My Top Tens

Top 10 Best Ever Eurovision Songs

Top 10 Best Ever Semi Final Losers

Top 10 Best Ever Eurovision National Final Losers

Top 10 Most Infectious Eurovision Songs Ever

Some History

I’m a longtime ESC fan from Australia, since early 80s when the nation’s multicultural TV station started showing it. First recollection was Bobbysox winning for Norway.

It wasn’t until early 2000s that I became a really big fan. First bought the CD, then bought the DVD, and now internet makes it so easy to follow. Buying the CD before the contest was pivotal as it provided great familiarity with all the songs before watching the show. It made ESC 10 times more exciting.

Riga 2003 was the year that ESC really transformed, with such a big name like TATU competing and a really high quality contest of songs and an outstanding show. Today it remains my favourite year. Other favourites are Athens 2006, Moscow 2009 and Malmo 2013. Stockholm 2016 will always have fond memories because it was my first live attendance ever, and I would also go to Kyiv 2017 and Lisbon 2018.

Let’s not forget that ESC and following national finals introduces you to a world of great new artists. Sweden and Estonia, especially, have provided great sources. Germany, Greece and Latvia are others, while favourite artists as a consequence are Lenna Kuurmaa, Molly Sanden, Timoteij, Lena Meyer-Landrut, Grete Paia and Birgit Õigemeel.

I’m no fan of Australia involved in Eurovision. While the “one off” in 2015 for the 60th Anniversary was fine as a reward for all the years of broadcasting on SBS, fact is we are no where near Europe, are not a full member of the EBU (both are requirements), it’s on at a bizarre time (5am) that makes voting and broad engagement problematic, and we add nothing to Eurovision other than another generic, bland English language song. Our inclusion also draws too much obsessive jingoistic focus to Australia’s entry and away from the contest in general, and has actually seen a huge drop in TV ratings since. Eurovision was already great without us there so we don’t need to be there to keep it great. In summary, I’m an Australian fan of Eurovision, not a fan of Australia in Eurovision.

My favourite country is Estonia because they provided the greatest band ever in the world for ESC 2005…..

…..Vanilla Ninja!!

Mr Eurovision Award Categories

You’ll see these awards in a post after each Eurovision. Here is honour roll of current award title holders, which reflects the best ever in the category so far.

The Cool Vibes Award for Best Eurovision Entry (2005 Switzerland)
The Goodbye To Yesterday Award for Best Performance (2015 Estonia)
The Tornero Award for Best Artistry (2006 Romania)
The Open Your Heart Award for Best Song (2003 Iceland)
The Lenna Kuurmaa Award for Best Voice (2005 Switzerland)
The Polina Gagarina Award for Best Vocals (2015 Russia)
The Igranka Award for Biggest Surprise (2013 Montenegro)
The Lost And Found Award for Biggest Disappointment (2018 North Macedonia)
The Sara Siipola Award for Biggest National Final Mistake (2024 Finland)
The Piret Järvis Award for Hottest Girl (2005 Switzerland)
The Victor Crone Award for Hunkiest Guy (2019 Estonia)
The Nina Sublatti Award for Best Outfit (2015 Georgia)
The Marija from Eye Cue Award for Worst Outfit (2018 North Macedonia)
The Selena Award for Best Personality (2023 Austria – the blonde from Selena & Teya)
The Tick-Tock Award for Biggest Semi Final Injustice (2021 Croatia)
The Stacked Shipping Containers Award for Best Postcard (2014 Estonia)
The Public Vote Smackdown Award for Best Moment (2021 grand final where United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Netherlands all got zero points)

Note: Before 2024, Best Eurovision Entry was known as Best Song and Best Song was known as Best Pure Song. Best Performance was dropped as a category from 2022 and Best Postcard dropped from 2024.

Previous Title Holders

The Dami Im Award for Best Vocals (2016 Australia)

The La Mia Citta Award for Biggest Disappointment (2014 Italy)

The Francesca Michielin Award for Worst Outfit (2016 Italy)

The Michal Szpak Award for Hunkiest Guy (2016 Poland)
The Mr Lordi Award for Hunkiest Guy (2006 Finland)

The Natalia Gordienko Award for Best Personality (2021 Moldova)
The Zena Award for Best Personality (2019 Belarus)
The Sennek Award for Best Personality (2018 Belgium)
The Petr Elfimov Award for Best Personality (2009 Belarus)

Australian TV Ratings

GRAND FINAL REPEAT/DELAYED

2024: 226,000 average; 927,000 reach; ranked 12th (1st Seven News 1,253,000 and 2,183,000)**

2023: 181,000 (20th show 192k, 1st 7 News 836k, 2nd 9 News 755k)
2022: 204,000 (19th most watch show)
2021: 165,000
2019: 246,000
2018: 208,000*
2017: 308,000
2016: 407,000
2015: 592,000+
2014: 476,000
2013: 595,000
2012: 531,000
2011: 511,000

GRAND FINAL LIVE

2024: 209,000 average; 508,000 reach; ranked 29th**

2023: 202,000 (299k winner announced)
2022: 150,000? (approx as no official figure; 190k winner announced)
2021: 123,000 (170k winner announced)
2019: 166,000 (240k winner announced)
2018: 198,000*
2017: 148,000
2016: 302,000
2015: 263,000+

** 2024 marked a change in the ratings system. Total national viewers are counted instead of just the 5 mainland state capital cities (5 Metro), and a reach figure is supplied (anyone that watched at least 1 minute of the program at any point in time) instead of a peak figure (the point in a program with the most viewers). The average figure will therefore be inflated compared to previous years, by around 20%. The reach figure will obviously be vastly higher than any peak figure. While reach will be the figure most commonly flaunted, the average figure will far more closely approximate the number of individual people that watched a program.

* No official figures for 2018 as both shows were outside the top 20 (20th show was ABC Insiders with 240,000).  Comments from TV Tonight website: “Apparently it (the replay) got 208k, 100k down on last year. The live airing was 50k higher than last year and got a similar rating as the prime time replay.”

+ 2015 was the first year Eurovision shown live (5am Sunday start). Replays and delayed broadcasts are shown Sunday evening.