Why is Australia in Eurovision and why does the UK automatically qualify?
Australia has been involved in the Eurovision for over 10 years and their entry every year causes a stir because Australia is clearly not in Europe, so how do they qualify to compete? This week, the iconic song contest kicked off in Basel, Switzerland, and once again Australia is taking part. The first semi-final took place earlier this week which saw Slovenia, Belgium, Azerbaijan, Croatia and Cyprus missing out on a place in the final.
Earlier this week Australian singer Go-Jo had his shot at qualifying with his single Milkshake Man. He was up against competitors from Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Austria and more. Despite not making it through, what allows him to participate when Australia isn't geographically part of Europe?
For the last 10 years, Australia has been sending entries to Eurovision as they have huge interest in the competition.
The singing competition first aired on the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), an associated member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), back in 1983 and has been broadcast annually ever since.
SBS's coverage has enjoyed immense success from the outset, and Australia has provided its own commentators for the show since 2001. Between 2010-2014, SBS even conducted their own televote for Australian viewers, although this did not contribute to the overall result.
2015 was the first year that Australia actually competed, despite their first appearance at the song contest occurring two years prior.
In 2013, during the Eurovision contest in Malmö, Sweden, SBS aired a pre-recorded video titled Greetings from Australia (also known as Why Australia Loves Eurovision) to celebrate three decades of broadcasting the show. The following year, Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) allowed Australian singer Jessica Mauboy to perform during the second semi-final's interval in Copenhagen.
The 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria, marked Australia's official debut performance at Eurovision. American Idol winner Guy Sebastian represented the country and secured an impressive fifth place with his song Tonight Again.
Both the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster ORF decided to allow Australia to participate directly in the final, bypassing the semi-finals, in honour of Eurovision's 60th anniversary. This decision was made to minimise the risk of eliminating countries within Europe.
However, it was confirmed by both EBU and SBS that if Australia were to win, they would not follow suit with hosting the following year's contest.
Australia has continued to compete in Eurovision ever since, though they failed to qualify for the final in 2021, 2024 and also have failed to qualify this year.
Their most successful entry came just a year after their debut, when singer Dami Im clinched second place with her song Sound of Silence at the 2016 final in Stockholm, Sweden.
Why does the UK qualify automatically?
France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom are given a pass straight to the final. These nations are referred to as the "Big Five" and, along with the Host Country (aka the winner of the year previous), they automatically advance to the Grand Final.
The concept of the Big Five in Eurovision is detailed by the competition's official website, which clarifies: "The Big Five are the participating broadcasters from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom - the group of countries who, via their broadcasters, make the biggest financial contribution towards the organisation of the contest."
Who is in the final this year?
1. Norway | Kyle Alessandro – Lighter
2. Luxembourg | Laura Thorn – La Poupée Monte Le Son
3. Estonia | Tommy Cash – Espresso Macchiato
4. Israel | Yuval Raphael – New Day Will Rise
5. Lithuania | Katarsis – Tavo Akys
6. Spain | Melody – ESA DIVA
7. Ukraine | Ziferblat – Bird of Pray
8. United Kingdom | Remember Monday – What The Hell Just Happened?
9. Austria | JJ – Wasted Love
10. Iceland | VÆB – RÓA
11. Latvia | Tautumeitas – Bur Man Laimi
12. Netherlands | Claude – C'est La Vie
13. Finland | Erika Vikman – ICH KOMME
14. Italy | Lucio Corsi | Volevo Essere Un Duro
15. Poland | Justyna Steczkowska – GAJA
16. Germany | Abor & Tynna – Baller
17. Greece | Klavdia – Asteromáta
18. Armenia | PARG – SURVIVOR
19. Switzerland | Zoë Më – Voyage
20. Malta | Miriana Conte – SERVING
21. Portugal | NAPA – Deslocado
22. Denmark | Sissal – Hallucination
23. Sweden | KAJ – Bara Bada Bastu
24. France | Louane – maman
25. San Marino | Gabry Ponte – Tutta L'Italia
26. Albania | Shkodra Elektronike – Zjerm
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