Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996
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| Eurovision Song Contest 1996 | |
| Country | Estonia |
| National preselection | |
| Preselection process | Judging panel |
| Preselection date(s) | January 27, 1996 |
| Selected entrant | Maarja-Liis Ilus and Ivo Linna |
| Selected song | "Kaelakee hääl" ("Sound of necklace") |
| Finals performance | |
| Semi-final result | - |
| Final result | 5th, 94 points |
The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was the third time that Estonia entered the Eurovision Song Contest, and was their first participation since their last place in the 1994 final. The entrant was again selected by a panel of expert judges, with thirteen entrants into the preselection final. The preselection would end up tied on points, with Maarja-Liis Ilus and Ivo Linna's duet "Kaelakee hääl" winning on the basis of being awarded more maximum points than the runner-up Kadri Hunt. In the final, Ilus and Linna finished 5th.
[edit] Preselection
The 1996 preselections were hosted by Marko Reikop and Karmel Eikner, and were broadcast live from a night club in the Estonian capital Tallinn. Thirteen songs entered the event, with several acts entering with more than one song. Several artists had also competed in the last Estonian preselection for the 1994 contest, including Evelin Samuel and Pearu Paulus.
The preselections were voted on by a panel of judges from across Europe, with Maarja-Liis Ilus and Ivo Linna tying first with Kadri Hunt on 62 points. After a review of the scoring, it was announced that Ilus and Linna would go onto represent Estonia at the finals in Oslo, due to the Finnish judge awarding them maximum points - Something which Hunt had not achieved from any judge during the voting process.
| Position | Artist | Song | Points |
| 1st= | Maarja-Liis Ilus and Ivo Linna | "Kaelakee hääl" ("Sound of necklace") | 62 |
| 1st= | Kadri Hunt | "Me rõõm ei kao" ("Our happiness won't disappear") | 62 |
| 3rd | Tõnis Mägi | "Ballaad" ("Ballad") | 57 |
| 4th | Kirile Loo | "Maatütre tants" ("The wedding of a witch") | 56 |
| 5th | Evelin Samuel and Toomas Rull | "Kaheksa näoga kuu" ("The eight faces of the moon") | 54 |
| 6th | Evelin Samuel, Karl Madis, Maarja-Liis Ilus and Pearu Paulus |
"Kummalisel teel" ("On the strange way") | 51 |
| 7th= | Reet Kromel and Arne Lauri | "Laule ja palveid täis päev" ("A day full of songs and prayers") | 50 |
| 7th= | Hedvig Hanson and Evelin Samuel | "Meeletu algus" ("Desperate beginning") | 50 |
| 9th | Sirje Medell | "Elust enesest" ("From life itself") | 48 |
| 10th= | Tõnis Mägi | "Eestimaa euromehe laul" ("Estonia's Eurosong") | 41 |
| 10th= | Urmas Podnek | "Vaba kui tuul" ("Free as a wind") | 41 |
| 12th | Ivo Linna and Kadi-Signe Selde | "Lihtne viis" ("Simple melody") | 40 |
| 13th | Üllar Meriste | "Iialgi veel" ("Never before") | 37 |
[edit] Final
Estonia had missed the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 final due to a low score in the 1994 event, which allowed other countries the chance of compete in 1995. Likewise, low scoring countries at the 1995 final missed out for 1996, allowing Estonia to get back in. In the final, Estonia would not have to worry about low scoring putting them out for 1997, with Ilus and Linna performing strongly and receiving maximum points from Sweden, Finland and Iceland. With the scores received from other countries steady also, Estonia managed to finish 5th, their highest ever placing at the time.
