Australia's reason for competing in Eurovision is simpler than you think
How can Australia compete in Eurovision?
Eurovision fans will no doubt be scratching their heads as to why Australia is allowed to compete in the song contest, despite not being located in Europe
Australia has been a formal participant in Eurovision for the past decade, but how does a country situated thousands of miles from Europe qualify to compete?
As the much-loved song contest commences this week in Basel, Switzerland, fans may be left scratching their heads over Australia's inclusion.
The first semi-final took place on Tuesday, 13th May, bidding farewell to Slovenia, Belgium, Azerbaijan, Croatia and Cyprus.
Tonight (Thursday, 15th May), Australian singer Go-Jo will have his shot at qualifying with his single Milkshake Man.
He'll be up against competitors from Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Austria and more, but what allows him to participate when Australia isn't geographically part of Europe?, reports the Express.
Australia in Eurovision explained as Go-Jo represents non-European entry
(Image: (Image: GETTY) )
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Why Australia is able to compete in Eurovision
Australia has been sending entries to Eurovision for the last decade, fuelled by years of avid interest in the contest Down Under.
The competition was 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.
Jessica Mauboy performed as an interval act in 2014
(Image: (Image: GETTY) )
2015 marked the inaugural 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.
Dami Im scored Australia's best result by coming second in 2016
(Image: (Image: GETTY) )
However, it was confirmed by both EBU and SBS that if Australia were to win, they would not host the following year's contest, breaking with tradition.
Australia has continued to compete in Eurovision ever since, though they failed to qualify for the final in 2021 and 2024.
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.
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The Eurovision Grand Final airs Saturday, 17th May at 8pm on BBC One.
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