Eurovision Song Contest 1996

The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was the 41st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 18 May 1996 at the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in Oslo, Norway. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (NRK) and presented by Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket, the contest was held in Norway following the country's victory at the Template:Escyr with the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" by Secret Garden.

Thirty countries submitted entries to the contest, with a non-public, audio-only qualifying round held two months before the final to reduce the number of participants from 30 to 23. The entries from Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty, and Template:Esccnty were subsequently eliminated, which resulted in Germany being absent from the contest for the first – and as of 2024 only – time.

The winner was Template:Esccnty with the song "The Voice", written by Brendan Graham and performed by Eimear Quinn. This gave the nation a record-extending seventh contest win, their fourth win in five years, with Graham also recording his second win as a songwriter in three years after having written the winning song at the Template:Escyr. Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty, and Template:Esccnty took the remaining places in the top five, with Croatia, Estonia, and Template:Esccnty, which placed sixth, achieving their best results to date. This was the final contest where the results were determined solely by jury voting, with a trial use of televoting in the Template:Escyr leading to widespread adoption from Template:Escyr onwards.

Location

File:Oslo Spektrum, 2022.jpg

lang}}, Oslo – host venue of the 1996 contest

The 1996 contest took place in Oslo, Norway, following the country's victory at the Template:Escyr with the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}", performed by Secret Garden. It was the second time that Norway had hosted the contest, following the Template:Escyr staged in Bergen.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The chosen venue was the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, an indoor arena opened in 1990 and located in the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} district of the city, which has hosted music concerts, ice hockey matches, and the annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Around 6,000 spectators were present in the venue during the contest.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn<ref name="Moss" />

Participants

Template:Further Template:Interlanguage link info Template:ESC 1996 participants A total of thirty countries submitted entries for the 1996 contest, however per the rules of the event only twenty-three countries would be allowed to participate. Norway, by virtue of being the host country, was guaranteed a place, with all remaining countries competing in the qualifying round in order to gain a spot in the event.<ref name="ESC1996" /> Initially broadcasters from thirty-three countries expressed an interest in participating, however planned entries from Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty, and Template:Esccnty failed to materialise; these nations would eventually make their contest debuts in the 2000s.Template:Sfn

Three representatives who had performed as lead artists in previous contests featured among the performers at this event. Marianna Efstratiou had represented Template:Esccnty, while Elisabeth Andreassen made her fourth appearance, having competed for Template:Esccnty as a member of the band Chips, as well as representing Norway twice, winning the contest in Template:Esccnty as a member of Bobbysocks! and performing with Jan Werner Danielsen in Template:Esccnty.Template:Sfn Additionally, Georgina Abela, who had represented Template:Esccnty with Paul Giordimaina, returned as a backing singer for the Maltese entrant Miriam Christine.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Eurovision Song Contest 1996 participantsTemplate:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Country	Broadcaster	Artist	Song	Language	Songwriter(s)	Conductor
Template:Esc	ORF	Template:Ill	lang}}"	GermanTemplate:Efn	Template:Hlist	Mischa Krausz
Template:Esc	BRTN	Lisa del Bo	lang}}"	Dutch	Template:Hlist	Bob Porter
Template:Esc	RTVBiH	Amila Glamočak	lang}}"	Bosnian	Template:Hlist	Sinan Alimanović
Template:Esc	HRT	Maja Blagdan	lang}}"	Croatian	Template:Ill	Alan Bjelinski
Template:Esc	CyBC	Constantinos	lang}}" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})	Greek	Template:Hlist	Stavros Lantsias
Template:Esc	ETV	Maarja-Liis Ilus and Ivo Linna	lang}}"	Estonian	Template:Hlist	Tarmo Leinatamm
Template:Esc	YLE	Jasmine	lang}}"	Finnish	Timo Niemi	Olli Ahvenlahti
Template:Esc	lang}}	Dan Ar Braz and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	lang}}"	Breton	Dan Ar Braz	Fiachra Trench
Template:Esc	ERT	Marianna Efstratiou	lang}}" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})	Greek	Template:Hlist	Template:Ill
Template:Esc	RÚV	Anna Mjöll	lang}}"	Icelandic	Template:Hlist	Ólafur Gaukur Þórhallsson
Template:Esc	RTÉ	Eimear Quinn	"The Voice"	English	Brendan Graham	Noel Kelehan
Template:Esc	PBS	Miriam Christine	"In a Woman's Heart"	English	Template:Hlist	Paul Abela
Template:Esc	NOS	Maxine and Franklin Brown	lang}}"	Dutch	Template:Hlist	Dick Bakker
Template:Esc	NRK	Elisabeth Andreassen	lang}}"	Norwegian	Template:Ill	Frode Thingnæs
Template:Esc	TVP	Kasia Kowalska	lang}}"	Polish	Template:Hlist	Template:Ill
Template:Esc	RTP	Lúcia Moniz	lang}}"	Portuguese	Template:Hlist	Pedro Osório
Template:Esc	STV	Marcel Palonder	lang}}"	Slovak	Template:Hlist	Juraj Burian
Template:Esc	RTVSLO	Regina	lang}}"	Slovene	Aleksander Kogoj	Jože Privšek
Template:Esc	TVE	Antonio Carbonell	lang}}"	Spanish	Template:Hlist	Template:Ill
Template:Esc	SVT	One More Time	lang}}"	Swedish	Template:Hlist	Anders Berglund
Template:Esc	SRG SSR	Kathy Leander	lang}}"	French	Régis Mounir	Rui dos Reis
Template:Esc	TRT	Şebnem Paker	lang}}"	Turkish	Template:Hlist	Template:Hlist
Template:Esc	BBC	Gina G	"Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit"	English	Template:Hlist	Ernie Dunstall

Entires which failed to progress from the qualifying roundTemplate:Sfn

Country	Broadcaster	Artist	Song	Language	Songwriter(s)
Template:Esc	DR	Template:Ill and Template:Ill	lang}}"	Danish	Template:Hlist
Template:Esc	NDRTemplate:Efn	Leon	"Planet of Blue"	German	Template:Hlist
Template:Esc	MTV	Gjon Delhusa	lang}}"	Hungarian	Gjon Delhusa
Template:Esc	IBA	Template:Ill	lang}}" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})	Hebrew	Template:Hlist
Template:Esc	MRT	Kaliopi	lang}}" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})	Macedonian	Kaliopi
Template:Esc	TVR	Monica Anghel and Template:Ill	lang}}"	Romanian	Template:Hlist
Template:Esc	RTR	Template:Ill	lang}}" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})	Russian	Template:Hlist

Production

File:I12 096e Oslo, Rathaus.jpg

Oslo City Hall, location of the welcome reception

File:Morten Harket FFM13 001.jpg

In addition to serving as co-presenter of the 1996 contest, Morten Harket (pictured in 2013) also performed as the show's opening act.

The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was produced by the Norwegian public broadcaster {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (NRK). Odd Arvid Strømstad served as executive producer, Pål Veiglum served as director, Bjarte Ulfstein served as designer, and Frode Thingnæs served as musical director, leading the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.<ref name="ESC1996">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Sfn A separate musical director could be nominated by each country to lead the orchestra during their performance, with the host musical director also available to conduct for those countries which did not nominate their own conductor.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn On behalf of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the event was overseen by Christine Marchal-Ortiz as scrutineer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Sfn

The show was presented by the Norwegian journalist and television presenter Ingvild Bryn and the Norwegian singer Morten Harket, lead vocalist of the Norwegian band a-ha.<ref name="ESC1996" /><ref name="7th win">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The contest underwent a re-brand for this edition, as NRK set out to improve the image of the competition and broaden its audience appeal.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The event was referred to by the hosts and through on-screen captions as Eurosong '96, the only occasion in which this contraction was officially used to refer to the event.Template:Sfn<ref name="ESC1996" />

Rehearsals in the contest venue for the competing acts began on 13 May 1996. Each country had two technical rehearsals in the week approaching the contest, with countries rehearsing in the order in which they would perform. The first rehearsals took place on 13 and 14 May, with each country allowed 40 minutes total on stage, followed by 20 minutes to review recordings with producers and to consult on suggested changes, and then a 20-minute press conference. Each country's second rehearsals took place on 15 and 16 May, with 30 minutes total on stage followed by another 20 minute press conference. A full technical rehearsal with all artists took place on the afternoon of 17 May, followed by two dress rehearsals with an audience on the evening of 17 May and the following afternoon.Template:Sfn The competing delegations were invited to a welcome reception during the week in the build-up to the event, hosted by the Mayor of Oslo at Oslo City Hall on the evening of 13 May, as well as to events during the rehearsal week including a sailing trip on the Oslofjord and a trip to the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in Bygdøy where a special Eurovision-themed exhibition had been installed.Template:Sfn<ref name="Moss">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

NRK introduced visual effects to the contest for the first time.<ref name="eurosong">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Computer-generated imagery (CGI) was featured as overlays during the broadcast of the competing entries, and the voting segment was conducted via chroma key technology built by Silicon Graphics; during this segment host Ingvild Bryn was situated in the "blue room", a special area to the side of the stage with a blue-coloured background, which allowed the contest scoreboard to be rendered virtually using CGI.<ref name="7th win" /><ref name="eurosong"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The chroma key virtual display also included live footage of the artists in the green room backstage, as well as the video feeds of each country's spokespersons as they delivered their country's points.<ref name="ESC1996" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Format

Each participating broadcaster submitted one song, which was required to be no longer than three minutes in duration and performed in the language, or one of the languages, of the country which it represented.<ref name="HowItWorks">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A maximum of six performers were allowed on stage during each country's performance, and all participants were required to have reached the age of 16 in the year of the contest.<ref name="HowItWorks" /><ref name="Rules">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Each entry could utilise all or part of the live orchestra and could use instrumental-only backing tracks, however any backing tracks used could only include the sound of instruments featured on stage being mimed by the performers.<ref name="Rules" /><ref name="DublinAgain">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

New qualification system

In 1996, a trial qualification process replaced the relegation system used from 1993 to 1995, whereby the lowest-ranked countries in each final were eliminated from the following year's contest. Under the new procedure, an audio preselection was organised for all participating countries, apart from the host country Norway, which received an automatic right to compete in the final, to be joined by an additional 22 countries. National juries in all competing countries, including Norway, listened to the submitted entries on audio tape, with juries required to listen to all songs three times before voting. Each of the eight members on each country's jury awarded their favourite song twelve points, their second-favourite ten points, their third-favourite eight points, with subsequent points being awarded consecutively down to each juror's tenth-favourite song being awarded one point, with the points awarded by all jurors being totalled to determine each country's top ten songs which were awarded points in the same manner. Jury members who voted in the qualifying round were not allowed to sit on the jury for the final.Template:Sfn<ref name="7th win" /> Despite there was not official statement, it was said this system was primarily introduced in an attempt to appease Germany, one of Eurovision's biggest markets and financial contributors, which would have otherwise been relegated under the previous system.Template:Sfn

The EBU required all entries to be submitted by 20Template:NbspMarch 1996.Template:Sfn Jury voting was held on 20 and 21 March, with the qualifying countries publicly revealed on 22 March, at the same time as the running order draw for the final was conducted.<ref name="Haugesund">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="HS1">Template:Cite news</ref> The full results of how individual juries had voted was not intended to be revealed publicly, but the full breakdown has since become available.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Voting procedure

Template:Further The results of the 1996 contest were determined using the scoring system introduced in Template:Escyr: each country awarded twelve points to its favourite entry, followed by ten points to its second favourite, and then awarded points in decreasing value from eight to one for the remaining songs which featured in the country's top ten, with countries unable to vote for their own entry.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The points awarded by each country were determined by an assembled jury of sixteen individuals, which was required to be split evenly between members of the public and music professionals, between men and women, and by age. Each jury member voted in secret and awarded between one and ten votes to each participating song, excluding that from their own country and with no abstentions permitted. The votes of each member were collected following the country's performance and then tallied by the non-voting jury chairperson to determine the points to be awarded. In any cases where two or more songs in the top ten received the same number of votes, a show of hands by all jury members was used to determine the final placing.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn This was the last occasion that juries alone decided the result of the contest, as five nations introduced public televoting as a trial in Template:Escyr, and almost all other countries followed suit the Template:Escyr.<ref name="ESC1996" /><ref name="DublinAgain" />

Postcards

The "postcards" were 70-second video introductions shown on television whilst the stage is being prepared for the next contestant to perform their entry; the postcards for each country at the 1996 contest was made up of three segments. In the first segment the participating country was highlighted geographically on a map of Europe, followed by video footage of that country's competing artist or artists in their home country during their day-to-day lives, which also featured each artist packing a branded backpack with important items which they would take with them to Oslo. The second segment featured footage of nature scenes in Norway as well as Norwegian people in everyday life, often accompanied by music from Norwegian electronic group Subgud. The final segment consisted of a pre-recorded good luck message from a representative of each respective country in the language of that country.<ref name="contestAV" />Template:Sfn The seniority of these figures varied between the different countries; among the contributors were then-President of Turkey Süleyman Demirel, who survived an assassination attempt on the day of the contest, and then-Prime Minister of Portugal António Guterres, who would later become the Secretary-General of the United Nations in 2017.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Sfn The individuals who provided messages for each country are shown below, alongside the position which they held at the time of the contest and the language in which they provided their message.<ref name="contestAV" />

• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndSüleyman Demirel, President of Turkey (Turkish)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndVirginia Bottomley, Secretary of State for National Heritage (English)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndAlberto Escudero Claramunt, Spanish Ambassador to Norway (Spanish)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndAntónio Guterres, Prime Minister of Portugal (Portuguese)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndGlafcos Clerides, President of Cyprus (Greek)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndEdoardo Fenech Adami, Prime Minister of Malta (Maltese)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndZlatko Mateša, Prime Minister of Croatia (Croatian)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndElisabeth Gehrer, Federal Minister for Education and Cultural Affairs (German)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndMichel Coquoz, Swiss chargé d'affaires in Norway (French)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndCaterína Dimaki, Greek chargé d'affaires in Norway (Greek)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndTiit Vähi, Prime Minister of Estonia (Estonian)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndGro Harlem Brundtland, Prime Minister of Norway (Norwegian)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndPhilippe Douste-Blazy, Minister of Culture (French)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndMilan Kučan, President of Slovenia (Slovene)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndAad Nuis, State Secretary of Education, Culture and Science (Dutch)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndLuc Van den Brande, Minister-President of Flanders (Dutch)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndJohn Bruton, Taoiseach (English)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndRiitta Uosukainen, Speaker of the Parliament of Finland (Finnish)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndDavíð Oddsson, Prime Minister of Iceland (Icelandic)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndAleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland (Polish)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndAlija Izetbegović, President of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnian)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndVladimír Mečiar, Prime Minister of Slovakia (Slovak)
• Template:FlaguTemplate:SndGöran Persson, Prime Minister of Sweden (Swedish)

Contest overview

Qualifying round

The qualifying round took place on 20 and 21 March 1996, and the results were announced on 22 March.<ref name="Haugesund" /><ref name="HS1" /> The table below outlines the participating countries, the order in which the juries listened to the entries, the competing artists and songs, and the results of the voting. Countries were ordered alphabetically by ISO two-letter country code.Template:Sfn

The entries from Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty, and Template:Esccnty were eliminated following the qualifying round.Template:Sfn<ref name="ESC1996" />Template:Sfn This marked the first time that Germany was absent from the contest and remains the only occasion to date where the nation has not participated in the contest final.<ref name="ESC1996" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Additionally Macedonia's first attempt to compete in the contest is not considered a debut entry by the EBU, with the nation eventually going on to make their official televised debut in Template:Escyr.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Hungary and Template:Esccnty tied on the same score for the final qualification place, however Finland qualified for the contest due to them having received the highest individual score (8 points) compared to Hungary (7 points).Template:Sfn

Results of the qualifying round of the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Template:Abbr	Country	Artist	Song	Points	Place
1	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	80	6
2	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	29	21
3	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	45	12
4	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	67	8
5	Template:Esc	Constantinos	lang}}"	42	15
6	Template:Esc	Leon	"Planet of Blue"	24	24
7	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname and Martin Loft	lang}}"	22	25
8	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname and Ivo Linna	lang}}"	106	5
9	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	43	14
10	Template:Esc	Jasmine	lang}}"	26	22
11	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	lang}}"	55	11
12	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	"Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit"	153	3
13	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	45	12
14	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	30	19
15	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	26	23
16	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	"The Voice"	198	2
17	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	12	28
18	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	59	10
19	Template:Esc	Kaliopi	lang}}"	14	26
20	Template:Esc	Miriam Christine	"In a Woman's Heart"	138	4
21	Template:Esc	Maxine and Franklin Brown	lang}}"	63	9
22	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	42	15
23	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	32	18
24	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname and Sincron	lang}}"	11	29
25	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	14	26
26	Template:Esc	One More Time	lang}}"	227	1
27	Template:Esc	Regina	lang}}"	30	19
28	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	38	17
29	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	69	7

Final

File:Eimear Quinn tijdens Het Grote Songfestivalfeest 2019.jpg

Eimear Quinn, the winning artist of the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest

The contest took place on 18 May 1996 at 21:00 (CEST) and lasted 3 hours and 7 minutes.<ref name="ESC1996" />Template:Sfn In addition to his role as host, Harket also performed the song "Heaven's Not for Saints" as the show's opening act.Template:Sfn The interval act, entitled "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" or "Beacon Burning", was created by Petter Skavlan. The act featured a film montage created by Nils Gaup which combined stev, jazz, and Norwegian folk music as part of a musical tour of Norway, followed by a dance number performed live in the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} by the Oslo Danse Ensemble, composed by Egil Monn-Iversen and choreographed by Runar Borge. The film section featured performances by Torbjørg Aamlid Paus, Bukkene Bruse, Bendik Hofseth, Håvard Gimse, Helge Kjekshus, the Brazz Brothers, Mari Boine and Terje Rypdal.<ref name="contestAV">Template:Cite AV media</ref>Template:Sfn

The winner was Template:Esccnty, represented by the song "The Voice", written by Brendan Graham and performed by Eimear Quinn.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This was Ireland's seventh contest win, extending their record achieved in 1994, as well as their fourth contest win in five years following their victories in the Template:Escyr, Template:Escyr and 1994 contests.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Graham recorded his second contest win in three years as a songwriter, having written the winning song of the 1994 contest "Rock 'n' Roll Kids", and thus became one of five individuals to have won the contest more than once as an artist or songwriter up to that point in time, alongside Willy van Hemert, Yves Dessca, Johnny Logan and Rolf Løvland.<ref name="7th win" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:Esccnty, Template:Esccnty and Template:Esccnty achieved their highest placings to date by finishing fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, while Template:Esccnty finished in last place for the eighth time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

During the announcement of the Spanish votes, the Spanish spokesperson Belén Fernández de Henestrosa referred to the Netherlands as "Holland", which was misheard by Ingvild Bryn as "Poland" and which resulted in the Spanish six points being incorrectly attributed to the latter country.<ref name="contestAV" /> The results of the contest were amended after the event to correct this error, and the tables in this article present the corrected results as published by the EBU.Template:Sfn

Results of the Eurovision Song Contest 1996Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Abbr	Country	Artist	Song	Points	Place
1	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	57	12
2	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	"Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit"	77	8
3	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	17	20
4	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	92	6
5	Template:Esc	Constantinos	lang}}"	72	9
6	Template:Esc	Miriam Christine	"In a Woman's Heart"	68	10
7	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	98	4
8	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	68	10
9	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	22	16
10	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	36	14
11	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname and Ivo Linna	lang}}"	94	5
12	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	114	2
13	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	lang}}"	18	19
14	Template:Esc	Regina	lang}}"	16	21
15	Template:Esc	Maxine and Franklin Brown	lang}}"	78	7
16	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	22	16
17	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	"The Voice"	162	1
18	Template:Esc	Jasmine	lang}}"	9	23
19	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	51	13
20	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	31	15
21	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	13	22
22	Template:Esc	Template:Sortname	lang}}"	19	18
23	Template:Esc	One More Time	lang}}"	100	3

Spokespersons

File:Ragnhild Sælthun Fjørtoft.jpeg

Ragnhild Sælthun Fjørtoft, the Norwegian spokesperson

Each participating broadcaster appointed a spokesperson who was responsible for announcing, in English or French, the votes for its respective country.<ref name="HowItWorks" /> As had been the case since the Template:Escyr, the spokespersons were connected via satellite and appeared in vision during the broadcast, with the exception of the Norwegian spokesperson, Ragnhild Sælthun Fjørtoft, who appeared in person in the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref name="7th win" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Spokespersons at the 1996 contest are listed below.<ref name="contestAV" />

1. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndTemplate:Ill
2. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndColin BerryTemplate:Sfn
3. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndBelén Fernández de HenestrosaTemplate:Sfn
4. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndCristina Rocha
5. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndMarios Skordis
6. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndRuth Amaira
7. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndTemplate:Ill<ref name="KN" />
8. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndTemplate:Ill
9. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndYves Ménestrier
10. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndNiki Venega
11. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndAnnika Talvik<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndRagnhild Sælthun Fjørtoft<ref name="7th win" />
2. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndLaurent Broomhead
3. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndTemplate:Ill
4. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndMarcha
5. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndAn Ploegaerts
6. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndEileen Dunne<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndSolveig HerlinTemplate:Sfn
2. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndSvanhildur Konráðsdóttir
3. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndTemplate:Ill
4. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndSegmedina Srna
5. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndTemplate:Ill
6. Template:FlaguTemplate:SndUlla RundqvistTemplate:Sfn

Detailed voting results

Jury voting was used to determine the points awarded by all countries.Template:Sfn The announcement of the results from each country was conducted in the order in which they performed, with the spokespersons announcing their country's points in English or French in ascending order.<ref name="contestAV" /> The detailed breakdown of the points awarded by each country is listed in the tables below.

Qualifying round

Detailed voting results in the qualifying roundTemplate:Sfn

		scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header	scope="col" Template:Vert header
scope="row" rowspan="30" Template:Vert header	Austria	80		6	1		6	1	2		5	2	12		6		3			10		12		5	2					7
Bosnia and Herzegovina	29				2		3			3	1				6						2								12
Belgium	45									8	4		7				4	6					2	4	6	2					2
Switzerland	67	3	3	3			7		5								7			8		5	6	3	7			4			6
Cyprus	42									4			2	12		5				5	4						4			6
Germany	24							5				5	10					3										1
Denmark	22		4			3										1	2			2			1			4		5
Estonia	106	5		5	4		8	8			8	1				6			5	1		10	10	5	5	3	12	7	3
Spain	43	2				4								4	8						8					1			4	8	4
Finland	26				6									8				5	7
France	55							6	8		3						5		6	10				6	4					4	3
United Kingdom	153	10		7		10	5	7	2		7	10			1	7	8	12			3	7	8	1	10	8		12	1	5	12
Greece	45					12				7					7			2			5						5			7
Croatia	30	1	7				2			1										3	1						1	8	6
Hungary	26		1			2		1	6					2	3							3				7				1
Ireland	198	12	12	8	7	8		3	10	2	10	8	12	10		2		10	12	6		6		10	3		7	10	10	10	10
Israel	12											3								4											5
Iceland	59		5						7		5	6						7					12			6	8			3
Macedonia	14														2	4			2			1							5
Malta	138	6		10	8	7	6		1	12		4		7	10	8	6						4	7	2	12	3	6		12	7
Netherlands	63			4	3			10				2				12	3		3	7					12	5		2
Poland	42	7					10		3				1	1								8					10			2
Portugal	32	4		6									6	5				1				4	3						2		1
Romania	11						4										1				6
Russia	14				5				4				5
Sweden	227	8	10	12	12	1	12	12	12		12	7	8			10	12	8	8	12		12	7	12	8	10	6		8		8
Slovenia	30			2	1			4					3		5		10		1			2					2
Slovakia	38		2			5				6				3	12						10
Turkey	69		8		10					10	6		4		4			4	4		7			8	1			3

12 points

The below table summarises how the maximum 12 points were awarded from one country to another in the qualifying round.Template:Sfn

Distribution of 12 points awarded at the qualifying roundTemplate:Sfn

N.	Contestant	Nation(s) giving 12 points
10	Template:Esc	Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc
4	Template:Esc	Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc
3	Template:Esc	Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc
	Template:Esc	Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc
2	Template:Esc	Template:Esc, Template:Esc
	Template:Esc	Template:Esc, Template:Esc
1	Template:Esc	Template:Esc
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Final

Detailed voting results in the finalTemplate:Sfn<ref name="results">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="scoreboard">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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rowspan="23" Template:Vert header	Turkey	57		6	8			10	1		6				4		7	5		5			5
United Kingdom	77	3			12	1	6	7	3	4		2		8			12	3		4			6	6
Spain	17					2	5	4			6
Portugal	92	5	2			12		10	1	10	5		12	5		6	6		3	10		1		4
Cyprus	72		12	7	3		2	8	2	5	12			2				1	6				10	2
Malta	68	10		10				12			8		1		4						6		12	5
Croatia	98	8	4	5	10	8	7			1	1	6	7		3	5	4	6		5	2	10	5	1
Austria	68	4			5		12				2	7		12	1			8			8	6	3
Switzerland	22		3												2	4	2	4	4	3
Greece	36		7			10	1			2			3			1					1		8	3
Estonia	94		10	4		7			5				8	1	8	3		2	12	12	10			12
Norway	114	2	8		2	3		5	8	7		5		7	10	10	8	7	7	8	4	3		10
France	18		1		1							3	4				7		2
Slovenia	16			1				6												1		8
Netherlands	78	1		6	7	5			12	3		4		10	5		1	5		2	7	2		8
Belgium	22		5	12				2				1				2
Ireland	162	12			8	6	4		7	12	10	12	10	6	12	12	3		10		12	12	7	7
Finland	9												2							7
Iceland	51			3	6				6		3	8	5		6			10			3		1
Poland	31	7				4			4		7											7	2
Bosnia and Herzegovina	13	6					3	3											1
Slovakia	19			2			8				4										5
Sweden	100				4				10	8		10	6	3	7	8	10	12	8	6		4	4

12 points

The below table summarises how the maximum 12 points were awarded from one country to another in the final. The winning country is shown in bold.<ref name="results" /><ref name="scoreboard" />

Distribution of 12 points awarded at the final<ref name="results" /><ref name="scoreboard" />

N.	Contestant	Nation(s) giving 12 points
7	Template:Esc	Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc
3	Template:Esc	Template:Esc, Template:Esc, Template:Esc
2	Template:Esc	Template:Esc, Template:Esc
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1	Template:Esc	Template:Esc
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Broadcasts

Each participating broadcaster was required to relay the contest via its networks. Non-participating EBU member broadcasters were also able to relay the contest as "passive participants".<ref name="Rules" /> Broadcasters were able to send commentators to provide coverage of the contest in their own native language and to relay information about the artists and songs to their television viewers. These commentators were typically sent to the venue to report on the event, and were able to provide commentary from small booths constructed at the back of the venue.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Known details on the broadcasts in each country, including the specific broadcasting stations and commentators are shown in the tables below.

Broadcasters and commentators in participating countries

Country	Broadcaster	Channel(s)	Commentator(s)	Template:Refh
Template:Flagu	ORF	ORF 1	Ernst Grissemann	<ref name="Schweiz" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
		FM4	Stermann & Grissemann	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Flagu	BRTN	TV1	Michel Follet and Johan Verstreken	<ref name="Leidsch" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
		Radio 2	Template:Ill and Bart Pieters	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	RTBF	RTBF1	Jean-Pierre Hautier and Sandra Kim	<ref name="Revue" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	HRT	HRT1	Aleksandar Kostadinov	<ref name="KN">Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	CyBC	RIK 1	Evi Papamichail	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	ETV		Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	YLE	TV1	Erkki Pohjanheimo, Sanna Kojo and Minna Pentti	<ref name="HS2">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
		lang}}	Iris Mattila and Pasi Hiihtola	<ref name="HS2" />
Template:Flagu	lang}}	France 2	Olivier Minne	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	RÚV	lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	Jakob Frímann Magnússon	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	RTÉ	RTÉ One	Pat Kenny	<ref name="IrishTimes">Template:Cite news</ref>
		RTÉ Radio 1	Larry Gogan	<ref name="IrishTimes" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	PBS	TVM	Charles Saliba	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	NOS	TV2	Willem van Beusekom	<ref name="Leidsch">Template:Cite news</ref>
		Radio 2	Hijlco Span	<ref name="Leidsch" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	NRK	lang}}	Jostein Pedersen	<ref name="Scandi">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
		NRK P1	Template:Ill and Anita Skorgan	<ref name="Scandi" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} Template:Subscription or libraries</ref>
Template:Flagu	TVP	TVP1	Dorota Osman	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Flagu	RTP	RTP1Template:Efn	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	STV	STV2	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	RTVSLO	SLO 1	Miša Molk	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
		Val 202	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	TVE	lang}}	José Luis Uribarri	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	SVT	SVT2	Björn Kjellman	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	SR	SR P3	Claes-Johan Larsson and Lisa Syrén	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	SRG SSR	lang}}	Sandra Studer	<ref name="Schweiz">Template:Cite news</ref>
		TSR	Pierre Grandjean	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Template:Ill		Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	TRT	TRT 1	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	BBC	BBC1Template:Efn	Terry Wogan	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
		BBC Radio 2	Ken Bruce	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Broadcasters and commentators in non-participating countries

Country	Broadcaster	Channel(s)	Commentator(s)	Template:Refh
Template:Flagu	SBS	SBS TVTemplate:Efn	Template:N/A	<ref name="Australia">Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	DR	DR TV	Jørgen de Mylius	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
		DR P3	Katrine Nyland Sørensen, Martin Loft and Marianne Dinesen
Template:Flagu	SvF		Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	MDR	MDR FernsehenTemplate:Efn	Template:Ill	<ref name="Revue">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="DE96">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="BBV">Template:Cite news</ref>
	NDR/RB	N3Template:Efn
	SFB	B1Template:Efn
	WDR	WDR FernsehenTemplate:Efn
Template:Flagu	KNR	KNRTemplate:Efn	Jørgen de Mylius	<ref name="Greenland">Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	MTV	MTV 2	István Vágó	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Flagu	IBA	Channel 1	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	JRTV	JTV2	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	LRT	LTV	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Flagu	TVR	TVR 1	Doina Caramzulescu and Costin Grigore	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Flagdeco Yugoslavia	RTS	RTS 2	Template:N/A	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Notes and references

Bibliography

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External links

• Template:Official website