2015). "Eurovision 2015: Australian Mary-Jean O'Doherty is a rival country's secret weapon". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  45. AAP (12 May 2017). "Eurovision 2017: Anja Nissen second Australian into final". The Australian. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  46. Granger, Anthony (25 February 2017). "DENMARK: SELECTS ANJA NISSEN FOR THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2017". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix.
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