| Estonia | |
|---|---|
| Member station | ERR |
| National selection events | Eurolaul (1993-2008) Eesti Laul (2009-) |
| Appearances | |
| Appearances | 17 |
| First appearance | 1994 |
| Best result | 1st: 2001 |
| Worst result | 22nd: 2007 SF |
| External links | |
| ERR page | |
| Estonia's page at Eurovision.tv | |
Estonia first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. Its first appearance would have taken place in 1993 with Janika Sillamaa and "Muretut meelt ja südametuld", however a qualification round was just installed for former Eastern bloc countries and she did not manage to qualify to the Grand Final. Its first contest participation in 1994 was not a successful one, coming second last only to Lithuania. As such, the country was relegated from the 1995 contest. Its second entry, Maarja-Liis Ilus and Ivo Linna with "Kaelakee hääl", in 1996 was the complete opposite, coming 5th with 94 points. This was the first top 5 ranking for a former USSR country. In addition, Estonia is the most successful Baltic country in Eurovision.
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Estonia's record at the contest was a successful one from 1996 to 2002, only failing once to make the top 10 (in 1998 when it ended up in 12th place). The country's first win came in 2001, when Tanel Padar and Dave Benton, along with 2XL, sang "Everybody" and received 198 points, therefore making Estonia the first former USSR country to win the Contest. As such the 2002 contest was held in Estonia, in the capital city Tallinn.
From 2004 to 2008 Estonia failed to qualify to the finals, mostly receiving poor results – during that period its best entry was 12th place in the 2004 semi-final by Neiokõsõ with the "Tii" (The Way), sung in the Võro language, a southern-Estonian dialect.
Despite news that Estonia might withdraw from the 2009 contest, set to be held in Moscow, Russia, due to the war in South Ossetia, Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) confirmed that, due to public demand, Estonia would send an entry to Moscow.[1][2] After a new national final, Eesti Laul, was introduced to select the Estonian entry, the winner was Urban Symphony with "Rändajad" (Nomads[3] or Travellers), which had beaten the televoting favourite, Laura, by the votes of a jury.[4][5]
At the second semi-final of the 2009 contest, Urban Symphony qualified Estonia to the final of the contest for the first time since 2003, receiving 115 points and placing 3rd. The group performed 15th in the final, where it received 129 points, placing 6th of 25 competing entries as well as being the highest placing non-English language song at the 2009 competition.
| Year | Artist | Title | Final | Points | Semi | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Silvi Vrait | "Nagu merelaine" | 24 | 2 | ||
| 1996 | Maarja-Liis Ilus & Ivo Linna | "Kaelakee hääl" | 5 | 94 | ||
| 1997 | Maarja Liis-Ilus | "Keelatud maa" | 8 | 82 | ||
| 1998 | Koit Toome | "Mere lapsed" | 12 | 36 | ||
| 1999 | Evelin Samuel & Camille | "Diamond of Night" | 6 | 90 | ||
| 2000 | Ines | "Once in a Lifetime" | 4 | 98 | ||
| 2001 | Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL | "Everybody" | 1 | 198 | ||
| 2002 | Sahlene | "Runaway" | 3 | 111 | ||
| 2003 | Ruffus | "Eighties Coming Back" | 21 | 14 | ||
| 2004 | Neiokõsõ | "Tii" | X | X | 11 | 57 |
| 2005 | Suntribe | "Let's Get Loud" | X | X | 20 | 31 |
| 2006 | Sandra Oxenryd | "Through My Window" | X | X | 18 | 28 |
| 2007 | Gerli Padar | "Partners in Crime" | X | X | 22 | 33 |
| 2008 | Kreisiraadio | "Leto svet" | X | X | 18 | 8 |
| 2009 | Urban Symphony | "Rändajad" | 6 | 129 | 3 | 115 |
| 2010 | Malcolm Lincoln & Manpower 4 | "Siren" | X | X | 14 | 39 |
| 2011 | Getter Jaani | "Rockefeller Street" | 24 | 44 | 9 | 60 |
| 2012 |
Estonia has given the most points to...
| Rank | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 118 |
| 2 | Sweden | 100 |
| 3 | Latvia | 67 |
| 4 | Norway | 65 |
| 5 | Finland | 61 |
Estonia has received the most points from...
| Rank | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finland | 61 |
| 2 | Sweden | 60 |
| 3 | Ireland | 57 |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 49 |
| 5 | Latvia | 48 |
NOTE: The totals in the above tables include only points awarded in Eurovision finals, and not the semi-finals since 2004.
Estonia has given the most points to...
| Rank | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 76 |
| 2 | Finland | 66 |
| 3 | Latvia | 52 |
| 4 | Norway | 39 |
| Ukraine | 39 | |
| 5 | Sweden | 37 |
| Denmark | 37 | |
| 6 | Iceland | 26 |
| Georgia | 26 | |
| 7 | Ireland | 24 |
Estonia has received the most points from...
| Rank | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latvia | 75 |
| 2 | Finland | 67 |
| 3 | Lithuania | 38 |
| 4 | Sweden | 22 |
| 5 | Ireland | 21 |
| 6 | Iceland | 19 |
| Moldova | 19 | |
| 7 | Ukraine | 18 |
NOTE: The tables with points from 2004 include points awarded in both finals and semi-finals where the highest point from the final/semi-final is picked.
| Year | Location | Venue | Presenter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Tallinn | Saku Suurhall | Annely Peebo and Marko Matvere |
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