Eurovision Song Contest 2010
The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It consisted of two semi-finals on 25 and 27 May and a final on 29 May 2010, held at the Telenor Arena in Oslo, Norway, and presented by Erik Solbakken, Nadia Hasnaoui, and Haddy N'jie. It was organised by the European Broadcasting Union and host broadcaster NRK, which staged the event after winning the for with the song "Fairytale" by Alexander Rybak. It was the contest hosted the latest, tying with the.
Broadcasters from thirty-nine countries took part in the contest, with returning after a one-year absence. Meanwhile,, the,, and ceased their participation, mainly due to the 2008 financial crisis. originally announced its non-participation, but was later confirmed as among the participants by the EBU.
The winner was with the song "Satellite", performed by Lena and written by Julie Frost and John Gordon. The song won both the jury vote and televote and was Germany's second victory in the contest, following. It was also its first win as a unified country, and the first win for one of the "Big Four" countries since the rule's introduction in.,,, and rounded out the top five. Romania, finishing third, equalled its best result from, while further down the table, Georgia achieved its best result to date, finishing ninth. For the first time since the introduction of semi-finals in, Sweden failed to qualify for the final.
Prior to the contest, the EBU announced that the voting system used in the semi-finals would change from previous years to balance jury voting with televoting. A return of accompaniment by orchestra was also proposed, but ultimately did not occur. The 2008 financial crisis affected how the contest was run, with NRK being forced to sell its broadcasting rights for the 2010 FIFA World Cup to TV 2 and Viasat in order to finance the event.
Location
Venue
r was originally the venue budget agreed upon by Trond Giske and Hans-Tore Bjerkaas, respectively the Norwegian Minister for Culture and the head of NRK.At a press conference in Oslo on 27 May 2009, it was announced that the show was to be held in the Greater [Oslo Region|Oslo metropolitan area]. NRK argued that Oslo was the only city with the required capacity, venues, and infrastructure to hold the show. On 3 July 2009, it was decided that the venue would be the newly constructed Telenor Arena, in the municipality of Bærum neighbouring Oslo. The Oslo Spektrum was ruled out to host the contest due to its smaller size and capacity, as was Vallhall Arena in Oslo and the Vikingskipet in Hamar. NRK had decided they wanted to take the contest back to the basics and after the contest in 2009, where LEDs were widely used, they used none. The 2010 was also produced on a considerably lower budget than the year before.
Participants
A total of 39 countries confirmed their participation for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, including, which returned to the contest after its absence in.The Lithuanian National Radio and Television initially announced its non-participation after failing to achieve the necessary funds of 300,000 litas for participation. The EBU later confirmed that would indeed participate in Oslo. Funding was eventually given by Lithuanian company Teo LT, which allowed LRT to participate.
Several of the performing artists had previously represented the same country in past editions. Niamh Kavanagh had won the contest for. Hera Björk had provided backing vocals for and. Kristján Gíslason, backing singer for Hera Björk, had represented as member of Two Tricky. In addition, Feminnem representing Croatia, had represented.
was represented by the group SunStroke Project, of which saxophonist Sergey Stepanov became an Internet meme as the "Epic Sax Guy", after performing their entry "Run Away (SunStroke Project and [Olia Tira song)|Run Away]" at the final of the contest.
Thirty-four countries participated in the semi-finals of the contest. The semi-final allocation draw took place on 7 February 2010, while the draw for the running order was held on 23 March 2010. To keep tension high, the qualifiers were announced in random order in the semi-finals, and scores were published online only after the final took place.
Other countries
Active EBU members
The EBU announced that they would work harder to bring back,, and to the 2010 contest. In September 2009 the EBU's director Bjørn Erichsen stated during an EBU press conference that "Austria be back", and that the EBU " reasons to believe that Luxembourg and Monaco" were also to participate; "now we are only missing Italy". In late October 2009, the 2010 contest project manager Jon Ola Sand stated that "countries such as Monaco and Luxembourg indicated that they to participate in next year's competition in Norway".However, the representatives of the broadcasters of Austria, Monaco, and Luxembourg denied participation in the 2010 contest. Wolfgang Lorenz, the programme director of the Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk, informed that they would not take part stating that the contest had been "ruined by the regulations".
Télé Monte Carlo also declared that they would not be returning for the 2010 edition, mainly due to a lack of finances to send a Monegasque entry. The RTL Group announced that they were having serious discussions regarding a possible comeback for for the first time since, but later confirmed that they would not be present for the 2010 contest either. San Marino RTV also considered returning in 2010 for ; however, after deliberations with Italian artists, including Italian sister duo Paola & Chiara, they informed to withhold returning after failing to receive funding from the Sammarinnese parliament or sponsors.
EBU had talks to Liechtenstein's only broadcaster 1 FL TV for them to join the EBU, and become a part of the Eurovision Song Contest. 1 FL TV's programme director Peter Kölbel had confirmed interest in their participation as soon as full EBU membership is granted, which may have happened in December 2009. Thus they were getting ready to debut in 2010, considering a national final concept similar to the German version of the Idol series – Deutschland sucht den Superstar. In November 1FLTV decided against applying for EBU membership in December for financial reasons, ruling out a debut at the 2010 contest.
From July to December 2009, four countries who participated in announced their non-participation in 2010:, the,, and.
Format
Visual design
NRK announced the theme art, slogan and design for the contest on 4 December 2009, during the Host City Insignia Exchange between the Mayors of Moscow, Oslo and Bærum, marking the official kick-off of the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 season. The theme art, a series of intersecting circles, was selected to "represent gathering people and the diversity of emotions surrounding the Eurovision Song Contest." In addition to the base colour of white, the logo was created in black, gold, and pink. A preview of the stage design was released on 6 May 2010, featuring no LED screens, opting instead for various other lighting techniques.Postcards
Unlike the 2009 and the 2008 postcards, the 2010 postcards were based in simplicity but also included an innovative idea, they are shown like they could be seen right in the venue, over the crowd's heads.The basic synopsis of the postcards is a numerous group of little golden balls forms the shape of each country. Then, they move and form a screen where we can see a pre-recorded video of a little crowd from in a city of the country about to perform supporting and cheering their act. After that, a few seconds of the performer of the country getting ready in the stage are shown; and then, the balls form the flag of the country supported.
In the part of the shape of the country, there were little discrepancies: some countries' shapes, such as those for Serbia, Israel, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, were not completely shown, due to territorial or border disputes in those areas.
Presenters
NRK announced the hosts of the contest on 10 March 2010. Those chosen were Erik Solbakken, Haddy Jatou N'jie, and Nadia Hasnaoui. Solbakken and N'jie opened the three shows, introduced the artists, and reported from the green room during the voting, with Hasnaoui presenting the voting section and scoreboard announcements. This was the second Eurovision event that Hasnaoui had co-hosted, after doing so at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2004, in Lillehammer. The trio guided the audience and viewers through the night in English, French, and Norwegian. This was the second time that more than two hosts were presenting the shows, after the.Voting system
On 11 October 2009, the EBU announced that the format of the semi-finals was to be changed so that the results would be determined by a combination of 50% national jury and 50% televoting, making it more consistent with the final. Each country's votes were determined by combining the jury votes and the televoting results; the countries with the top ten highest points in each semi-final then qualify to participate in the final of the contest. This replaces the semi-final format used in the and contests in which the countries with the top nine highest points from the televoting results in each semi-final qualified for the final. The tenth semi-final place was then given to the country with the highest number of points from the jury's votes which had not already qualified for the final from the televoting results. On 26 October 2009, the EBU announced that the voting would be open throughout the competition and would conclude 15 minutes after the end of the very last song.Possible return of the orchestra
A number of fans began a campaign on social networking site Facebook for the return of an orchestra to the contest in Oslo, for the first time since. An orchestra, which had been used since the first contest in 1956, was dropped after the 1998 contest due to rapid developments in music technology, which made backing tracks more useful. Jan Fredrik Heyerdahl of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra said that they were interested in participating in the 2010 contest if the EBU and NRK approved the return of an orchestra. However, no such change to the contest had been approved.Semi-final allocation draw
On Sunday 7 February 2010, the draw to decide which countries were to appear in either the first or second semi-final took place. The participating countries excluding the automatic finalists were split into six pots, based upon how those countries had been voting. From these pots, half competed in the first Semi Final on 25 May 2010. The other half in that particular pot will compete in the second Semi Final on 27 May 2010. This draw also doubled up as an approximate running order, in order for the delegations from the countries to know when their rehearsals commenced. The draw also determined in which Semi Final the automatic finalists voted in. The draw for the running order of the semi-finals, finals, and the order of voting, took place on 23 March 2010.| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 | Pot 5 |
Contest overview
Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place on 25 May 2010 at 21:00 CEST. All the countries competing in this semi-final were eligible to vote, plus France, Germany, and Spain. The ten countries in this semi-final with the highest scoring points, according to a combination of televotes and jury votes from each voting country, qualified for the final.| Country | Artist | Song | Points | Place | |
| 1 | SunStroke Project and Olia Tira | "Run Away" | 52 | 10 | |
| 2 | "Lost and Forgotten" | 74 | 7 | ||
| 3 | Malcolm Lincoln | "Siren" | 39 | 14 | |
| 4 | Kristína | "Horehronie " | 24 | 16 | |
| 5 | Kuunkuiskaajat | "Työlki ellää" | 49 | 11 | |
| 6 | Aisha | "What For?" | 11 | 17 | |
| 7 | "Ovo je Balkan" | 79 | 5 | ||
| 8 | "Thunder and Lightning" | 59 | 8 | ||
| 9 | "Legenda" | 44 | 13 | ||
| 10 | "Me and My Guitar" | 167 | 1 | ||
| 11 | "My Dream" | 45 | 12 | ||
| 12 | "It's All About You" | 76 | 6 | ||
| 13 | and Friends | "Opa " | 133 | 2 | |
| 14 | "Há dias assim" | 89 | 4 | ||
| 15 | "Jas ja imam silata" | 37 | 15 | ||
| 16 | 3+2 Robert Wells | "Butterflies" | 59 | 9 | |
| 17 | "Je ne sais quoi " | 123 | 3 |
Semi-final 2
The second semi-final took place on 27 May 2010 21:00 CEST. All the countries competing in this semi-final were eligible to vote, Norway and the United Kingdom. The ten countries in this semi-final with the highest scoring points, according to a combination of televotes and jury votes from each voting country, qualified for the final.| Country | Artist | Song | Points | Place | |
| 1 | InCulto | "Eastern European Funk" | 44 | 12 | |
| 2 | "Apricot Stone" | 83 | 6 | ||
| 3 | "Milim" | 71 | 8 | ||
| 4 | Chanée and N'evergreen | "In a Moment like This" | 101 | 5 | |
| 5 | "Il pleut de l'or" | 2 | 17 | ||
| 6 | "This Is My Life" | 62 | 11 | ||
| 7 | Safura | "Drip Drop" | 113 | 2 | |
| 8 | Alyosha | "Sweet People" | 77 | 7 | |
| 9 | Sieneke | "Ik ben verliefd " | 29 | 14 | |
| 10 | and Ovi | "Playing with Fire" | 104 | 4 | |
| 11 | and Kalamari | "Narodnozabavni rock" | 6 | 16 | |
| 12 | "It's for You" | 67 | 9 | ||
| 13 | Miro | "Angel si ti" | 19 | 15 | |
| 14 | and the Islanders | "Life Looks Better in Spring" | 67 | 10 | |
| 15 | Feminnem | "Lako je sve" | 33 | 13 | |
| 16 | "Shine" | 106 | 3 | ||
| 17 | Manga | "We Could Be the Same" | 118 | 1 |
Final
The final took place on 29 May 2010 at 21:00 CEST and was won by Germany. The "Big Four" and the host country, Norway, qualified directly for the final. From the two semi-finals on 25 and 27 May 2010, twenty countries qualified for the final. A total of 25 countries competed in the final and all 39 participants voted. The voting system used was similar to that used in the , but viewers were able to vote during the performances; the voting window ended 15 minutes after the conclusion of the songs.The interval act involved a number of live public outdoor dance events from across Europe, which were planned for promotional purposes, but done in the style of a series of spontaneous flashmobs. The outdoor footage was intercut with webcam footage from individual private households. Peter Svaar, Head of Press for the contest on behalf of broadcaster NRK, said: "We want to share the Eurovision Song Contest, rather than just broadcast it." The seven and a half minute long song "Glow", was produced and co-written by the Element team and performed and co-written by Madcon.
The performance of "Algo pequeñito" by Daniel Diges, representing, was disrupted by Catalan pitch invader Jaume Marquet, also known as Jimmy Jump. The performance continued as Marquet, wearing a barretina, joined in with the choreographed routine, but he ran off when security personnel appeared on the stage. Spain was subsequently allowed to perform their song a second time after Denmark's entry – the 25th and final song – had been performed.
Germany won with 246 points, winning both the jury vote and the televote. Turkey came second with 170 points, with Romania, Denmark, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Armenia, Greece, Georgia and Ukraine completing the top ten. Cyprus, Moldova, Ireland, Belarus and the United Kingdom occupied the bottom five positions.
| Country | Artist | Song | Points | Place | |
| 1 | Safura | "Drip Drop" | 145 | 5 | |
| 2 | "Algo pequeñito" | 68 | 15 | ||
| 3 | "My Heart Is Yours" | 35 | 20 | ||
| 4 | SunStroke Project and Olia Tira | "Run Away" | 27 | 22 | |
| 5 | and the Islanders | "Life Looks Better in Spring" | 27 | 21 | |
| 6 | "Thunder and Lightning" | 51 | 17 | ||
| 7 | "Me and My Guitar" | 143 | 6 | ||
| 8 | "Ovo je Balkan" | 72 | 13 | ||
| 9 | 3+2 Robert Wells | "Butterflies" | 18 | 24 | |
| 10 | "It's for You" | 25 | 23 | ||
| 11 | and Friends | "Opa " | 140 | 8 | |
| 12 | "That Sounds Good to Me" | 10 | 25 | ||
| 13 | "Shine" | 136 | 9 | ||
| 14 | Manga | "We Could Be the Same" | 170 | 2 | |
| 15 | "It's All About You" | 62 | 16 | ||
| 16 | "Je ne sais quoi " | 41 | 19 | ||
| 17 | Alyosha | "Sweet People" | 108 | 10 | |
| 18 | "Allez Ola Olé" | 82 | 12 | ||
| 19 | and Ovi | "Playing with Fire" | 162 | 3 | |
| 20 | "Lost and Forgotten" | 90 | 11 | ||
| 21 | "Apricot Stone" | 141 | 7 | ||
| 22 | Lena | "Satellite" | 246 | 1 | |
| 23 | "Há dias assim" | 43 | 18 | ||
| 24 | "Milim" | 71 | 14 | ||
| 25 | Chanée and N'evergreen | "In a Moment like This" | 149 | 4 |
Spokespersons
Each participating broadcaster appointed a spokesperson responsible for announcing the votes for its respective country. They revealed their votes in the following order:- – Malvina Cservenschi
- – Derek Mooney
- – Hape Kerkeling
- –
- – Leon Menkshi
- – Meltem Ersan Yazgan
- – Mila Horvat
- – Aleksandra Rosiak
- – Ivana Vidmar
- –
- – Andrea F
- – Rolf Junior
- – Oxana Fedorova
- –
- –
- –
- – Yohanna
- – Bryan Rice
- –
- – Ainhoa Arbizu
- –
- –
- – Iryna Zhuravska
- – Kārlis Būmeisters
- – Chiara Siracusa
- – Anne Rimmen
- – Christina Metaxa
- –
- – Aleksei Grishin
- – Christa Rigozzi
- –
- – Scott Mills
- – Yolanthe Cabau van Kasbergen
- – Ofer Nachshon
- – Maja Daniels
- –
- – Mariam Vashadze
- – Eric Saade
- – Nazeni Hovhannisyan
Detailed voting results
The split jury/televoting results were announced by the EBU in June 2010. Only the split totals received by each country were given, not the full breakdown.Semi-final 1
In the first semifinal, one unknown country had only a jury because the votes of the country did not meet the EBU threshold.12 points
Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points each country awarded to another in the 1st semi-final:| N. | Contestant | Nation giving 12 points |
| 5 | ,,,, | |
| 3 | ,, | |
| 2 | , | |
| 2 | , | |
| 2 | , | |
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 |
Semi-final 2
12 points
Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points each country awarded to another in the 2nd semi-final:| N. | Contestant | Nation giving 12 points |
| 3 | ,, | |
| 2 | , | |
| 2 | , | |
| 2 | , | |
| 2 | , | |
| 2 | , | |
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 |
Final
12 points
Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points each country awarded to another in the final:| N. | Contestant | Nation giving 12 points |
| 9 | ,,,,,,,, | |
| 5 | ,,,, | |
| 4 | ,,, | |
| 4 | ,,, | |
| 3 | ,, | |
| 3 | ,, | |
| 2 | , | |
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 |
Broadcasts
Most broadcasters sent commentators to Oslo or commentated from their own country, in order to add insight to the participants and, if necessary, provide voting information.| Country | Broadcaster | Channel | Commentator | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 AustraliaInternational broadcasts
High-definition broadcastsFor the fourth time, the contest was broadcast in high-definition. Some broadcasters aired the contest in HD through their high-definition channel:
Other awardsIn addition to the main winner's trophy, the Marcel Bezençon Awards and the Barbara Dex Award were contested during the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest. The OGAE, "General Organisation of Eurovision Fans" voting poll also took place before the contest.Marcel Bezençon AwardsThe Marcel Bezençon Awards, organised since 2002 by Sweden's then-Head of Delegation and 1992 representative Christer Björkman, and 1984 winner Richard Herrey, honours songs in the contest's final. The awards are divided into three categories: Artistic Award, Composers Award, and Press Award. This is the first and to date the only occasion in which an entry managed to win in all categories.
OGAE, an organisation of over forty Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs across Europe and beyond, conducts an annual voting poll first held in 2002 as the Marcel Bezençon Fan Award. After all votes were cast, the top-ranked entry in the 2010 poll was Denmark's "In a Moment like This" performed by Chanée and N'evergreen; the top five results are shown below.
Barbara Dex AwardThe Barbara Dex Award is a humorous fan award given to the worst dressed artist each year. Named after Belgium's representative who came last in the 1993 contest, wearing her self-designed dress, the award was handed by the fansite House of Eurovision from 1997 to 2016 and is being carried out by the fansite songfestival.be since 2017.
Official albumEurovision Song Contest: Oslo 2010 was the official compilation album of the 2010 contest, put together by the European Broadcasting Union and released by EMI Records and CMC International on 17 May 2010.The album featured all 39 songs that entered in the 2010 contest, including the semi-finalists that failed to qualify into the grand final. |